QT setup question

[jdjeff58]

I am getting ready to do my first water change on my 120. Tank has been cycling three weeks. I had no ammonia spike and it's been suggested that my rock may have already been cycled. I was told to do a large water change. Here are my current test results as of yesterday. These readings have been constant since day one.

Ammonia <.25
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 5
Phosphates 0
pH 7.9
Salinity 1.026
Temp 80

Question: I have yet to set up a QT. My question is, could I use the water that I will be removing from my main tank to start a QT? Would I fill 70% and add 30% fresh...identical to the water change?

I also have no established filter media for the QT. If I get something to throw in my sump to establish a filter media, how long do I need to leave it in there? Or how do you know its ready for use in the QT?

Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[kevin2000]

My 02

The water from a newly cycled tank is generally lousy ... placing that into your QT isn't something your fish is going to appreciate.

As far as "aging" media in your sump .. that depends .. to be conservative I would say several weeks .. but even a couple of weeks will help.

You can maintain water quality in a small QT without having an aged filter media ... just make sure you keep only one fish, keep the tank clean, and make water changes as soon as any ammonia develops.

Keeping a bare bottom tank clean with one fish is pretty simple .. just siphon out any uneaten food or fish debris (turkey baster works wonders).

Heres one of the better articles on running a QT ... it will help.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=288805

Good luck.

 

[jdjeff58]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10188115#post10188115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevin2000
My 02

The water from a newly cycled tank is generally lousy ... placing that into your QT isn't something your fish is going to appreciate.

As far as "aging" media in your sump .. that depends .. to be conservative I would say several weeks .. but even a couple of weeks will help.

You can maintain water quality in a small QT without having an aged filter media ... just make sure you keep only one fish, keep the tank clean, and make water changes as soon as any ammonia develops.

Keeping a bare bottom tank clean with one fish is pretty simple .. just siphon out any uneaten food or fish debris (turkey baster works wonders).

Heres one of the better articles on running a QT ... it will help.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=288805

Good luck.

Thanks for the link...that is a good article. Being a first timer with this 3 week old tank, I'm a little stuck on what to do next...or after the water change. I want to do the right thing and set up a QT. But I'm not sure how to proceed.

From what I've read so far..in other articles as well...is that the QT will need to go through a cycle. I am a little perplexed as to where to begin. That's when the thought occured to me to use the tank water that has cycled somewhat. Based on what your saying, my tank is not established. So putting a filter in my sump now will do more harm than good....yes?

Maybe I'm reading too much into it...as is pretty much the norm for me. But this looks harder than everyone is making out to be. As soon as I begin to approach it, I get all flustered and confused and a zillion questions pop into my head.

Then I started thinking, when do I put a clean up crew in there and should they be QT'd first? Do I start with a clean up crew? Or do I start with fish? Forgive me...I just want to do this right.