Setting up a Q-Tank?!?!?!?!

[FxdupCobra]

I am currently treating my tank with kick-ick but I know itââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s not going to work. So I am setting up a 10 Gallon Q-Tank. I want to cycle the tank before I put my 3.5 Inch Maroon Clown and my 2.5 inch porcupine puffer in it. I will be keeping my display tank fishless for 6-9 weeks. For the Q-tank, is that a good enough size for those two fish (they get along fine in the display as long as the proky doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t get close to the anemone )? What fish should I use to cycle the Q-tank with? I have heard damsels are the best and especially a chromis which is the least territorial (I will probably take the chromis out once I put my clown and porky in). Once I put my q-tank up, should I also setup a protein skimmer for it, will it help? When I return my maroon back into the display tank will he go back to the anemone and host it again (immediately)?

Thanks in advance!!!!!

 

[leebca]

I have never been in favor of 'cycling' a tank with fish. If you follow the advice in this article, you can have your QT biologically sound in minutes:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.htm

Keeping a sponge filter in operation in your display system is the best way to have a biological filter ready to transfer to the QT. If you don't have that, it is still a way to kick off the QT biological filter -- get a sponge filter and get it going in your display system (sump, refugium or main tank). It won't take any longer to do this than to put a fish in the QT.

For those two fishes, I'd use at least a 20 gallon QT and prefer a 29. You're talking about 6 inches of fish in a tank for many weeks.

Generally, if you treat using hyposalinity, a protein skimmer won't work. If you add medications to the tank, the med instructions will most likely say turn off the skimmer. Thus, I don't use a skimmer on my QT. BUT, I do use chemical filtration where and when possible.

Don't know where the anemonefish will go when returned to the display. If it has choices, it may choose another host. They sometimes change host on their own and the absence may be such an opportunity. If its the only host, it will probably go back to it quickly.

 

[FxdupCobra]

Thanks for reply Leebca! Let me let you know about my past incidents. I have used the sponge in my sump method twice. The first time: I used the sponge, which was the pre-filter on the hose that took the water back into my display from the sump. That sponge worked on my qtank. The second time I used it: I used a sponge that was floating in my sump for 2 months. When I used that sponge my fish died of ammonia poisoning. I could not explain it other then one sponge was the pre-filter and the other wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t? But I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t know? That is why I want to use a damsel to cycle my tank. If I were to use one, how long will it take to cycle the sponge?

Thanks for the reply and all the information you provide to us users!!!

 

[leebca]

The sponge just can't 'float.' Water has to run through the sponge. Maybe I'm mis-reading what you wrote?

The sponge filter has to be in your sump/refugium/aquarium actually running to become infested with the bacteria. Is this what you did when you were 'floating' the sponge?

If you leave the sponge filter in your aquarium running all the time, it will be ready to move into your QT.

A new sponge should be ready to go in a few weeks -- no more than if you had a fish there to get it started.

Once you think the sponge is ready, you can test it (before putting fish in with it). Add some food to the QT twice a day, with the sponge running, and take ammonia and nitrite readings over a period of about 2 days of adding food. There should be no readings. Remove any rotting food and introduce fish. The food you use should be a frozen kind (brine shrimp, mysis, blood worms, etc.) and not flakes, pellets, or freeze dried.

You're welcome! :thumbsup:

 

[FxdupCobra]

Thanks again Leebca! I will do just that, hopefully my fish will survive long enough so that I can have an ich free tank again. I am also going to look into purchasing a 20-30 gallon tank as well. Do I need to quarantine snails and crabs as well? Do I need to have activated filter media to quarantine corals, snails and crabs?

 

[BlackOnyx]

just get a 10 gal, a PH and a hot filter and a divider. To cycle the tank drain 7 gals of your tank water out an put it in. Anything in you display is already in your fish anyways. Dont start the filter up use it to clear out the tank when ya need it. Get the salinity to 1.008 or so.

Keep your display fallow for 8 weeks

Your fish are so miserable right now 4 weeks in a little q-tank is the least they care bout.

 

[leebca]

Most of your ? are answered in Steven Pro's article. I really think you should read it closely. I go along with almost everything he recommends (except the amount of time -- I use 6 weeks because the cyst of Marine Ich can linger that long before releasing the Theronts).
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-10/sp/feature/index.htm

Inverts don't need to be quarantined for Marine Ich or Marine Velvet. But, they have their own enemies and sometimes they can bring hitchhikers into your tank (like MI or MV) when they are new, coming from infected waters. If you're talking about the ones in your infected tank now, they won't be affected by the MI.

As BlackOnyx alluded to, there are ways to speed the biological filter readiness up and by no means should that determine whether or not your fish will be immediately treated. Because it does take time to get a bio filter going, I didn't mean to imply you should not be treating your sick fish.

Get them into a QT even without a bio filter. Do water changes to control poisons, or do chemical filtration or do both. Don't wait for the bio filter to be up and running.

Bio-filters can be kick-started by adding bacteria and food to them while they are running. Bacterial cultures are available from several providers.

You'll want an operating bio filter when you run any living organism in the QT because they all produce wastes and you will be adding food to the system. But, in some cases, the waste will be minimal and the animals hardy, in which case some water changes can be done to keep up with the poisons. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.
:rollface:

 

[BlackOnyx]

leave the q-tank up all year too less this is your last fish