Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

[Dr. Reef]

Hello, I have a few questions about QT process, my current QT info (cycle completed several months ago):
40G Breeder, Aqueon 70
0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0-5 nitrates
74f, 1.025
Bare bottom, no lights, a few pieces of pvc, eggcrate cover
-3 back up filters sitting in the sump of my DT

Hi
there is no harm in temp difference for now as long as its within acceptable range of 76-82F. When you are ready to transfer then you will have to match the three majors, Salinity Temp and pH. 24-48 hrs prior to transfer you can adjust those 3 to match pretty close to DT. (doesnt have to be 100%)
Having separate tools for QT is always a good idea and to me is a must.
Anthias are very active fish and love to swim, i had 20+ in my 300 and now i have 11. They might be a bit shy or still in stress from transport and new tank. It might be few days before they actually start eating.
Having same food for DT and QT is just fine as you want the fish to get used to the food u feed.
Debris can be sucked out via turkey baster, that will keep stuff from building up. I sometimes do that but not much as i just feed enough for fish to consume with in 3 min. I siphon buildup via water changes mostly.
Food mixture you have is just fine. I feed 75% PE mysis and 25% brine with nori and garlic.
Prazipro is a good treatment for all fish. expect milkyness in water.
Copper or other treatments need to hold off till there is a disease.
But i do copper treat all tangs no matter.
Heaters are fine inside the tank as long as they are not glass heaters. they tend to crack and break over time releasing metals inside the tank. Heaters will not burn/hurt fish.
Salts dont matter in QT as in qt we are only looking for 4 things. temp ph salinity and ammonia. Any aquarium salt will work. But i keep only 1 type of salt as i make 50gals at a time in 1 bin so its much easier to keep 1 salt.
Good luck and i hope i answered all ur concerns.
If i left any please post them. i will try to get back on them as soon as i can.

 

[Dr. Reef]

I have a couple small pieces of rock i just took out of my fuge would that good to add to QT to help it get going.

In QT its best not to bring rock or sand in and best left bare. You can always add more ceramic media to provide surface area for bacteria to grow on.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Hey there. I'm setting up a new 55g (5 days into a cycle, so a while to go...) and am thinking about what I need to get a QT prepped.

I got a good deal from a LFS for a 10g combo kit. It's from Deep Blue Professional, and came with a standard 10g tank, a little "Biomaxx" HOB filter (also from Deep Blue), a heater, a cover, and a small light fixture.

The HOB has a little carbon filter (I think it's this one) and a foam block (looks like this one).

It seems from reading this thread that this is probably not enough filtration, and I should add some ceramic rings somewhere. Should I try to add them in the HOB itself? There's 3/4 in or so of open space between the carbon and back of the HOB. Or in the tank, near where the water's coming back?

Hi
yes you can fill any left over space inside the HOB with media to add on surface area. I would take the carbon out of the filters as it will take out the meds you will put in to treat the fish. If there isnt enough room in HOB then buy a media sock and fill it with ceramic media and place it in high flow area.
Good luck and safe reefing.

 

[Dr. Reef]

And another quick QT question - what's everyone's thoughts on introducing the first fish directly into a new DT? (And then using the QT for everything else after that)

Never a good idea. like mrpergo stated. 1st fish might introduce something to your DT that may go undetected till u have a full house then its hits and wipe entire tank.

 

[salajander]

Never a good idea. like mrpergo stated. 1st fish might introduce something to your DT that may go undetected till u have a full house then its hits and wipe entire tank.

I'm genuinely curious what would go undetected from the first fish in a DT that a QT would catch? Or does this presume you're always medicating fish in a QT as a matter of course and would not do that to a DT, therefore something would survive a QT-length stay (4-6 weeks) in an unmedicated DT?

 

[salajander]

I should note I'm planning to QT everything, but was asking mostly out of curiosity.

 

[Dr. Reef]

I should note I'm planning to QT everything, but was asking mostly out of curiosity.

No problem, i post comments for all audience, maybe there are some readers that planned otherwise. No harm in asking and being curious.
Safe Reefing.

 

[salajander]

If there isnt enough room in HOB then buy a media sock and fill it with ceramic media and place it in high flow area.

I presume this means you have some minimum amount you'd recommend adding?

My QT will be a 10g - is there some set # of grams of ceramic rings or etc. I should aim to have?

