How to cycle qt tank

[AnxiousAquarist]

Hello! Beginner hobbyist here!

I'm setting up a 10 gal quarantine tank for a new pair of clownfish and planning to dose copper for the recommended time frame. I have a couple of questions before I even start.

Qt tank consists of:
- 10 gal tank
- Small Wave Maker
- Seachem tidal 35 gal hob
- Seachem matrix media
- Heater
- Thermometer
- some pvc (for Hiding spots)

Question 1: Exactly Step by step how do I cycle the qt tank? do I need bottled bacteria and bottled amonia (fishless cycle)?
I do not have an existing cycled tank to seed a sponge or anything I'm starting completely brand new.

Question 2: I have read that people pour in bottled bacteria 24hrs before placing the fish in. Does this mean it will become a fish in cycle? and will I have to wait a week or 2 for the clowns to get comfortable, test my parameters, let the cycle to finish to start copper power?

Question 3: does copper power kill off all the beneficial bacteria when dosed?

Question 4: If you were to be completely Brand new to the hobby and wanted to QT your first pair of clowns how would you setup / cycle the tank.

I know there are a lot of threads on the topic already and I tried to read most of them, but I just don't have one clear way of doing things. I get caught up in all the information and I just don't know which way to go. I wanna get things right and I wanna learn more from you guys!

I appreciate any feedback! Thank you!

 

[brandon429]

Agreed there aren’t written flow charts for quarantine / low surface area setups

what we see in training is for high surface area displays, because they’re so forgiving of many ways we cycle / anyone’s way will work


this is the simplest plan for you

the formula is this for quarantines OR displays: buy either Dr Tim’s, fritz, or biospira only those three not brightwell

add the bottle bac contents one time to the entire setup with filtration in place, water, heat. Running

don’t add ammonia: a trick is grind up one pinch of fish food and use that instead, it’s more fitting food for bottle bac than our real cycling bac matured reefs have. Both strains will handle your ammonia.

wait 15 days, change out the water and what’s left behind is all the cycling bac stuck to surfaces and now all new water on top.

the key is: any surface area you had in this mix, for this time is cycled and no testing is needed. That’s a well known and already tested wait time for testless cycles.

if this was a display, typical rocks and sand, that’s enough surface area for anyone to add fish they’ll be fine. Yours is a quarantine, lacking surface area, so you need to basically copy any other qt setup that someone used for clowns and indeed that is what they use. Put the bio media in the filter so water is forced across it, some people lay the filter balls out on the floor of the display too/ in addition to the ones in the filter and that’s fine too.

Don’t use prime to control ammonia its ineffective

use water changes. For the ammonia tester to indicate when to change water, use a seachem alert badge not an api kit

copper may or may not affect your cycle hold times, so watch the alert badge and do a large water change matching temp and salinity as needed to keep safe. That’s your entire testless quarantine cycle process

 

[Reef Psychology]

It's always bugged me that we use QT and hospital tank interchangeably. Once drugs start being used, it's a hospital tank in my mind. meh.

So, you don't have a main tank setup yet? The easiest way to prep new bio media is to have a bag full of matrix or sponge in your main tank for 3-4 weeks and switch it over to a QT tank. I use SeaChem Stability vs other bacteria because it facilitates time over consumption vs a complete seed at start method. Stability is dosed over days so there's always a refresh input of bacteria over time (you'll have very limited biological space so refreshing daily seems logical).

If you're going to use Cupramine then you'll want to use Seachem's Ammonia test kit as it will show the two types of ammonia. However, I personally think copper is not necessary without signs of disease. Why stress your animals if they aren't sick? Hikari Prazipro would be my go to for a first med along with a freshwater bath and inspection for flukes.

All that said, hospital tanks aren't easy and many people experience fish deaths even after doing everything properly. I have about a 60% success rate after copper is used. Might want to look into Dr. Reef's Quarantined Fish and just avoid the complications.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It's always bugged me that we use QT and hospital tank interchangeably. Once drugs start being used, it's a hospital tank in my mind. meh.

EXACTLY!!!!!