Is my Quarantine Tank setup correctly?

[Chris918]

Hey everyone. I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

So I got my quarantine tank setup 2 weeks ago. It is bare bottom with no rock and no sand. Basically just glass and water. I have a thermometer to keep it at 78 and there is a small filter in its built-in sump. I also have a small hydor going for some surface agitation.
As for testing, I think I ghost fed a bit too much (decaying food is definitely noticeable)
Ammonia is about 0.25-0.50 ppm, but the Nitrites are over 5.0 ppm. Nitrates are still at 0.

As for the excess food should I clean that out or just let the bacteria do their thing? Will doing small water changes mess with the cycle? Also I've heard some members advocate for pvc pipe to give the fish a place to hide. Should I get some of that as well?

I hope I'm on the right track when it comes to protecting my display and my hard work. Thanks for any advice anyone has.

 

[gone fishin]

Since your trying to cycle your QT I think I would just leave the food there. I personally like to use some PVC fittings.

What is your QT protocol going to be? Good luck just my 2 cents.

 

[kmbyrnes]

Congrats on doing QT. Many don't at first. You will be saving your self a lot of headache in the long run.
Let the tank cycle fully before you get any fish.
You might check out this link for some good info:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2388428

 

[Chris918]

I plan on quarantining any new arrivals for 4-6 weeks looking for any signs of disease and ensuring they are eating. Does this sound like a good timeframe?

Thank you all again.

 

[gone fishin]

In addition to the QT I would suggest looking into Tank Transfer method(TTM) for ich and do a couple rounds of prazipro for flukes and internal parasites.

There is a TTM sticky above the big red arrow on the forum page.

FWIW my protocol consists of TTM with two rounds of prazi, then into the main QT for 4-5 weeks(depends on work schedule).

 

[snorvich]

In addition to the QT I would suggest looking into Tank Transfer method(TTM) for ich and do a couple rounds of prazipro for flukes and internal parasites.

There is a TTM sticky above the big red arrow on the forum page.

FWIW my protocol consists of TTM with two rounds of prazi, then into the main QT for 4-5 weeks(depends on work schedule).

What he said; tank transfer will save headaches going forward. I also suggest a formalin dip, perhaps at the end of transfer one.

 

[Denbf58]

+ 1 for having QT and add some pvc fittings for fish to hide in and keep a ammonia detoxifier on hand in case of a spike. well done you are on your way doing it right.

 

[Buddy55]

I do the TTM and then prazi in the cycled tank. TTM is going to require two of everything. I use clear 15 gallon plastic containers for TTM.