Guide to setup a Quarantine Tank (QT).

Cruiznblue said:
Are you saying you leave a fish in your QT 24/7? Like I could cycle my QT, add a green chromis to stay in there permanently, and then add new residents as they come for observation/treatment?
Click to expand...

yes i have a PJ cardinal and 3 green chromis that are permanent residents of my qt setup.
 
bnumair said:
yes i have a PJ cardinal and 3 green chromis that are permanent residents of my qt setup.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for clarifying. Wouldn't that be a lot on the fish though if I plan on treating with copper and other medications? If I plan on adding say 8 fish to my 90g...that might be 8 different observations/treatments.
 
I have found cardinals and chromis to be very hardy. Mine have been through a lot of testing and trial/errors and experimentation with new products and have made it out just fine.
I keep them in qt because I am always experimenting with different and new medicines. I am more of a researcher than a simple hobbyist. If you don't want to try keeping fish in there you can always ghost feed every 3 days and you would be fine your tank will still maintain a cycle.
 
bnumair said:
I have found cardinals and chromis to be very hardy. Mine have been through a lot of testing and trial/errors and experimentation with new products and have made it out just fine.
I keep them in qt because I am always experimenting with different and new medicines. I am more of a researcher than a simple hobbyist. If you don't want to try keeping fish in there you can always ghost feed every 3 days and you would be fine your tank will still maintain a cycle.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for your help! I would rather have my QT tank running full time, and if I can have an occupant or two keeping it lively when not in use...that'd be even better.
 
Great thread!

I've read through a lot of it and am confident about setting my quarantine system up. My only question is about biological filtration.

I'm using a HOB filter with ceramic rings and some floss. It will be a permanent QT. I expect there will be a steady stream of fish going through quarantine for a period of time but there will also be periods without fish so no waste to feed the denitrifying bacteria. Is this an issue? Should I dump a prawn in there every week it runs fallow?
 
Punchanello said:
Great thread!

I've read through a lot of it and am confident about setting my quarantine system up. My only question is about biological filtration.

I'm using a HOB filter with ceramic rings and some floss. It will be a permanent QT. I expect there will be a steady stream of fish going through quarantine for a period of time but there will also be periods without fish so no waste to feed the denitrifying bacteria. Is this an issue? Should I dump a prawn in there every week it runs fallow?
Click to expand...

You should break down the tank and clean everything thoroughly between tank inhabitants. As far as setting the tank back up for new arrivals and having enough biological filtration I use this product religiously and have never had a issue.https://www.tlc-products.com/startsmart-complete/new-tank-set-up/
Use frag20 for 20% off
 
Last edited:
Is there any difference, pro/con, in using a powerhead vs an air stone (I'm assuming one needs a pump for the air stone too)?

I picked up a 20 gallon tank and a HOB filter for QT down the road.

Is a 50 Watt heater enough for QT, or better to just get a 100-150 Watt heater and have an extra for back up on main DT?
(Main DT is 150 gal)
 
Thornbreaker said:
Is there any difference, pro/con, in using a powerhead vs an air stone (I'm assuming one needs a pump for the air stone too)?

I picked up a 20 gallon tank and a HOB filter for QT down the road.

Is a 50 Watt heater enough for QT, or better to just get a 100-150 Watt heater and have an extra for back up on main DT?
(Main DT is 150 gal)
Click to expand...



50watts not enough to heat a 20 gallon. If you put a larger heater it will heat up the tank faster and shut off earlier.


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Hi, I am a long time freshwater aquarist but new to the saltwater hobby. I’ve been going through this thread which has absolutely fantastic information about QTs. I have a question about a choice of tank for the QT I would love some feedback on.

My DT is 40 gal (200L) with a 10g sump (40L) - Red Sea Reefer 250. Currently stocked with 2 clownfish, one anemone (not yet adopted), 6 corals and 2 hermit crabs. All healthy with no sign of parasites or disease. It has been running for a little under 3 months and I am planning for the next phase in stocking. Filtration is ~60 lb live rock in the DT, the standard Red Sea sponge, Marine Pure, Polyfilter and Torque skimmer in the sump.

I want to setup a QT for the upcoming livestock and also for use as a HT if and as needed. Due mostly to space limitations in our house I plan to keep to a single tank, and not having it running permanently - run initially whilst stocking, convert to HT if needed and then take it down, clean and rebirth as HT or QT as needed in future. I plan to keep ceramic and other media in the sump seeded and ready to go to reduce cycling in the QT/HT.

