Quarantine/hospital tank

[silverfly]

I'm gonna set up a new qt for my new 175. What will it need. A filter i suppose, i thought lights would not be needed. Substrate? Can i start it off with water from the dt to avoid a cycle? Thanks guys!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

usually a QT is going to be bare bones... a heater, a HOB filter, some flow, and some substrate that gives the stressed fish a place to hide (I like PVC). True a light isn't necessary but I have one... the better to see the fish and make sure that they are coming along nicely.

 

[silverfly]

A heater!Couldnt forget that one. Thanks. What qt size do you have?

 

[thegrun]

If you plan on keeping fish for a month in QT, I would get some lighting. It doesn't have to be much (some of those cheep compact florescent bulbs work fine), but doing 30 days in the hole without lighting is hard time for sure!

 

[KDDG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14836584#post14836584 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sisterlimonpot
usually a QT is going to be bare bones... a heater, a HOB filter, some flow, and some substrate that gives the stressed fish a place to hide (I like PVC). True a light isn't necessary but I have one... the better to see the fish and make sure that they are coming along nicely.

+1. Super simple.

 

[silverfly]

If i use all water from my dt to start it off will it go through a cycle? Thanks!

 

[silverfly]

How many gallons guys?

 

[newguy1983]

The size of your QT depends on the type of fish you're going to keep. Example, don't get a 15g QT tank if you're going to keep a tang...

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14837194#post14837194 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by silverfly
If i use all water from my dt to start it off will it go through a cycle? Thanks!

Unfortunately most of the bacteria doesn't live in the water column it's more on the substrate so if you use water from your display tank you still need to cycle it. You can grab a piece of live rock or filter media from your display tank to possibly avoid cycling but once it's in the QT I wouldn’t return it back to the DT.

 

[newguy1983]

If you are going to have a sump on your DT and use say, the bio-wheel filter, to go ahead and put some bio-wheels in your sump so they'll have some beneficial bacteria already present on it when you need to run your QT...

 

[IslandCrow]

A QT tank should not need to cycle. First of all, there's no reason to use live rock or sand. I'd use a simple Powerfilter with some sort of bio-media (sponge, biowheel, ceramic rings, whatever). Place the bio-media in your sump or display tank for a few weeks before you plan on using the QT (I keep a couple bags of ceramic rings in my sump constantly). Then, set up the QT as Sisterlimonpot described with really nothing in it except for some large PVC joints where the fish can hide. If you do that, your QT will be ready to use immediately. You can either use newly mixed saltwater or water from your main tank, it really doesn't matter.

 

[jrw]

If you QT your corals or other inverts requiring light you will need a light for them.