Media for Quarantine Tank

[moneymm]

I am setting up my Quarantine Tank.

I got a pair of clownfish wednesday, they are in the Tank Transfer Method process, after the 12 days i am going to put them in a QT.

since that is only 9 days alway, what is the best method for seeding the media.

my DT is cycled, I am using a Eheim 350 Canister Filter. which has two types of rocklike media.


for the QT i plan to use a Fluval C4 HOB filter that i got for free. http://www.fluvalaquatics.com/ca/product/14003-c4-power-filter/

It has Poly/Foam, Activated Carbon, C-Nodes and Bio-Screen Pad


so should i just run the fluval c4 on the DT (without the carbon right?), and then it is seeded? or is 9 days not enough time?

or is this other method good?

i was thinking i can just pull out some of the crushed coral pieces or round balls from the DT filter canister and put them in the QT filter whenver i want to use it?

I also have "live water" premixed nutri-salwater that i plan to use in the QT.

 

[moneymm]

anyone?

 

[ca1ore]

I was thinking i can just pull out some of the crushed coral pieces or round balls from the DT filter canister and put them in the QT filter whenver i want to use it.

That is essentially what I do. Next time I have an ammonia problem will be the first time I have an ammonia problem.

 

[wooden_reefer]

I am setting up my Quarantine Tank.

I got a pair of clownfish wednesday, they are in the Tank Transfer Method process, after the 12 days i am going to put them in a QT.

since that is only 9 days alway, what is the best method for seeding the media.

my DT is cycled, I am using a Eheim 350 Canister Filter. which has two types of rocklike media.


for the QT i plan to use a Fluval C4 HOB filter that i got for free. http://www.fluvalaquatics.com/ca/product/14003-c4-power-filter/

It has Poly/Foam, Activated Carbon, C-Nodes and Bio-Screen Pad


so should i just run the fluval c4 on the DT (without the carbon right?), and then it is seeded? or is 9 days not enough time?

or is this other method good?

i was thinking i can just pull out some of the crushed coral pieces or round balls from the DT filter canister and put them in the QT filter whenver i want to use it?

I also have "live water" premixed nutri-salwater that i plan to use in the QT.

Seeding is instant. You can just use water from DT to cycle medium for QT. That is all the seeding needed.

But "seeds" need to grow; in fact, more correct is to reproduce.

Seeded bacteria need to have ammonia so as they face ammonia and process ammonia they will reproduce.

This is an extremely simple and very correct idea.

Seeding without reproducing is very limited and quite weak nitrification, overloaded by all but very small bioload.

Particularly if planned bioload in QT is not small, just "seeding" will lead to ammonia in QT, cycling with livestock in QT.

You need to cycle after seeding if your bioload is not very small. Otherwise, you will be walking into a calamity.



Even if the bioload in QT will be small, you should go thru some fudge factors.

1. While you seed, the DT is fed a little more; when you take out the pad or whatever, you feed less.

2. the seeded pad in DT must be a significant fraction of the sites of bacterial growth in DT. A little pad placed with 100's of pounds of LR in a DT is a very tiny fraction of the active bacteria.

For a long established tank, the population of bacteria is in balance with the bioload. You can only exploit a little, not much.

 

[moneymm]

Seeding is instant. You can just use water from DT to cycle medium for QT. That is all the seeding needed.

But "seeds" need to grow; in fact, more correct is to reproduce.

Seeded bacteria need to have ammonia so as they face ammonia and process ammonia they will reproduce.

This is an extremely simple and very correct idea.

Seeding without reproducing is very limited and quite weak nitrification, overloaded by all but very small bioload.

Particularly if planned bioload in QT is not small, just "seeding" will lead to ammonia in QT, cycling with livestock in QT.

You need to cycle after seeding if your bioload is not very small. Otherwise, you will be walking into a calamity.



Even if the bioload in QT will be small, you should go thru some fudge factors.

1. While you seed, the DT is fed a little more; when you take out the pad or whatever, you feed less.

2. the seeded pad in DT must be a significant fraction of the sites of bacterial growth in DT. A little pad placed with 100's of pounds of LR in a DT is a very tiny fraction of the active bacteria.

For a long established tank, the population of bacteria is in balance with the bioload. You can only exploit a little, not much.

thanks, but are you able to dumb that down for my level? like "do this, or do that." haha sorry, but ive had a crazy past few days and i have slept in a few days and I read this 3 times and still dont know what my next steps should be.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Actually, conceptually it is very easy to explain.

Just do what others tell you to do about "seeding" for QT. So have the QT set up this way.

In addition to the pad soaked in DT, you use more new medium, pads or crushed coral etc in QT.