I am considering two tanks for QT/HT and would like opinions as to which you would recommend. Both are easy to source in my region (Sydney Australia).

1. Aqua One 320T 36L (9 gal)
2. Aqua One Reflex 35 35L (8 gal)

The former has a hood which appeals to me to reduce evaporation, the latter is open top, making an auto top up more important. Different filtration setups also.

I currently have an older version of the Aqua One 380 which is a similar design to the 320T as my freshwater tank and it is a very robust and reliable tank with good simple and effective filtration, which also leans me towards to the 320T.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance, Brad.
 
Tastee said:
Hi, I am a long time freshwater aquarist but new to the saltwater hobby. I've been going through this thread which has absolutely fantastic information about QTs. I have a question about a choice of tank for the QT I would love some feedback on.

My DT is 40 gal (200L) with a 10g sump (40L) - Red Sea Reefer 250. Currently stocked with 2 clownfish, one anemone (not yet adopted), 6 corals and 2 hermit crabs. All healthy with no sign of parasites or disease. It has been running for a little under 3 months and I am planning for the next phase in stocking. Filtration is ~60 lb live rock in the DT, the standard Red Sea sponge, Marine Pure, Polyfilter and Torque skimmer in the sump.

I want to setup a QT for the upcoming livestock and also for use as a HT if and as needed. Due mostly to space limitations in our house I plan to keep to a single tank, and not having it running permanently - run initially whilst stocking, convert to HT if needed and then take it down, clean and rebirth as HT or QT as needed in future. I plan to keep ceramic and other media in the sump seeded and ready to go to reduce cycling in the QT/HT.

I am considering two tanks for QT/HT and would like opinions as to which you would recommend. Both are easy to source in my region (Sydney Australia).

1. Aqua One 320T 36L (9 gal)
2. Aqua One Reflex 35 35L (8 gal)

The former has a hood which appeals to me to reduce evaporation, the latter is open top, making an auto top up more important. Different filtration setups also.

I currently have an older version of the Aqua One 380 which is a similar design to the 320T as my freshwater tank and it is a very robust and reliable tank with good simple and effective filtration, which also leans me towards to the 320T.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance, Brad.
Click to expand...

bigger the better, having a hood over the tank will increase heat inside the tank and water and also reduce air exchange which could lead to low oxygen and low pH.
 
TTM Quarantining Question

TTM Quarantining Question

So I am on day 10 of quarantining a lawnmower blenny using the TTM. http://www.tanktransfermethod.com/node/1
Last night was my 3rd transfer and since then I have cleaned all of the equipment and have it set out to dry. But one question comes to mind when drying out the equipment.
The procedures indicate that you are to dry the tank and equipment between transfers for a minimum of 24 hrs and I was wondering if there was a significance to the 24hr time period? Like maybe there a specific amount of time that it takes the Trophont to dry out and die or is it simply an approximated time that is reasonable to assume that everything is dry and the Trophonts are all dead?

Thank in advance,
Tom
 
Tom39 said:
So I am on day 10 of quarantining a lawnmower blenny using the TTM. http://www.tanktransfermethod.com/node/1
Last night was my 3rd transfer and since then I have cleaned all of the equipment and have it set out to dry. But one question comes to mind when drying out the equipment.
The procedures indicate that you are to dry the tank and equipment between transfers for a minimum of 24 hrs and I was wondering if there was a significance to the 24hr time period? Like maybe there a specific amount of time that it takes the Trophont to dry out and die or is it simply an approximated time that is reasonable to assume that everything is dry and the Trophonts are all dead?

Thank in advance,
Tom
Click to expand...

You are correct, the reason you want it dry for 24 hours is some things can't survive. Namely, I know the Tank Transfer Method is used for marine Ich. If its dry for that long, the Ich won't survive. It is an overshoot of the actual likely required time to be safe.
 
Phistick said:
Sorry to ask what is the ATO that you mentioned at the beginning that I might need in my QT tank?
Click to expand...

Automatic top off system. This system will replace evaporated water in tank with fresh ro-di water.
Because qt is a small system with higher load it's best to replace evaporated water right away via ato so there is minimal salinity shock.
 
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