Quarantining fish...even big fish~

[dkreef]

ok so after not following the correct way, i lost all 4 of my fish due to parasites(ich, velvet etc). Now i plan on setting up a quarantine tank but have some questions.

i have a 50gal which i can use for quarantine. How should the set up be? filter(remora skimmer or back pack skimmer), Sponge filter, heater, pvc pipes, NO light enough?

even for larger angels or any fish thats 6"+, would this tank size work?

when i do have to medicate it with copper, how can biological filter be maintained when i use sponge filter? cuz when the Qtank isnt occupied, i plan on placing it inside my main tank sump to maintain the biological filtration. i dont plan on placing it back in the sump after copper has been absorbed in the sponge.

should i use the 50gal for Qtank without med and set up another 20gal for Qtank+copper med?

How often and how much should water change be done?

 

[poopsko24]

I use a 55 for qt, I keep it running all the time, got a tidepool with the bio wheel, if there is no fish in it I'll feed it some food a couple times a week to keep up the bio filter. I got a seaclone on it, run it when I have a fish in there, also an additional powerhead. I unplug everything except the mag 3 return pump when no fish in there, even the heater, it stays 74 with no heater. I don't think medicating the 55 would be bad as long as you don't qt inverts in there, use a 10 gallon for the inverts. You can always completly drain the whole thing if wanting to rid medication, and then run carbon to get rid of the residue on the bio media when you add new water. Just use large pvc fittings for the fish to hide, no rock or substrate. I love having a qt tank on hand at all times, i would never break it down, makes good for those impulse buys or if you have a mean fish or a sick one in youre display also. Hope this helps.

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

You maybe should buy some inexpensive lights. You want to be able to see the fish , if it is carrying parasites or some disease you want to be able to diagnose the problem correctly

 

[dkreef]

for a 50gal Qtank, should i get like a prizm or remora skimmer?

also, if i had to quaranine every fish i get for 4 weeks, it would take forever to fill up a 400gal tank...
cuz i can get maybe 3-4 fish at a time. and most will be ~4-6" each.

 

[capt. insano]

dkreef

I run the exact same setup with a prizm skimmer.....and I keep very large fish

I quarantined a 7" Eyestrip tang and a 5" french angel in the tank (individually) for 6 weeks each with no problems

I leave it up and running all the time....In case I make an impulse buy that needs to be quarantined or if I ever need a hospital tank for some reason

 

[dkreef]

i read from an article that if during the process of quarantining a fish that i buy another fish and put it in the Qtank then i would have to extend the quarantine period for the previous fish in qtank until the new fish has been there for 4 weeks. is this true?

 

[capt. insano]

yes.....because the first fish may have had nothing, but the second fish may. So, by introducing a second fish to the first, you have now exposed the first fish to a potential parasite/bacteria that he may not have been carrying. Thus, you have to extend the quarantine as if you had put them in at the same time.

 

[BTTRFLYGRL]

Well you could do like me and have multiple qt tanks

It is a lot of work though