QT tank

[Moonstream]

I will be settning up a 10 gallon QT tank soon, to start Qt-ing new fish. I have a marineland Hob filter rated for up to 30 gallons, and was planning to use that in my QT tank after running it for a week or so on my main tank, which is fully cycled. Will this be enough to skip a cycle in the QT, as well as me using water from the QT tank. I will use some peices of PVC pipes and flower pots as hides. There will also be a small heater in the tank. So my question is, is this an okay tank for QT-ing small fish for 1-2 weeks? Also, should I QT new inverts and corals? If I do, should there be a separate tank for them if I have to use copper in this one?

 

[Moonstream]

Oh, and it will be hypo treatment.

 

[papagimp]

Sounds jsut fine for a QT tank, If you need to medicate, use a hospital tank, not a QT tank, theres a slight difference, and here it is....a QT tank you do not medicate. Reasons for this is that decoration and the filter will absorb some of the medications and can cause problems later on. Hyposalinity isn't a "medication" it's a treatment, so doing that in QT is just fine. And yes, running the HOB on your display for about 2 weeks should be sufficient to colonize the biomedia enough to make it safe for a QT tank. You'll still want to check water quality often though, the filter will be cycled but you still want to be on the safe side, especially with new additions.

As for QTing corals and inverts, I would recommend it, since many corals carry parasites and other whatchamajiggers that you don't want getting into the main tank. Tropic Marin makes a good coral dip as well, I would do both, dip and then QT, just keep in mind that when you QT a coral for a few weeks, you'll need the lighting to keep it alive while doing so.

 

[Shagsbeard]

There are those that say "QT anything wet"... not bad advice.

1-2 weeks of hypo is pointless. The life cycle of the Ich parasite is closer to four weeks. You will need to leave the fish in there at least 28 days to make a difference with Ich.

 

[papagimp]

Good call on the hypo Shags, I didn't even think about that.

Not bad advice on the QT anything wet either, I know people that QT EVERYTHING...even cheato, and decorations.

 

[Moonstream]

will corals die in a hypo QT tank? inverts? Could an eclipse 6 tank be used as a hospital tank? I would berunning a small aquaclear filter on the main tank, and sanitizing w/ water after fish recovers. It will be run on the main tank after sanitation, and moved to the hopsital tank when a fish is sick.

 

[ooba]

Thank you for asking this, i also am setting up a QT for my 75. had a question not addressed above, is it necessary that the QT tank be out of the same room with the display? i remember someone saying it shouldnt be on the same floor, but i cant find reference to where i read it so im not sure.

 

[Moonstream]

I dont see why it shouldn't.

 

[kevin2000]

Re: QT tank

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10227660#post10227660 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Moonstream
I will be settning up a 10 gallon QT tank soon, to start Qt-ing new fish. I have a marineland Hob filter rated for up to 30 gallons, and was planning to use that in my QT tank after running it for a week or so on my main tank, which is fully cycled. Will this be enough to skip a cycle in the QT, as well as me using water from the QT tank. I will use some peices of PVC pipes and flower pots as hides. There will also be a small heater in the tank. So my question is, is this an okay tank for QT-ing small fish for 1-2 weeks? Also, should I QT new inverts and corals? If I do, should there be a separate tank for them if I have to use copper in this one?

My 02

Remember the purpose of QTing is two fold .. 1) acclimate the fish to captivity and 2) identify/cure any disease/parasites to keep the fish healthy and the show tank disease free. Neither can be accomplished in two weeks. Many aquarist would recommend 3-6 weeks and I would recommend at least 4.

Filter media will not mature within one week. Three weeks would me more realistic but as they say .. something is better than nothing. You can maintain water quality in a small QT with one fish without a mature filter .. just run a bare-bottom tank, keep it clean (siphon out debris/uneaten food) and be prepared to do water changes if you see any ammonia.

 

[Moonstream]

will the corals and inverts die in hypo?