Setting up a fulltime QT tank

[ocarius]

I was planning on setting up a Full time small either 10g or 20g/L QT tank. I've never had one before and I would like to set it up so that there is some sand and live rock in it... maybe a bio wheel running without any other media for the bacteria... would a system like that.. it would only maintain 1 fish at a time.. so im leaning on going 10gallon need any type of skimmer.. and if I put a new fish into this sand rock QT tank.. and I saw a problem could I still dose Cupramine or Prazi??

Also any tips you have or ideas that i should keep in mind let me know.

 

[Gwynhidwy]

I use prazi in my quarantine tank, which sounds similar to what you are planning. I do not use Cupramine in mine because of the sand, live rock, shrimp and a few snails that I have in the tank. If fish need to be treated with anything besides prazi I move them to a hospital tank for treatment. I don't have a skimmer on this tank.

One suggestion is to plan your rockwork so that it is easy to remove and then put back again. Since you know you'll be taking the fish you put in back out, it makes things a lot easier.

 

[Terra Ferma]

If you plan to QT tangs or angelfish 10g is a little small - I would go 20 or 29 gallons. You won't need rock or sand. Go barebottom. Just stuff an aquaclear full of sponge material (one that is "aged") and do plenty of 25% water changes if you are dosing meds. I always keep sponge filter material in my tank or sump in case an emergency filter is needed. Clean the sponge material in saltwater once per week to get rid of the collected detritus.


For cover I would use large PVC couplings. Sand and rock just collect crap that you would ideally be siphoning off the bottom during frequent water changes.

 

[dipan]

I'm also setting up a fulltime QT/HT. Thanks for the tips guys. I think I'll go bare bottom and also throw some PVC in there. How important is flow beyond just a powerhead, HOB or the minimal flow a sponge filter can provide? Also, would full time aeration via an airstone be of value as long as there are inhabitants?

 

[Gwynhidwy]

Going barebottom with pvc defeats the purpose in my situation. I only do barebottom with pvc in my hospital tanks. Quarantine and treatment are not done in the same tank for me. Much less stress on new fish this way because with the sand and live rock it isn't such an alien place. Also, there's tons to eat that the fish already recognizes as food.

 

[dipan]

Going barebottom with pvc defeats the purpose in my situation. I only do barebottom with pvc in my hospital tanks. Quarantine and treatment are not done in the same tank for me. Much less stress on new fish this way because with the sand and live rock it isn't such an alien place. Also, there's tons to eat that the fish already recognizes as food.

Good point about the stress. Maybe I'll make the HT/QT setup in my system just a QT. Seems that it makes good sense to separate QT and HT functions. Do you run a HT full time? How big should the HT be and what kind of water changes do you do on the QT and HT?

I had originally planned on integrating the QT/HT into my setup, but not sharing water. It would be a small 30 gallon section of a large fuge. I was planning on automated 5 gallon per day water changes. The water would come out of the main system via a peristaltic pump and into the QT/HT. Then 5 new gallons of water would go to the main system. So, while it would be used tank water, it would be going to the QT/HT tank first before going to drain. So that's about a 17% water change daily for the QT/HT. If I make that a full time QT, I wonder if I could just daisy chain another tank into the system so water from DT goes to QT then to HT just before going to drain daily.

Problem is I don't have that much room and if I add an HT to the system, I'll take a little away from fuge volume. Right now it's planned at 4'x2'x1'. The QT/HT is a 2'x2'x1' section at the end of that. I suppose I could make the fuge 3' long, the QT 2' long, and the HT 1' long (1' deep and 2' tall ... 15 gallons).

 

[Gwynhidwy]

I change 10% on my quarantine tank every week. My quarantine and the place that I set up hospital tanks is not in the same room as my DT and they do not share any equipment. I do not use the water that I remove during water changes for anything unless I am setting up a hospital tank at that time.

I don't keep a hospital tank up all the time. To deal with 'new tank syndrome' in the hospital tank, when I set it up I use water from the tank the fish is coming out of, which is almost always the quarantine, and the mechanical filter media that is in the filter on the quarantine. That way I already have a biological filter that was seeded in the quarantine tank to use in the hospital tank. That pretty much eliminates any ammonia problems in the hospital tank.

It does take up more space than just setting up a quarantine when I'm getting new fish, but I haven't lost a fish due to acclimation or starvation since I started keeping a quarantine like this. With this setup, when I have to treat new fish for any diseases, they are already eating and used to my presence. I find this makes the stark landscape of a hospital tank less scary and therefore less stressful.