quarantine tank for LFS?

[candide]

I guess I'm not exactly new anymore, but still consider myself very much a novice. I think I'm too dang lazy for this hobby sometimes.

Anyways, I've tried to be a good little boy and stick almost any fish I purchase into a 20g QT for a couple of weeks before moving them into my main tanks. Problem is, I can't win the fight against ammonia/nitrite/nitrate buildup. I've got a little whisper HOB filter that I keep with carbon, I've tried soaking the foam filter thing in one of my two main tanks for weeks before and then move it in. Last couple of times I filled it with water from my tank before doing a water change.

If I keep the fish in there, they start off shy, then in a day or two look great, coming out to eat and happy. I do 5g changes every 2/3 days, but slowly the buildup starts. The fish starts to look stressed, and I become torn a week or two into it, do I keep him in this torture chamber or put him in my main tank?

So, what I'm asking is two fold...

Do you guys QT fish from the fishstores out near the beaches/southside?

If so, do you have any tips for me to do a better job?

Last fish I bought I lost a very pretty and spunky royal gramma and I have to admit it, I'm a big wimp, I dont' even kill bugs anymore, and I just get all down and want to sell the tanks when somethine dies, especially when I feel like it was my fault.

Thanks!

Jason

 

[Freed]

Why do you call a QT tank a torture chamber? And what makes you think the fish looks stressed after a couple of weeks?

 

[candide]

Hehe, most QT's probably aren't, just saying mine is with the rising polution in it.

The biggest thing I watch is their "breathing" rate, just because I don't know what else to look for. It starts to get much faster as the polution gets higher.

Seems like they tend to hide more as well.

Bringing this all up because I have a 75g tank with only 3 fish in it, 2 clowns and a flame angel. I've been wanting something else with some color in it in there, but the little royal gramma got me down so I've just been keeping the status quo. It has been 2-3 months now and I'm thinking of trying again for something.

 

[Bennihanna]

Describe your quarentine setup. Amount of food fed/frequency, decor, medications, etc...

 

[candide]

Aside from what is already mentioned above, I have a small powerhead in there and 2 elcheapo fake rock things from Petsmart.

The last few times I haven't dosed anything. I feed relative to their eating, but usualy wait until the next day to start. The last one ate when I fed my other fish, once a night. I feed the Formula (ehh, 2? the green one) small pelets, and woudl siphon out any uneaten ones that stayed on the floor more than a few hours or the next day.

 

[Bennihanna]

What is the point of a qt if you don't treat the fish? Assume they are sick as most of them have encountered numerous parasites at wholesalers. Is the tank BB? What are the rocks made of? You mentions rising levels of ammonia and nitite, what were they?

 

[Freed]

QT is also mainly to observe. After 4-6 weeks with no signs of ich or other parasites/disease it is usually safe to put them in the main tank. I have no experience with any diseases other than ich but what I do know and what is well accepted by most disease officianados that have treated/studied ich is to use hyposalinity on fish that do in fact have ich. Any ich will die in hypo if the proper hypo procedures are followed thus decreasing the potential to transfer the ich parasite to the main display by almost 100%.

 

[ReefNeck]

Always QT every fish you get from ANY LFS or Mail order, Not just Southside/Beaches area! This is not to say that any of the local stores sell sick fish but is a precaution to keep your display tank disease free.

I work at a LFS and I still QT fish I get from the store I work for. I QT fish from any store. It's just the smart thing to do.

Here's a tip that will eliminate the ammonia issues in the QT. Get a sponge filter usually used in fry tanks or small tanks. Keep it running with an air pump in your sump/fuge when not needed in your QT. When you need to use the QT, take the sponge filter out and place it in your QT. It will already have the denitrifying bacteria needed from running in your sump/fuge. No cycling needed in the QT.

 

[mikeatjac]

A better tip would be to put the sponge in the main tank a few days before you get a new fish. Otherwise it will become a nitrate factory. Then when you get the new fish transfer it to the QT tank along with water from the main tank.

The secret to a qt tank is lots of water changes since a qt tank is usually a temp tank.

 

[mbdave]

Sponge filter is good. a bio wheel is also very good. You mention high nitrate and ammonia, have you cycled your quarentine tank? Stop getting fish for a while and stick a tiny piece of fish in the tank let the filter cycle for a 3-4 weeks "until you have no traces of nitrite" Then when you are quaretining a fish Try not to do the water changes to much "stress" If your filter is cycled good you should not have nitrate and ammonia "unless your over feeding or treating with antibiotics" Cover the sides of the tank with something that will keep the fish from seeing the outside world for awhile "I use a green trash bag" Every day "carefully" siphon any detritus out of the tank, and run a lower salinaty. Stress is the main culprit in fish death thats the thing yu must lower.

 

[tender]

i don't know what to tell you about the QT tank.. we ended up having a purple tang in a 24 gal nano for over 24hrs while we sat up his (yes i know still to small) 37 gal tank.. we went and bought a skunk shrimp to put in there and the next morning we found the body and i almost cried (yes i am a whimp) so now we are just trying to keep the poor tang alive and getting the amonia levels down (they are almost toxic ) the guy that had him before didnt take care of him and the water was almost black when we got him.. so i know how it is to want to break the tanks down and sell everything once something dies.. and i just started.... good luck though...