Now instead of putting fish into qt, put ammonia to 3 ppm first, better repeat once in day 10. Test for nitrite every five days. When nitrite has come and gone, you buy or order fish for QT.

_________________

But the above is not quite what I do. I want to save money and be more efficient. I do not cycle the QT; I cycle medium intended for QT in a separate container using just a few gallons of water.

This way, I can use a few gals of waste water from DT WC to cycle for QT. Seeding is instant and automatic; there is no need to soak any medium in DT.

I do very few test for this type of cycle (actually most other cycles). I often do just two nitrites tests, one at day 10 and one at day 25. All I have to do is the catch nitrite present and dropping and wait a few more days.

Before use I rinse the cycled medium with QT tank water. Since the cycling water is not included, I do not care if the cycling water is "dirty", loaded with nitrate/PO4, or even some ammonia and nitrite.

 

[moneymm]

Actually, conceptually it is very easy to explain.

Just do what others tell you to do about "seeding" for QT. So have the QT set up this way.

In addition to the pad soaked in DT, you use more new medium, pads or crushed coral etc in QT.

Now instead of putting fish into qt, put ammonia to 3 ppm first, better repeat once in day 10. Test for nitrite every five days. When nitrite has come and gone, you buy or order fish for QT.

_________________

But the above is not quite what I do. I want to save money and be more efficient. I do not cycle the QT; I cycle medium intended for QT in a separate container using just a few gallons of water.

This way, I can use a few gals of waste water from DT WC to cycle for QT. Seeding is instant and automatic; there is no need to soak any medium in DT.

I do very few test for this type of cycle (actually most other cycles). I often do just two nitrites tests, one at day 10 and one at day 25. All I have to do is the catch nitrite present and dropping and wait a few more days.

Before use I rinse the cycled medium with QT tank water. Since the cycling water is not included, I do not care if the cycling water is "dirty", loaded with nitrate/PO4, or even some ammonia and nitrite.

Only thing is that I already have my fish now for 5 days in tank number two (doing TTM). So I don't have the time to properly cycle the qt.

 

[Silly clownfish]

What you are looking to "seed" with is something with lots of surface area covered with nitrifying bacteria.

I am in the process of expandning my livestock since I just upgraded to a larger tank, so I have been setting up a lot of tanks lately. So I have things down to a system. I always keep a gob of polyfil fiber in my sump and a Marineland Penguin cartridge in my sump. I use the polyfil for my TT corner filter because I don't mind throwing it out after 3 days. Then I use the penguin cartridge in my penguin mini HOB for my observation tank. I fill all QT from my main tank so I am getting a water change in the process.

My new fish routine is TT followed by at least 3 weeks QT/observation with 2 rounds of prazi.

Using some rubble out of the sump is agood source of bacteria, but if you are pulling some out every 3 days for TT, you can deplete your source pretty fast. I know a lot of folks don't worry about ammonia for TT, but I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Only thing is that I already have my fish now for 5 days in tank number two (doing TTM). So I don't have the time to properly cycle the qt.

If you are very bold (or a person of faith), and a little simplistic in targeting only ich as the disease to treat, you can add fish to DT right after TTM. IMO, TTM is valid and should be effective in eradicating ich. Do you trust your skills absolutely and do you target only ich?

If you are not and do not, after TTM you want to "observe" for one (or two, or three) months, and perhaps treat other diseases like internal parasites, flutes etc.

Then, in most every situation, you will need cycled medium.

QT (meaning buying fish) starts after robust cycling the medium for QT. (Or buying packaged bacteria if your funds are limitless.)

For ich, what really is there to observe in a short time frame of less than two months? Even three months of observation is not rigorous evidence of eradication, IMO.

It should not be a secret that I am not a fan of TTM as the primary method of eradication of ich.

 

[wooden_reefer]

Only thing is that I already have my fish now for 5 days in tank number two (doing TTM). So I don't have the time to properly cycle the qt.

I urge you to start a robust cycle for medium for QT now.

First, late is better than never since a cycle can be just 4 weeks and your potential ordeal may last longer than 4 weeks.

Second, if you do decide to be bold and add to DT after TTM without lengthy "observation", then if ich broke out in DT you will face reduced calamity if you have or will soon have cycled medium. To combat ich infestation in DT, you will need cycled medium in QT.

 

[Sk8r]

I use pillow floss. [Fabric store: like aquarium floss, but shorter fibers and less cost.] I wrap a little carbon inside it, and toss it when stained. The carbon helps remove organics, but the stain on the floss is the clue to bacteria you don't want in an uncycled tank.This keeps tank from cycling and protects fish from ammonia.
You make such a filter by sinking a pump under eggcrate in a small container, with floss and a weight atop. Or by stuffing the filter medium into the well of a regular filter, subbing this for the filters that fit it.