Quarantine tank ideas

[ben&bobbi]

ok, so we don't have the best of luck with fish.

Seems we can buy 2 fish from the same display tank, get them home and only see one ever again!

The stores i deal with, have a 24hr or more return, but with half my 75 full of rock and corals, i don't seem to see them at all the next morning, next day, next month, you get the idea! So i can't return an empty bag and ask them to replace it!

Here's what we do, and i'm sure it is wrong. We usually just bring them home, float and add water for 30-60 minutes, then in the tank they go.

I don't want or have the room for a tank, lights, heater, water changes, etc to keep a quarantine tank running all the time.

My question is, can i set a 2-5 gal tank up with water from my tank, a small heater, maybe an airstone and see if they make it through the night.

or, tell me what you do. We would like to get some more fish, especially with the 180 on it's way, but with a 25% survival rate, looks like damsels are our choice!

Ben

 

[flfirefighter13]

I keep a 10 and a 20 in the garage empty as GT tanks all the time, what I do is take a HOB filter (I use aquaclears) and run it on the display tank for a few days before buying new fish. It wouldnt hurt to let it run all the time I just tend to know ahead of time when I will be adding livestock so I can plan it out. I run the aquaclear with foam and ceramic biosubstrate. It generally doesnt run enough, nor is it big enough to add nitrates so dont worry about that. When I egt a new fish I fill the QT 1/2 tank water 1/2 new saltwater then place the HOB on the QT tank. This way its cycled and doesnt have to be setup full time.
On another note I highly recomend QT longer than 1 day. at least a week is the minimum I do. It sometimes takes a few days for something to show up and once its in the display tank your stuck. especially some of the hardier stuff like Ich thats nearly impossible to get out of a reef tank.

 

[Boostable]

Ben,

I know this is gonna sound crazy, but have you tried a different store? I had some bad luck with a specific store and no longer purchase from them.

To answer your question on the QT tank, I purchase a small 12G Eclipse and keep a couple fish in it for the kids, but use it to QT in a pinch, etc. Works pretty good and all self contained.

 

[ben&bobbi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8922745#post8922745 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flfirefighter13
I keep a 10 and a 20 in the garage empty as GT tanks all the time, what I do is take a HOB filter (I use aquaclears) and run it on the display tank for a few days before buying new fish. It wouldnt hurt to let it run all the time I just tend to know ahead of time when I will be adding livestock so I can plan it out. I run the aquaclear with foam and ceramic biosubstrate. It generally doesnt run enough, nor is it big enough to add nitrates so dont worry about that. When I egt a new fish I fill the QT 1/2 tank water 1/2 new saltwater then place the HOB on the QT tank. This way its cycled and doesnt have to be setup full time.
On another note I highly recomend QT longer than 1 day. at least a week is the minimum I do. It sometimes takes a few days for something to show up and once its in the display tank your stuck. especially some of the hardier stuff like Ich thats nearly impossible to get out of a reef tank.

this wouldn't be a bad idea, kinda what i had in mind. didn't think of the filter part. i usually don't plan to get fish, just end up stopping by to see what they have and it happens!

Do you dump the fish in with their water? still aclimate it?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8922745#post8922745 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boostable
I know this is gonna sound crazy, but have you tried a different store? I had some bad luck with a specific store and no longer purchase from them.

yes, we have stopped buying from one store for sure, but we have lost fish from 2 very nice stores in orlando!

 

[1slapnuts]

I don't know how you feel about online saltwater fish stores, but liveaquaria.com has treated me very well. I purchased all of my saltwater fish from them and never had any arrive dead, but have had 2or 3 die before the 10 day warranty is up, and that's fine! Because they ship the same fish back out to you as soon as your warranty is up, you just wait, see who doesn't make it, and call them with the specifics. No questions asked. They are great. And I was a bad one too. I didn't quarantine mine, so I bought alot of fish at once. It's a wonder I didn't lose more. But honestly, the quality of fish from there is great. They arrive healthy and fat. You should check them out, seriously. I'd say the shipping charge wouldn't be worth 1-2 fish, but if you plan to stock your tank, 1 shipping price ain't too bad, especially when they have a sale on so many different fish each week! Never hurts to look, but I haven't found a store with that kind of arrive alive guarantee anywhere else.

 

[seth16]

Ben and Bobby,

You can also just go out and buy a little 5 1/2 gallon to use. Everyone is suggesting like 10,12,24 gallon tanks, and in your original thread, you asked if a SMALLER one could be used, i use a 5 1/2 gallon for my QT , and it works just fine. I keep it running 24/7 under my DT, it takes up very little roo, and is always there when i need it.i literally spend $30 for the heater, filter,thermostat thingie, powerhead, and sand (wait no, not that sand, i paid extra for that).....but it is cheap, and it works.

 

[flfirefighter13]

I acclimate yb floating the bag and putting .5 cup of water at a time every 10 minutes for 30 or so minutes. Then I bag the fish and reaclimate to the display tank when I transfer to that. It give the other fish a chance to see it and become familiar before droping it right in. Not sure if its the "right" way to do it but its worked for me. Seths idea of a 5.5 will work to, but I figuired with your tank size you may want fish that fill the 5.5 from time to time I used to be like Jack and have a tank setup and kept a few fish in it, but for some reason that tank would always end up being a display tank......But thats not a bad thing to have a small test tank before going into the big tank, same theory just make sure your small tank is nothing you love to much in case you spread some kind of crazy disease to it from a new buy. I also never use store water in my tank, to often has copper.
Also 25% mortality rate is aweful high, something going on there either sick fish from the store or there is something wrong in your tank (or something eating the fish) Drop me aPM with what store you buy from and Ill give my opinion, Ive found a few stores to be run nice and clean but somehow manage to always get sick fish from them. I havent tried the online thing, heard great results but I like to hand pick, maybe someday if I find a couple people for a group buy Ill try it or if I need to fully stock a tank at once.