 

[Dr. Reef]

I presume this means you have some minimum amount you'd recommend adding?

My QT will be a 10g - is there some set # of grams of ceramic rings or etc. I should aim to have?

Very good question
i recommend atleast 25g per gal. So in your case 10gal tank will take 250g or more. If you dont have room inside the HOB you can always place the rings in a media nag and place it in high flow area. More media more surface area more place for bacteria to live.
But more is not always better in this case as bacteria lives in exact ratio as ammonia produced in tank. if there is not ammonia production there will be no ammonia or vice versa.

 

[mkoop]

Is there a good point of reference or document that depicts the most common / likely pests / illnesses with certain species? It seems I have the correct set up and process in place now but I am just not sure what to look for over the several week observation period.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Is there a good point of reference or document that depicts the most common / likely pests / illnesses with certain species? It seems I have the correct set up and process in place now but I am just not sure what to look for over the several week observation period.

Here is a good reference website with lots of good info and pics.
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/disease.html

 

[jean9910]

Very useful, thank you for the information.

 

[JimLish]

First- thanks to bnumair for putting so much effort into this thread.

I am wondering if I can use a spare phosban reactor filled with the ceramic rings in place of a HOB filter?

Also, for a pair of anthias in a 40g breeder qt, what do you recommend (in terms of gph) for a powerhead?

 

[Sneltyr]

Once all hardware is in place I fill it with new salt water (1.026) and throw in a frozen shrimp to start cycle. Tank is bare bottom with a HOB bio wheeled filter. Let the tank cycle just like a normal tank over few weeks. Keep checking ammonia and nitrites and once zero your tank is cycled and ready to go.

How long will this cycle take, bare bottom with nothing but water & filter?
Also what would I need to run in the filter for media?

Thanks Much

 

[Dr. Reef]

First- thanks to bnumair for putting so much effort into this thread.

I am wondering if I can use a spare phosban reactor filled with the ceramic rings in place of a HOB filter?

Also, for a pair of anthias in a 40g breeder qt, what do you recommend (in terms of gph) for a powerhead?

hi
Thank you for your kinds comments.
Yes you can use a reactor filled with ceramic rings with moderate to higher water flow. As for power head in a 40gal a 300-500 gph will work.
Good luck and safe reefing.

 

[Dr. Reef]

How long will this cycle take, bare bottom with nothing but water & filter?
Also what would I need to run in the filter for media?

Thanks Much

Cycle time is anyones guess but i am going to guess anywhere from 3-6 weeks.
I recommend about 25 grams per gallon. or close to it. More surface area better for bacteria to reside in.

 

[Sneltyr]

I recommend about 25 grams per gallon. or close to it. More surface area better for bacteria to reside in.

Sorry - I'm a Noob
25 grams of what? :spin1:

 

[Sneltyr]

Don't lose patience with me - I'm trying

For a permanent QT with copper what media do I need to run in filter? I will run a Marineland 600 I have laying around.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Sorry - I'm a Noob
25 grams of what? :spin1:

Don't lose patience with me - I'm trying

For a permanent QT with copper what media do I need to run in filter? I will run a Marineland 600 I have laying around.

Hi
trust me i dont lose patience. i rather see you do things right way and ask as many questions u like so its done right the first time.
Anyways, i recommend either filter floss or my fav ceramic rings.
25 grams per gal or as many as you can fit.

 

[thunt55]

Dr. Reef, I really appreciate all you have done for this community. I just registered today but have read a lot and been reading your posts for months.

I have an issue I hope you can help me with. I have a 16g display tank with corals that was doing great. I introduced a new fish with ich from LFS and it died in my DT. I read most of this thread and quickly setup a 5g QT tank and started a copper treatment for my 2 remaining Clown fish but it was too late. They died after one day in QT. Now I don't know what to do next. Here are my questions:

1) What do I need to do to "treat" my DT if anything? I have no fish but lots on invertebrates and some coral.
2) How long before I know the ich is gone in my DT and can put fish back in it?
3) Since I added copper to my QT tank (with a bio wheel filter and a heater) what do I need to do to ensure no copper remains so I can use the equipment for a new QT tank?
4) Do I just need to completely start the QT tank over with new water and start a fresh cycle so I can QT any new fish I buy for the future before adding to DT?

Thanks in advance for all your help.