Emerald's Ultimate Quarantine Tank

[emerald525]

I used to think it was not worth having a quarantine tank. Couldn't afford it, didn't have the space, etc etc:neutral:.

After having our tank population of fish wiped out by marine velvet in the past and having fish succumb to ich as well as getting infected corals, I realized early on I couldn't afford NOT to have an quarantine tank.

I also help out in my local forum with a program called Tanks for Teachers in which we donate tanks , corals and fish to local schools. When I add new fish to a school tank, I like to make sure they are well acclimated, feeding and are healthy.

I also get lots of donations of corals from fellow reefers for this program and don't want them potentially contaminating my main system.

I used to use a 40 gallon frag tank as a quarantine system but then I plumbed it into the main tank for more stability. Then I was using a 29 gallon biocube but this was just too small.

When you set up a quarantine tank it still goes through a cycle. I have found that corals and fish do better when the tank has been set up and the parameters are stable. I like to have a system that is up and running if I need to move a sick fish or coral.




A local reefer who does acrylic work came up with a brilliant design. I have a limited space so no room below for a sump. He came up with an all in one design with multiple compartments to hold more fish so they don't fight and are less stressed.Very nice design!(clap)(clap)

Picked up the tank yesterday and it passed the water test! (clap)(clap)

As you can see the space is very tight and we wanted to maximize the space!

It fits like a glove!1smile1

Simple plumbing job with this all in one design

 

[wysiwyg]

wow looks great

 

[emerald525]

More pictures

I am adding sand to 2 of the compartments in case I get some wrasses or other sand loving fish.

The not so fun process of adding water! This ended up being a 90 gallon tank so we ended up needing 80 gallons of saltwater. I used the water from our main tank so ended up doing a water change too!:bigsmile:

I had some live rock from a previous tank breakdown and added this to the tank

Submersible pump is hooked up and tank is ready to go!1smile1

The only thing left to do is hang up the light. I got this from a fellow reefer for a future trade in corals

Let the cycling process begin!I use the Dr. Tim's formulation and this has worked well for tank builds in the past including the ones I have helped with for the Tanks for Teacher program. I don't like using fish for cycling.

 

[Dixie_reefer]

That is a really neat setup!

 

[emerald525]

wow looks great

That is a really neat setup!

Thanks! I'm lucky to have a friend in the hobby who does nice acrylic work!

 

[revhtree]

WOW this is a great set up! Could you get a top down so we can see the compartments a little better?

Also the only issue I see is I thought that having sand in a medicated tank doesn't work well due to the fact that the sand can "soak" up the medication. Is this true?

 

[Tabasco1]

Great design and thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see pics of it in action!

 

[emerald525]

WOW this is a great set up! Could you get a top down so we can see the compartments a little better?

Also the only issue I see is I thought that having sand in a medicated tank doesn't work well due to the fact that the sand can "soak" up the medication. Is this true?

It's a pretty cramped space but I could try to get a top down shot Rev.

I'm not planning on running copper or medicating in this tank. I have some nice pieces of live rock that I would like to keep. I just like to have a tank that is up and running . This is primarily a place to separate new fish and corals from my main display to keep them from spreading disease. It's also a good way to acclimate the fish and make sure they are feeding. If there is a sick fish I have a 10 gallon tank that I have set up in the past for medications.

 

[revsgirl]

Nice set up!

 

[ritter6788]

QT is always good! Nice job.

 

[3Twinklets]

Great idea Kim! Do you think heat may become a problem I wonder?

 

[emerald525]

Nice set up!

Thanks Tonya

QT is always good! Nice job.

Yes it is! I learned the hard way that a good QT system ends up paying for itself and it wasn't too expensive as I ended up trading corals for most of the equipment.

Great idea Kim! Do you think heat may become a problem I wonder?

Thanks Wendy. It's in the basement and this is Portland so it stays pretty cool most of the time. We don't get those crazy 100+ degree weather like you do in Texas.:smile: Thanks for the reminder though. I should probably get a heater!:angel:

I do expect a good degree of evaporation so am thinking about getting an autotopoff set up.

 

[bige]

That's very nice.

 

[3Twinklets]

Thanks Tonya



Yes it is! I learned the hard way that a good QT system ends up paying for itself and it wasn't too expensive as I ended up trading corals for most of the equipment.



Thanks Wendy. It's in the basement and this is Portland so it stays pretty cool most of the time. We don't get those crazy 100+ degree weather like you do in Texas.:smile: Thanks for the reminder though. I should probably get a heater!:angel:

Very true. Difficult for me to get to the "Heat" mindset!! Even in December my chiller is still running.!! :roll:

I do expect a good degree of evaporation so am thinking about getting an autotopoff set up.

Me too. Adding water is a daily thing. ATO is one of my next projects.

 

[keokea]

Very nice setup! +1 on a top down pic

 

[Reef Breeders]

Looks like a great idea!

 

[NanoNathan]

thats a sweet QT set up!!

 

[emerald525]

Top down shots!

Okay because everyone asked. These were not easy shots to take! I am short and hand to stand on the toilet or step stool and try not to drop the camera in the QT tank!:lol:

 

[kschweer]

Very cool set up.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

That's a great idea and awesome tank.