Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[ReefReefy]

Ok so if I have an emergency 20 gallon QT if I fill it full with my display tank (37 gallons) there would be hardly any left. So how much of my dt water should I put in for the QT and how much of new saltwater?

Also I just got an octopus hob bh1000 and there's room where I can shove a media to get bacteria for an hob for my QT what do you recommend for that?

 

[Dr. Reef]

First off i dont see any reason to fill qt with dt's water. people and lfs say this all the time claiming it will import bacteria and fish will be happy. well unfortunately bacteria resides mostly deep inside rocks and some in sand not in water.
i would start qt with freshly saltwater matching ph salinity and temp almost to DT's then transfer the fish.
for media u can get any surface increasing media like ceramic media and place it in the HOB.
i always use ceramic rings.
Good luck and safe reefing.

 

[jfeva0049]

what would be better to do, have a damsel to live in qt fulltime or ghost feed in between fish? thanks.

 

[Dr. Reef]

I prefer a Cardinal over damsel. Damsel are very aggressive and will cause problems with new fish.i have a cardinal as permanent residence in qt. But if u think u wont forget and not feed the tank every 2 to 3 days and u can keep up with that habits u may go that route but this method causes more waste and water needs regular changes or cleaning/siphoning.
I prefer a small non aggressive fish.

 

[jfeva0049]

But if u think u wont forget and not feed the tank every 2 to 3 days and u can keep up with that habits u may go that route but this method causes more waste and water needs regular changes or cleaning/siphoning.
I prefer a small non aggressive fish.

did you mean having a damsel or just a fish in general?

 

[Dr. Reef]

Lol I think I didnt explain properly.
I would rather have a small fish in tank than ghost feed.
I would also prefer any other fish than damsel.

 

[Dr. Reef]

For the curious ones i finally finished the hypo preventive treatment on all my fish. raise salinity over 5 days to match dt. then transfer.
All fish are doing great and getting along very well.
heres a few pics.

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[Dr. Reef]

 

[jfeva0049]

got my water and hob set up on my qt a few days ago,thanks. just curious, is there any different approaches i need to take when acclimating fish to qt vs to dt? thanks. i would assume its the same,but thought i better ask just in case.

 

[scuzy]

Acclimate the same way you normally would.

 

[Dr. Reef]

nice, i am happy u r doing things the right way.
acclimation is same for fish either qt or dt. best thing is to ask the vendor where u got the fish (if shipping) for their salinity. match the salinity in qt to same as bag water then temp acclimate the fish and place it in the tank.
some people like to do drip acclimation. i dont. i just match temp and salinity to about the same value and transfer fish.
good luck and safe reefing.

Note: if u setup the tank fe days ago its probably not cycled. in case ur not cycling it and adding fish soon then make sure to have a lot of water ready and do daily changes keeping an eye on ammonia.

 

[jfeva0049]

nice, i am happy u r doing things the right way.
acclimation is same for fish either qt or dt. best thing is to ask the vendor where u got the fish (if shipping) for their salinity. match the salinity in qt to same as bag water then temp acclimate the fish and place it in the tank.
some people like to do drip acclimation. i dont. i just match temp and salinity to about the same value and transfer fish.
good luck and safe reefing.

Note: if u setup the tank fe days ago its probably not cycled. in case ur not cycling it and adding fish soon then make sure to have a lot of water ready and do daily changes keeping an eye on ammonia.

thanks, i have the biomax media still in my fuge waiting till i actually get the fish. i also had the sponge filter in the sump, the sponge i put in the hob already with a new pack of biomax. sponge has been in sump for about 2 weeks and the original biomax bag that is still in the sump has been sitting for about 3 weeks now. i was hoping that when i do get my tang in the next few days or so, that by adding the original biomax bag to the HOB, it will be plenty. in total i plan on running a sponge and 2 bags of biomaxx in my aquaclear 70. your thoughts,thanks.

 

[jfeva0049]

Acclimate the same way you normally would.

thank you.

 

[scuzy]

Also the bottle bacteria work well for me I never really had any cycle issue using it

 

[Dr. Reef]

having filters/sponges/media in an established sump is no guarantee in any way to be 100% sure fo it to be seeded. bacteria can only reside in same ratio as ammonia being produced..
if u dt has just enough ammonia/bioload for just enough bacteria to survive in the rocks where it has bee since cycle chances are ur temporary filter/sponges/media will probably never get seeded.
Thus i recommend everyone to practice it and transfer to qt then ghost feed for a day or 2 and check for ammonia. if after 2 days of feeding an empty tank there is not ammonia then u can safely add couple of small fish then wait few days add a couple more.
this is a safe approach.

 

[jfeva0049]

how long should i wait till i start with the meds??