Setting up Perm QT while transferring to new tank

[oshanickreef]

So I have a lot on my plate in the coming weeks... im moving to a new apartment and i decided to upgrade tanks in the process from my 60 cube to a 90 shallow custom. I also have decided to buy a 30 long QT tank and im going to QT my current fish for 9 weeks in copper (because they currently show signs of scratching and a few white spots). I have a LOT of LPS/SPS in my current tank and i have 7 fish (all less than 3 inches).

My question is how do i set up the QT tank safely and put all my fish in so they dont cause a bio-overload? I suppose i can just monitor it every day and test ammonia and if it gets high then i do 30% WCs... or i could use a supplement like prime to keep ammonia down. I will be using a bottle of bacteria on this tank (Dr. Tim's bottle of bacteria).

My last question is about my new tank... i guess i can just run it with the inverts and corals and feed the coral 2ish times a week? I am very worried about the coral because i love it all so much! LOL

 

[wooden_reefer]

So I have a lot on my plate in the coming weeks... im moving to a new apartment and i decided to upgrade tanks in the process from my 60 cube to a 90 shallow custom. I also have decided to buy a 30 long QT tank and im going to QT my current fish for 9 weeks in copper (because they currently show signs of scratching and a few white spots). I have a LOT of LPS/SPS in my current tank and i have 7 fish (all less than 3 inches).

My question is how do i set up the QT tank safely and put all my fish in so they dont cause a bio-overload? I suppose i can just monitor it every day and test ammonia and if it gets high then i do 30% WCs... or i could use a supplement like prime to keep ammonia down. I will be using a bottle of bacteria on this tank (Dr. Tim's bottle of bacteria).

My last question is about my new tank... i guess i can just run it with the inverts and corals and feed the coral 2ish times a week? I am very worried about the coral because i love it all so much! LOL

Try not to think of cycling a QT; you need only to cycle the medium intended for QT. Think of cycled medium as portable and used when needed.

You can cycle enough medium in a small container and feed with ammonia occasionally. Your can rinse the medium to remove whatever "dirty" water with a small amount of fresh QT water and then use the rinsed medium in QT.

A large QT tank needs not be permanently set up.

You don't need doctor anything. You need only medium and bacteria seed from DT and the usual power filter and ordinary stuffs.

 

[wooden_reefer]

"I suppose i can just monitor it every day and test ammonia and if it gets high then i do 30% WCs... "

No, you cycle the medium very well in advance so that ammonia is usually not accumulated. I generally plan to have 10-20 or more times the bacteria needed for balance and then allow the great majority of the bacteria to starve.

Only when a drug that harms nitrification has to be used would ammonia be a problem in QT or any T.

WC to remove ammonia is an extremely wasteful and demanding chore. Generation of ammonia from excretion from livestock could be rather linear with time, but that from decay of poops and uneaten food is not linear. Ammonia from the latter can surge quickly.

You then have to do 100% water change with transfer of livestock and leave behind the decayable matters, or you have to trust Prime or Amquel.

 

[oshanickreef]

when you say "cycled Medium" what are you referring to?

 

[KAMIKAZE0214]

when you say "cycled Medium" what are you referring to?

A filter with bacteria on it, er- maybe not a filter but something that can hold bacteria.

 

[oshanickreef]

oh... like a rock out of my sump or something? obviously that i will never put back in the tank.... lol

 

[wooden_reefer]

when you say "cycled Medium" what are you referring to?

A medium is the substrate onto which the bacteria grow and stay almost bounded (maybe a few get waterborne).

A medium can be calcerous like crushed coral. Or non-calcerous like sponges. I always put cc into a couple of layers of very well-stretched out nylon panty hose. The sack would be the size of a large orange or a small grapefruit. Several of these are enough for most aquarists.

Cycling is just to have some bacteria seed in the cycling water (or a small bit of cycled medium), a source of ammonia (repeated), circulation, warmth, good gaseous exhange, and waiting for about one month +/- a few days.

 

[oshanickreef]

would substrate work for this? like if i put a grapefruite sized ball of my current substrate into a few layers of panty hose?

 

[wooden_reefer]

would substrate work for this? like if i put a grapefruite sized ball of my current substrate into a few layers of panty hose?

The layers of panty hose must be very well stretched out, otherwise it will restrict too much flow.

You need either water that flow thru the sack, or very vigorous flow around the sack in a chamber setup.

You cannot just leave the sack of cc on the bottom and then circulate the tank water; there will not be enough flow this way.

You can also have a strong jet of water flowing directly around the sack, such as at the immediate return of a canister filter (or return from pump, too complex for QT) .

The most effective per unit volume of filter medium is to have water drip onto the sacks and then collected and drained back into the QT (too complex unless really needed)