Some QT Tank help

[RyanMcLaughlin]

I have a 40 gallon hospital tank with a lawnmower blenny, pair of clownfish, royal gramma, and a longnose hawkfish. My ammonia went up after about 4 days. Is there something I can do to keep ammonia down longer? I am feeding every few days. I am keeping a little piece of live rock with algae on it in there so they can graze on it. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[scrmbld33]

you could do a water change to help, how longs the tank been set up? could be going through a small cycle

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

I set it up on friday. I used sponges from my main tank to help with bacteria. I know to do water changes to bring it down but was wondering if there are ways to prolong the ammonia rising in the tank. I dont want to have to do a water change every 4 days for the next 5 weeks.

 

[imcosmokramer]

describe your QT setup.

Was the rock cycled?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12057708#post12057708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanMcLaughlin
I set it up on friday. I used sponges from my main tank to help with bacteria. I know to do water changes to bring it down but was wondering if there are ways to prolong the ammonia rising in the tank. I dont want to have to do a water change every 4 days for the next 5 weeks.

I have an extra hob filter that I setup on my main tank for 3-5 days prior to setting up the qt. That supplies enough bacteria for the qt tank.

Don't feed the fish as much either--its going to produce ammonia either by the fish poop or uneaten food.

I seldom use anything else for the qt tank other then hypo--there fore I always throw a piece of live rock in there from the main tank also--some of the bacteria will die off but adapt and recycle--similarily when you return it to the main tank
this is NOT to be done when using copper based medications

 

[tmz]

I use an hob filter and fill the catriges with seeded crushed coral instead of carbon. I aslo use rock from a fish only tank. None of this can be exposed to a reef tank once copper is used. I've used seeded sponges before and they never quite had enough to do the trick. The rock and sustrate do.

 

[kevin2000]

My 02

Ammonia is primarily dependent on how mature your bio filter is as well as the number of fish you have in the QT.

Making numerous water changes in a QT is pretty common - especially if you don't have a mature bio filter. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish and probably the number one killer in QT's .. do whatever water changes are necessary to keep ammonia at zero.

If you run a bare bottom QT and syphon out any uneaten food within a 1/2 hr of feeding you will significantly reduce ammonia issues.

When I run a QT I often make up a 30 gallon barrel of SW to facilitate water changes. I also run a hypo QT which helps reduce stress in the fish as well as provide some insurance over ich issues. Since hypo only uses 1/3 the salt mixture of a std reef tank water changes are "less expensive".

Here's a good link discussing how to run a hypo QT ..

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=288805

Hope this helps.

Wh

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

It has an airstone w/ pump. An aquclear 30. Heater. Just the basics.

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

Do you think I should add some live rock to the qt tank and just put it in my main tank before I put the fish in to let it build bacteria again?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12058201#post12058201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanMcLaughlin
Do you think I should add some live rock to the qt tank and just put it in my main tank before I put the fish in to let it build bacteria again?

it won't hurt and from one tank immediately into the qt tank there will be no cycling of bacteria.
As long as you are sure that the qt tank was never used with copper based medications.
If you do a water change then the rock should kick in real quick

just don't feed for a day or too--won't hurt the fish