Quarantine Tank Setup Question

W

whoyah

New member
Hello,

I recently had the oppurtunity to read your article on quarantine tanks in the Oct 04 issue on Reefkeeping. It was exactly kind of concise information I was looking for. I regrettful have not used a quarantine tank in the past and have paid the price however I have learned my lesson and plan on using one from here on out.

I have a question regarding the biological filter. Would it be acceptable to substitute the foam filter off of my sump return pump (Mag 7) in place of the air-driven sponge filter? The pump filter has been in place for several months and there to keep any wandering snail or macroalgae from entering the pump.

Thank you for your time.
 
My only concern with the Mag-Drive sponge filter sleeve is it is kind of small and may not harbor enough bacteria for an ammonia/nitrite free quarantine period. The sponge that comes with the 7-series is about 4" long, maybe 1 1/2" across, and hollow. That is not a lot of surface area to grow bacteria on. The larger size Mag-Drive pumps come with a much bigger sponge and I am fairly certain it is the same hole size, so they are interchangeable. You could probably use one of those instead and then jimmy rig something together to fashion a quarantine filter out of it, converting that foam block into an air-driven sponge filter once it is sufficiently seeded. Or, using a small powerhead/water pump to draw water past the beneficial bacteria.
 
Thank you for your speedy reply this morning. I think I will go with your original idea of a air-driven sponge filter. I noticed Dr. Foster rates them in gallons. Should I simply go with one that match the quarantine tank size or step up in size to say double to insure a good biological culture in present.

Thanks for the help.
 
I took a quick peak at the Drs. Foster & Smith website. Those AZOO Oxygen Plus filters look to be copies of my personal favorite brand, ATI Hydro Sponge Filters. It is hard to determine how valid their ratings are because they don't list the sponge sizes. I would probably err on the side of caution and get the next larger size than they recommend.
 
Could you just take one of those sponges and leave it in your tank in an obscure place in the sand? That way, when you want to use it, you just put it in the sponge filter and get goin?

Also, would moving some sand from the main tank with its resident bacteria be beneficial? Not enough for a DSB, just enough to "seed" the quarantine tank?
 
I strongly prefer to have the sponge filter (or whatever filter you chose) to be actively running on the display. By placing it in the sand, you will likely clog the pore space of the sponge and interfere with it properly operating.

A lot of people have tried moving some liverock into the QT tank to seed it with bacteria and they almost always have cycling/ammonia troubles. I would imagine moving sand over would yield the same results.
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for the response.

I have no place to operate a sponge filter. I'm using one of those NanoCubes, so I was wondering, if I took the sponge from a simple sponge filter and put it in my tank in the sponge compartment that comes with it where it would receive a nice water flow, would that suffice as a medium for bacterial growth?
 
Truthfully, I don't know. I have never had a Nanocube tank, so I don't know exactly what you are referring to. I imagine it might work if there is a good flow through the sponge, but test kits can confirm this for you one way or the other.
 
Well, I will give it a shot. I am finishing setting up my main tank now, then I will get a 5 - 10gallon to use as a QT, and let set for a while. Then I'll test params thoroughly before adding any fishies for QT.

Btw, I've read that corals can transport ich to your tank. How do you QT a coral and figure out if it is carrying ich or not?
 
You simply have to give it time for the cyst stage to release the effective theronts and have them die without finding a fish host. In most cases, holding them for one month should be sufficient. Plus, this gives you time to observe for (and potentially deal with) red bugs, flatworms, predatory snails, nudibranches, etc.
 
I am a true believer! After reading the article, I am convinced more than ever that maintaining a quarantine as recommended is an essentail practice for maintaining healthy reefs. I am now a convert!

Previously from the, "My supreme water quality will cure anything!" crowd, Pitstop
 
Hey Steven,
Great QT article. Got another question on whether a certain sponge filter will be to properly filter a 10 gallon QT.
I have an AquaMini power filter for my QT, the block sponge it uses is probably only 1.5"x2.5"x3.5" big.

I can keep this sponge sitting in a powerhead mini filter compartment (this cylindrical cage piece that fits onto Hagen power heads) when not using the QT to let it cycle.

1. Will a sponge of this size be a proper biologcial filter for a 10G QT tank?
2. Also do I really need a powerhead in a 10G tank (I'd think it may be too powerful and stress the occupants) as an extra water movement device? Would an airstone help in it's place?
 
1.) I bet you could fit two sponge into the Hagen Quickfilter attachment. And, I know you can fit two of them into the Hagen Mini filter. This would double your biological filtration capacity and make me feel more comfortable.

2.) I don't think the powerhead could hurt if it was reasonably sized.
 
Great, thank for the quick reply.
I'm sure I can fit two of those sponges together, they may be a bit squished but definitely doable.
 
Steven,
How long do you think a sponge has to be "prepped" (as in used in a quck filter - or in a small power filter) before it has a decent amount of biological bacteria?
I see that after a few days there seems to be a reasonable amount of biological activity on the sponge but I don't know if it's considered ready to be used...
 
I prefer to wait a month just like I would when cycling a tank, but you really are not going to know until you use it.
 
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