Proper way to setup a QT tank

[jimrawr]

Ok, I think I am going to take the leap and setup a QT tank. I have quite a few questions that I am hoping someone will help me with, that has a good deal of experience.

The tank I will use is a 40g long. My first QT will involved removing all my fish from my DT and putting them all in the QT. This is to leave my DT tank fallow for 8-12 weeks to eradicate the ich that is present. The three fish I have are a Powder Blue Tang, Hippo Tang, Ocellaris clown. The tangs are both around 2.5-3" in length (fairly small).

The QT will have probably around 20 lbs of live rock, to help with filtration. I will buy some cheapo lights from Petco, but I dont plan on having any kind of skimmer or filtration system.

Now here are my questions..

1. Is this 40g sufficient to keep these three fish for such a long period of time? They arent really agressive at all to each other in my main 92g corner DT, but in a 40g I am worried they will start to go fight.

2. After I setup the QT and leave the tank fallow for 8 weeks and the ICH has been treated, how exactly do I QT everything else that is incoming? Can ICH be put back into the DT from an incoming coral? If the coral is attached to live rock, isnt it possible there could be ICH on it? How long do you need to QT once the tank has live stock again and is ICH free? 2 weeks? 4 weeks? The goal of my QT is to keep my tank ICH free.

3. When QT'ing an incoming fish, should you always use copper as a preventative measure? If you observe the fish for 3-4 weeks and no visible signs of ICH, are you 100% safe or is Copper the way to go to be 100% safe? Is there any harming of using Copper even without visible signs of ICH, in the QT?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[Chris27]

FWIW, 8-12 weeks isn't necessary, just 5-6, and it doesn't hurt to raise the temp to 82F, it helps speed up the cycle. I'm not sure why people advocate the 8-12 week guide, when the lifecycle is really only about 4 weeks long.....here is a good reference.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php

As for the QT, if all the fish in the display are healthy and eating, perhaps it would be a good idea to spend the next few weeks establishing a bio-filter in the QT prior to putting a fish in there. A large HOB filter, some bacteria in a bottle, and an ammonia source can help speed things up a bit. Moving all the fish over at once into a tank devoid of a bio-filter will just make your life pure hell in the way of water changes. The couple of fish you have should be ok in a 40 Gallon, provided you have enough hiding spots for each fish to have it's spot to sleep.

Crypt can not live on the tissue of corals and invertebrates, however it can live on shells of inverts, and any rock that coral may be mounted to. For complete reassurance that you have a crypt free tank, corals and inverts should be QT'd for at least 3 weeks.

Now, new fish, while it's probably better to keep them in QT for a few weeks and observe them, but it's much easier to just do a copper treatment right up front, it pulls the uncertainly out of the equation. I treat all my new fish with copper in QT from day one, I just assume every fish I get has it.....it has in the past so why not just be safe.

 

[Texastravis]

Go with a cupramine treatment. Leave all inverts in display. Dont bother putting your live rock in the quarantine tank because they will be ruined through a cupramine treatment. Pick up an air driven sponge filter from lfs or ebay and get that they saturated with bacteria before you move those fish or you will lose your fish to ammonia in the QT.

Good luck

 

[stunreefer]

As for the QT, if all the fish in the display are healthy and eating, perhaps it would be a good idea to spend the next few weeks establishing a bio-filter in the QT prior to putting a fish in there. A large HOB filter, some bacteria in a bottle, and an ammonia source can help speed things up a bit. Moving all the fish over at once into a tank devoid of a bio-filter will just make your life pure hell in the way of water changes. The couple of fish you have should be ok in a 40 Gallon, provided you have enough hiding spots for each fish to have it's spot to sleep.

Agreed, make sure your QT is gully established, treat it as you would a display tank.

I would add live rock as an additional means of filtration and to give the fish something to graze off of and hide in. Of course, if you treat with copper then the LR should stay in your QT tank.

Here's my QT, looks like an ugly display :

 

[RegalAngel]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=16566626&postcount=23

 

[wooden_reefer]

Ok, I think I am going to take the leap and setup a QT tank. I have quite a few questions that I am hoping someone will help me with, that has a good deal of experience.

The tank I will use is a 40g long. My first QT will involved removing all my fish from my DT and putting them all in the QT. This is to leave my DT tank fallow for 8-12 weeks to eradicate the ich that is present. The three fish I have are a Powder Blue Tang, Hippo Tang, Ocellaris clown. The tangs are both around 2.5-3" in length (fairly small).

The QT will have probably around 20 lbs of live rock, to help with filtration. I will buy some cheapo lights from Petco, but I dont plan on having any kind of skimmer or filtration system.

Now here are my questions..

1. Is this 40g sufficient to keep these three fish for such a long period of time? They arent really agressive at all to each other in my main 92g corner DT, but in a 40g I am worried they will start to go fight.

2. After I setup the QT and leave the tank fallow for 8 weeks and the ICH has been treated, how exactly do I QT everything else that is incoming? Can ICH be put back into the DT from an incoming coral? If the coral is attached to live rock, isnt it possible there could be ICH on it? How long do you need to QT once the tank has live stock again and is ICH free? 2 weeks? 4 weeks? The goal of my QT is to keep my tank ICH free.

3. When QT'ing an incoming fish, should you always use copper as a preventative measure? If you observe the fish for 3-4 weeks and no visible signs of ICH, are you 100% safe or is Copper the way to go to be 100% safe? Is there any harming of using Copper even without visible signs of ICH, in the QT?

Thanks for the help!!

1. The medium for QT for fish needs to be cycled very well.

2. Live rock is not a good medium in QT, except for rubble.

3. Better use sponges or crushed coral in a sack or nylon pant-hose very well stretched out. (relaxed nylon has too tight pores)

4. It is better to be able to put medium inside a power filter, and to be able to remove it and to set aside easily. There are two reasons: for storage of the medium and to avoid it being harmed by some drugs, such as some antibiotics (you want to be able to use the filter for aeration and circulation only in such situation.)

5.All incoming inverts need a period of fishlessness for eight weeks. With coral and others that need special light requirement, you may need a simple T-5 light for them. A good alternative is to stock all of this type of inverts first and place in DT without any fish for 8 or more weeks.

 

[Jstdv8]

go with a cupramine treatment. Leave all inverts in display. Dont bother putting your live rock in the quarantine tank because they will be ruined through a cupramine treatment. Pick up an air driven sponge filter from lfs or ebay and get that they saturated with bacteria before you move those fish or you will lose your fish to ammonia in the qt.

Good luck

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