QT Tank

[mangelo]

My 75gal has been up and running for a few weeks now. Everything is going pretty well, but I know Ich is waiting around the corner to attack.

When I set up a QT tank, what are the vitals that I need? Powerhead, standard SG, standard temp, no substrate, lighting?

I am going to have to keep this in my basement. No other place to put it.

Should I start with a brand new mix of saltwater or can I set it up now with water from my current tank?

Thanks.

Mike.

 

[stingythingy45]

I have a 20 L in the basement with a Whisper filter,PVC pipe for the fish to hide behind and a heater.I also have a HOB skimmer,but I've had that for quite some time.One thing I would recommend is that your lighting needs to be somewhat good.
As you'll want to inspect the fish and that's pretty tough if the lights are not up to pare.

 

[linz13]

hey mike. i just recently had one of my fish come down with ich. i had to set up a qt tank... all i put in there is water from the old tank so the fish doesnt get too stressed with any new mixtures of water. you could maybe put the temperature a little higher... like maybe in the 82 degree range (Based on if your fish can handle higher temps) because ich's life cycle moves along faster in higher temperatures... that means that it will be gone faster. dont put any live rocks or sand in there... just water. because if you use any medications such as i used rid ich... its not safe for inverts, the bacteria on the live rock or the bacteria on the sand... so just put water, the fish, and the medicine. also, if you are using a medication you may need to take the carbon out of the filter because there are certain chemicals the carbon will take out that are necessary for the fish to heal. lighting is kinda optional. on mine i have a light on it but i never put it on because the lights cause extra stress for the fish. try to catch the ich early =] if you have anymore questions let me know and ill try to help the best i can!

 

[IslandCrow]

Here's what I use for my QT:

- Small powerhead for water movement. Just make sure you're not making the poor fish swim for his life against tsunami-like currents.

- Aquaclear Power Filter. I use the ceramic biomedia and carbon. It will take the biomedia some time to get a good culture of bacteria, so I'd suggest dropping it in your main tank (or sump) for at least a week or two before you use your QT.

- 3-4" PVC fittings to serve as places for the fish to hide. The poor guys are going to feel all exposed in a bare tank.

- A small heater is a good idea if you think it may get cold in the house.

- You're correct on no substrate. I usually just use ambient room lighting, but I've also been known to clip a shop light onto the side of the tank. It's more for me to observe the fish than anything else. In general, I prefer not to light the tank for more than 5-6 hours a day. I think it helps reduce stress, and the less active the fish is, the less waste he produces, and since many new fish are slow to eat, it will also reduce the calories they burn.

If your tank is done cycling, you can use water from your tank, but I'd suggest using new saltwater for the initial setup and then you can use your tank water for water changes. Speaking of water changes, I'd suggest doing frequent water changes on the QT. I'll usually do a 10% water change every couple of days. Pristine water conditions are going to go a long way to keeping a healthy fish.

Lastly, I'd be prepared for the fish to get sick while in QT. Most parasitical maladies can be cured with a freshwater dip, so you don't need anything special for that. I'd also keep some antibiotics on hand, both the gram positive and gram negative varieties (Maracyn & Maracyn-Two are good choices). If you get a clown fish, I'd also recommend having some Formalyn ready. It's a treatment for Brooklynella (a.k.a. clown fish disease). It's usually very difficult to find locally, and if your fish does come down with Brook, you usually don't have much time to treat it.

 

[EvMiBo]

Is it also a good idea to keep s.g. levels lower than normal (I consider normal around 1.025)? Say something like 1.010-1.015 ?? Since there's no LR, etc in there. I'm pretty sure this kills off bacteria faster as well correct?

 

[IslandCrow]

I believe you're referring to hyposalinity, which is used to kill certain parasites, such as the marine ich parasite. In order to do this, you have to lower the specific gravity to between 1.009 and 1.010. Some people do use this as a preemptive measure. I'm more of a "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" guy, but you can probably go over to the Fish Disease forum and get some better opinions there. Now, there's also a school of thought that says a lowered salinity is physically less stressful on fish. A fish's internal specific gravity is much lower than normal seawater, forcing them to osmoregulate between the two environments. Theoretically, as you lower the salinity, it reduces the amount of osmoregulation necessary. From what I've seen, this is all just theory, and may be just as likely to cause harm as good. I, personally, run my QT at the same salinity as my main tank, but that just means that I can't speak from experience for anything else.

 

[EvMiBo]

Thanks for clearing that up IslandCrow, I'll look more into that in the fish disease forum.