Suggestions on QT Tank

[ReefMagician]

Hey guys,

I wanted to setup a QT Tank. I have 3 fish in my DT that I didn't QT. While I haven't had any issues so far, I'd like to take precautionary measures. Is it still worth setting up a QT tank? I am very limited in space right now, so I'd have to get a very compact QT tank setup. Equipment I have on hang:

1. Eheim 2217 Canister Filter
2. Eheim Jager 200W heater


In terms of a container to hold water, I was thinking of setting up something quite compact inside my stand. The space I have right now is:

18 winches wide, by 18 inches deep. The height is 21 inches.

I was thinking of getting a 5G tank or a 5G food grade bucket to put the fish in temporarily. Here is a list of fish I will be QT at some point one fish at a time in this tank:

1. Some tangs (Kole, Sailfin, Powder Blue)
2. firefish and other small fish
3. Invertebrates
4. Corals (if needed)


Alternatively, i could keep a 35G rubbermaid container and use that as a quarantine tank temporarily but its sort of an eyesour. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brieninsac]

I understand the space concerns many have about having a QT tank in addition to their DT. However, I don't know if I'd put it in your stand hidden away. Part of the process of quarantining them is so you can frequently see them and monitor their behavior and food intake. I also believe it would be more stressful for the fish being tucked away somewhere.

I was reluctant to setup a QT when I started too. But I found it not only worth it for the sake of my fish and DT, but it's also another tank to admire. I have my QT on our wine fridge in the dinning room. It doesn't get a lot of traffic to stress the fish out and when we're all sitting down to dinner we can watch the fish and talk about them. So it's really more of an extension to our DT.

 

[ReefMagician]

I understand the space concerns many have about having a QT tank in addition to their DT. However, I don't know if I'd put it in your stand hidden away. Part of the process of quarantining them is so you can frequently see them and monitor their behavior and food intake. I also believe it would be more stressful for the fish being tucked away somewhere.

I was reluctant to setup a QT when I started too. But I found it not only worth it for the sake of my fish and DT, but it's also another tank to admire. I have my QT on our wine fridge in the dinning room. It doesn't get a lot of traffic to stress the fish out and when we're all sitting down to dinner we can watch the fish and talk about them. So it's really more of an extension to our DT.

Area where I can keep the QT tank is sub 1k sq ft so as you can imagine, its relatively tough. I'd like a QT tank that is out of the way. I'll monitor it several times a day. I plan to keep them in there 2 weeks.

 

[Tisbe]

First off +1 incorporating a QT.

Any size will work. The smaller the tank the harder it will be to keep good water quality. You will want different tanks for coral and fish QT. If you need to treat the fish with a copper based medicine it can get absorbed by the silicone and released later when you are QTing corals and cause problems.

My tanks, 10gal for coral & 20 gal for fish (can be plastic tubs) are only brought out when I need to QT new additions or treat sick ones. I would also suggest you up the length of quarantine to 3 weeks for coral and 4 for fish(other reefers will have different suggestions). The life cycle of ich is longer than 2 weeks. If Ich gets into your main tank with corals in it you only option with be to remove all the fish for months to ensure you break the ich lifecycle.