Mrscribbled
Team RC
Which the fish supply from the previos sump and when added to a quarantine.
Questions about Hypo in QT
- Thread starter kamil5000
- Start date
I used to maintain a permanent QT. First, by using an old school u/g filter w/crushed coral. And then I switched to a "back pack" wet/dry with bio-balls. Both were cycled at all times.
But then I tried Mr. Tusk's suggestion about just running a bare bottom QT w/a HOB power filter & seeded sponge. This has worked out much better IMO & E. Under the old arrangement, I never felt like the QT was "clean enough" in-between fish shipments. Or disease problems from one shipment would sometimes seem to carry over to the next. Now I can just drain it, take everything outside, clean it thoroughly and re-start it again in less than an hour.
On a side note, I've found it's best to leave the sponge in the sump (or behind the rocks) for at least 4 weeks to get enough bacteria going. For this reason, I always just leave a couple of them going in my sump.
sleepydoc
Team RC
I'll stay out of the cycling questions and respond to the OP's questions...
Prophylactically treating vs simply observing in QT is open to debate. I opt to treat for the reason you experienced - fish can asymptomatically harbor ich. How to treat is also open to debate. The 3 most common methods I know of are Copper/Cupramine, Hyposalinity and Tank Transfer. Possibly quinine but I don't know about that. Each has pros/cons. Read through the stickies and determine which is best for you.
Hyposalinity treats ich, but nothing else. The tank could conceivably be harboring something else. If the QT is fallow for 10 weeks, ich will have died out. Can't comment on other potential diseases. As far as cycling goes, the bacterial population needs 'food.' If there are no fish and no other sources of NH4/NO2, it will eventually die off and you may experience a spike when fish are introduced. Also, copper can kill of the bacteria. Hypo shouldn't and tank transfer, by definition will.
The test may not be totally accurate in DI water; true DI water will have a pH of 7 until CO2 dissolves in it and the pH drops. The paucity of ions makes the pH measurement of DI water somewhat inaccurate. As to how much baking soda or soda ash to add, it's a bit of hit and miss and depends on your salt mix as well. I took a 5 gal pail and added salt (Red Sea Coral Pro) to SG 1.009, measured the pH (8.5~8.6) then added baking soda 1 tbsp at a time and followed the pH. Found that adding 2 Tbsp to 5 gal will drop the pH by 0.2~0.3. I haven't seen any specifics on dosing, so start with 0.5~1 Tbsp/5 gal and see what it does.
1 - As a proper QT and proactive procedure - should all fish be placed in QT at hypo (1.009) - regardless if they have an apparent disease or not? (remember my tang appeared fine until it was placed in the main tank)
HYPO only take cares of ich and nothing else. If you plan on doing hypo, then another treatment, possibly.. but how long does one intend on keeping a fish in QT. If hypo takes 6-8 weeks and any other treatment will take 4 weeks at minimum, your looking at several months before seeing that fish in your DT. Unfortunately, not all fish can withstand HYPO. Try putting a naso tang, butterflies, and more sensitive fish in a hypo treatment. They won't last 6 weeks..
2 - Why is it recommended to only run a QT tank when needed (i have kept mine going for years). Isn't it better to have an established filter rather than to risk a cycle each set-up. apart from the costs, what are the disadvantages of keeping the QT tank running continuousley? besides - even if the QT becomes contaminated - dosen't the low salinity kill all the infections and render it sterile?
I see no issues with letting your QT run all day instead of doing it on a needed basis. It can be useful when you run into an emergency and need to separate fish. You may get a small spike in ammonia here and there, but if you keep a boat load of media in your DT, take some out and throw it in your DT when bringing in new fish. I just wouldn't put the media back into the DT
3 - i understand that i need to watch the PH and avoid it slipping as the addition of fresh water decreases PH. i tested my fresh water and the PH is higher than my saltwater?? is that possible. Also is there a formual of how many grams of baking soda are needed to increase PH by x amount for y amount of gallons?
Can't help here
HYPO only take cares of ich and nothing else. If you plan on doing hypo, then another treatment, possibly.. but how long does one intend on keeping a fish in QT. If hypo takes 6-8 weeks and any other treatment will take 4 weeks at minimum, your looking at several months before seeing that fish in your DT. Unfortunately, not all fish can withstand HYPO. Try putting a naso tang, butterflies, and more sensitive fish in a hypo treatment. They won't last 6 weeks..
2 - Why is it recommended to only run a QT tank when needed (i have kept mine going for years). Isn't it better to have an established filter rather than to risk a cycle each set-up. apart from the costs, what are the disadvantages of keeping the QT tank running continuousley? besides - even if the QT becomes contaminated - dosen't the low salinity kill all the infections and render it sterile?
I see no issues with letting your QT run all day instead of doing it on a needed basis. It can be useful when you run into an emergency and need to separate fish. You may get a small spike in ammonia here and there, but if you keep a boat load of media in your DT, take some out and throw it in your DT when bringing in new fish. I just wouldn't put the media back into the DT
3 - i understand that i need to watch the PH and avoid it slipping as the addition of fresh water decreases PH. i tested my fresh water and the PH is higher than my saltwater?? is that possible. Also is there a formual of how many grams of baking soda are needed to increase PH by x amount for y amount of gallons?
Can't help here
wooden_reefer
New member
Before : B number of bacteria support F + I (fish and inverts)
After: XxB supports F.
Do you know what X is?
If you can allot correctly there may not be a problem.
If not, either F or I will have some ammonia surge.
You can increase the number of bacteria to make correct allotment unnecessary.
wooden_reefer
New member
"I see no issues with letting your QT run all day instead of doing it on a needed basis. It can be useful when you run into an emergency and need to separate fish. You may get a small spike in ammonia here and there, but if you keep a boat load of media in your DT, take some out and throw it in your DT when bringing in new fish. I just wouldn't put the media back into the DT"
I will never accept any spike of ammonia for my fish if I can prevent it.
And the spike may not be small.
The whole idea of taking mature filter material out of the DT to be use in the QT is only situationally workable. It depends on the ratio of filter material you take out. It is a resource that should not be overlooked in a bind, but not a routine preference.
The proper procedure is to make very sure that ammonia WILL be zero in both DT and QT, no spike of any kind for both. You do so by making sure the bacteria population increases in a separate container.
You may have a boat load of filter medium in your DT, but the population of nitrification bacteria in the long run will be determined by the bioload of the DT. When you take some from the boat load, some bacteria is taken away from the DT, resulting in fewer bacteria in the DT for nitrification. You cannot escape this basic balance equation no matter what boat load you have in the DT.
I will never accept any spike of ammonia for my fish if I can prevent it.
And the spike may not be small.
The whole idea of taking mature filter material out of the DT to be use in the QT is only situationally workable. It depends on the ratio of filter material you take out. It is a resource that should not be overlooked in a bind, but not a routine preference.
The proper procedure is to make very sure that ammonia WILL be zero in both DT and QT, no spike of any kind for both. You do so by making sure the bacteria population increases in a separate container.
You may have a boat load of filter medium in your DT, but the population of nitrification bacteria in the long run will be determined by the bioload of the DT. When you take some from the boat load, some bacteria is taken away from the DT, resulting in fewer bacteria in the DT for nitrification. You cannot escape this basic balance equation no matter what boat load you have in the DT.
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