Cycle quarantine tank?

[JAMSOURY]

Is it necessary to cycle a quarantine tank? Going to start a quarantine tank while my main tank is getting started.

 

[cmcoker]

If you can it is better, since it makes for less work with keeping ammonia under control.

Once your tank cycles, I'd add some sponges that fit your qt filter to the display tank, like in the sump. That way you have bacteria ready to move over to quarantine at anytime. This is what I do. I use aquaclear hob filters and buy the 3 pack of sponges and throw in the sump. Once they have been used in the quarantine tank, I trash them.

You will want to break down and sterilize the qt equipment between batches of fish. There are bacterial films that can form to eat your meds, like praziquantel, reducing the concentration of the meds.

 

[JAMSOURY]

If you can it is better, since it makes for less work with keeping ammonia under control.

Once your tank cycles, I'd add some sponges that fit your qt filter to the display tank, like in the sump. That way you have bacteria ready to move over to quarantine at anytime. This is what I do. I use aquaclear hob filters and buy the 3 pack of sponges and throw in the sump. Once they have been used in the quarantine tank, I trash them.

You will want to break down and sterilize the qt equipment between batches of fish. There are bacterial films that can form to eat your meds, like praziquantel, reducing the concentration of the meds.

Do you just use sponges or do you also use carbon or any other media?! Thanks for the help! Just picked up the same filter

 

[TheLadyCrash]

QT tanks should be completely sterilized in between uses therefore you should not have sand, live rock, bioballs, etc as you're going to have to toss them after each round of QT. The carbon is only going to pull out any meds you may need to use, so that's also a no go.

All your QT really needs is some PVC pipe, a heater, flow (even an air stone could work), and if you have a fish that needs sand, a small bowl of it in the tank.

For a QT, if you want it ready while your DT is still cycling, you'll need to start it cycling separately as well. Once the DT is done, you can use the filters from your DT to seed the QT when you need to bring it up. NEVER take anything from the QT and put it in the DT other than the fish/coral/invert.

Also, make sure your QT is at least 10 feet from the DT and don't share any tools between the two (e.g., nets, tubing, scrapers, etc).

 

[cmcoker]

Agree with above

Do you just use sponges or do you also use carbon or any other media?! Thanks for the help! Just picked up the same filter

Just sponges, biomatrix type media would be ok, all needs to be trashed between batches though.
But carbon would absorb medications, gfo and skimmers could affect meds as well so are best left out of fish qt

 

[JAMSOURY]

QT tanks should be completely sterilized in between uses therefore you should not have sand, live rock, bioballs, etc as you're going to have to toss them after each round of QT. The carbon is only going to pull out any meds you may need to use, so that's also a no go.

All your QT really needs is some PVC pipe, a heater, flow (even an air stone could work), and if you have a fish that needs sand, a small bowl of it in the tank.

For a QT, if you want it ready while your DT is still cycling, you'll need to start it cycling separately as well. Once the DT is done, you can use the filters from your DT to seed the QT when you need to bring it up. NEVER take anything from the QT and put it in the DT other than the fish/coral/invert.

Also, make sure your QT is at least 10 feet from the DT and don't share any tools between the two (e.g., nets, tubing, scrapers, etc).

This is a lot of good information. Thanks!!!!

 

[EthanDouglas]

I'm in the same boat, about to set up my qt while still setting up the display. I'm still confused what sponges to use though (the ones I need to leave in my sump). Could somebody link me to what they use? Thanks

 

[dragon99]

I'm in the same boat, about to set up my qt while still setting up the display. I'm still confused what sponges to use though (the ones I need to leave in my sump). Could somebody link me to what they use? Thanks

https://www.amazon.com/Aquaclear-70...8&qid=1498278057&sr=8-2&keywords=aquaclear+70

 

[JAMSOURY]

Do air stones attract need to be changed after the the quarantine? Does it absorb medications or any of the sicknesses from fish?

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

wont any medication such as copper based ones kill the nitrifying bacteria?

 

[Doug B]

I have an established DT. I will be picking up a couple of tangs and a magnificent foxface in about a month and I want to set up a QT for them. I plan to leave them in it for a good while, especially if the wind up being significantly smaller than my existing yellow tang (I'm doing a complete rescape as well, so that should help with territorial aggression). In any event, I do not intend to treat unless I see a reason to. So my question is, how should I spec out the QT tank?

If the fish will be in there for a month or more should I place any rocks or sand, or just go with PVC? Should I use a skimmer and/or some kind of carbon filter (Whisper or something similar)?

Thanks