Ideal QT tank set up

[Bruce17]

Hello

I’ve been doing some research for my QT tank set up and i’m starting to read and have a few people tell me that the ideal QT tank should have the same filtration set up like your display tank. I purchased a 55 gallon tank to be my QT tank because I want to get tangs, angels, wrasse and anthias over the next year or so for my tank and figured the bigger QT would halo for space and water chemistry. I was wondering if adding a a sump with a skimmer, GFO/carbon reactor, fuge and a UV sterilizer would be the ideal way to go to give be the best chance of success with the fish? I would appreciate any feedback on people’s experience with this.

Thanks

 

[dwest]

Hello

I’ve been doing some research for my QT tank set up and i’m starting to read and have a few people tell me that the ideal QT tank should have the same filtration set up like your display tank. I purchased a 55 gallon tank to be my QT tank because I want to get tangs, angels, wrasse and anthias over the next year or so for my tank and figured the bigger QT would halo for space and water chemistry. I was wondering if adding a a sump with a skimmer, GFO/carbon reactor, fuge and a UV sterilizer would be the ideal way to go to give be the best chance of success with the fish? I would appreciate any feedback on people’s experience with this.

Thanks

It depends on how you are going to quarantine. Are you just watching your fish for a few weeks or are you going to to treat for common problems before they show up? Here’s what I do:

How to Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank The following are the bare essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down...

www.reef2reef.com

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Bruce17]

It depends on how you are going to quarantine. Are you just watching your fish for a few weeks or are you going to to treat for common problems before they show up? Here’s what I do:

How to Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank The following are the bare essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down...

www.reef2reef.com

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

First of all, thank you very much for your response with some links. As for the way that I’m going to QT, it’s unclear yet. I was going to be proactive and treat immediately however I had a few people tell me that doing it that way will harm the fish and shorten there lives if you throw chemicals at fish that don’t need them. So i’m going to have to do more research on that as well lol. I want to do it the way that gives me and the fish the best way for success. I don’t want to set up a cheap qt tank and then try to qt an expensive fish and lose it because my qt wasn’t aet up ideally. So I basically want to set up the ideal qt to give myself the best chance for success. I’ll also be buying my fish from reputable stores as well.

 

[dwest]

First of all, thank you very much for your response with some links. As for the way that I’m going to QT, it’s unclear yet. I was going to be proactive and treat immediately however I had a few people tell me that doing it that way will harm the fish and shorten there lives if you throw chemicals at fish that don’t need them. So i’m going to have to do more research on that as well lol. I want to do it the way that gives me and the fish the best way for success. I don’t want to set up a cheap qt tank and then try to qt an expensive fish and lose it because my qt wasn’t aet up ideally. So I basically want to set up the ideal qt to give myself the best chance for success. I’ll also be buying my fish from reputable stores as well.

You are going to get lots of opinions on how to quarantine. Many reefers do not quarantine at all. I have a clownfish and a purple tang that are older than my son who is a junior in college. There’s no way that I would risk their lives by introducing a parasite that could wipe them out. That’s why I use the method of quarantine in the second link. IMO, using copper is much safer for the fish now that we can accurately and precisely measure its concentration with the Hannah copper checker.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Agreed with @dwest on this. I believe that fish that are proper QT with copper and other meds Prazipro etc. have a much better chance than just observation. Usually by the time you see something it’s to late and now the fish is struggling. My fish go directly into 2.0 copper power solution and I haven’t had any issues doing this. But like said above you’ll get a ton of different answers regarding QT.

 

[Bruce17]

You are going to get lots of opinions on how to quarantine. Many reefers do not quarantine at all. I have a clownfish and a purple tang that are older than my son who is a junior in college. There’s no way that I would risk their lives by introducing a parasite that could wipe them out. That’s why I use the method of quarantine in the second link. IMO, using copper is much safer for the fish now that we can accurately and precisely measure its concentration with the Hannah copper checker.

Thank you very much. I’ll definitely reed the article and the comments. Not qt’ing will not be an option for me. I have a couple dream fish on my list and I don’t want to take any risks of diseases getting into the display tank. I want to try and go really slow as well ( might be hard though lol ) with the fish addition etc. My display tank is 205 gallons and i’m hoping to plumb it really soon. I’m looking at next summer as the earliest to purchase my dream fish. I’ll add other smaller fish before that however I want to take it slow. I also want to have all my ducks in a row way ahead of time. Thank you very much for your help. If you have any other advice or links, please do not hesitate to share them with me please

 

[Bruce17]

Agreed with @dwest on this. I believe that fish that are proper QT with copper and other meds Prazipro etc. have a much better chance than just observation. Usually by the time you see something it’s to late and now the fish is struggling. My fish go directly into 2.0 copper power solution and I haven’t had any issues doing this. But like said above you’ll get a ton of different answers regarding QT.

Thank you very much for sharing. Being proactive seems to be the best way for me to go. I’m new to this and I miss a sign of an illness and end up losing the fish. Do you feel that this process will work on pretty much every fish? Even angels that some say are sensitive to copper treatment?

 

[Redfoxtang]

Thank you very much for sharing. Being proactive seems to be the best way for me to go. I’m new to this and I miss a sign of an illness and end up losing the fish. Do you feel that this process will work on pretty much every fish? Even angels that some say are sensitive to copper treatment?

I have QTed most sensitive fish except for angels unfortunately. Besides the basic coral beauty and flame angel those did fine. I’m a wrasse lover and most are sensitive to copper but I haven’t lost one that wasn’t already in a bad state to being with. I strive to always pick the healthiest fish at the LFS before I bring home so my odds are in my favor. With that being said ALL my fish go through my QT protocol before they even get close to my DT. Hope this helps!!

 

[Bruce17]

I have QTed most sensitive fish except for angels unfortunately. Besides the basic coral beauty and flame angel those did fine. I’m a wrasse lover and most are sensitive to copper but I haven’t lost one that wasn’t already in a bad state to being with. I strive to always pick the healthiest fish at the LFS before I bring home so my odds are in my favor. With that being said ALL my fish go through my QT protocol before they even get close to my DT. Hope this helps!!

Yes it does. I’ll definitely have to research the best protocol for qt’ing angels as well then. Thank you very much for sharing

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

Hello

I’ve been doing some research for my QT tank set up and i’m starting to read and have a few people tell me that the ideal QT tank should have the same filtration set up like your display tank. I purchased a 55 gallon tank to be my QT tank because I want to get tangs, angels, wrasse and anthias over the next year or so for my tank and figured the bigger QT would halo for space and water chemistry. I was wondering if adding a a sump with a skimmer, GFO/carbon reactor, fuge and a UV sterilizer would be the ideal way to go to give be the best chance of success with the fish? I would appreciate any feedback on people’s experience with this.

Thanks

No skimmer. Medicines mess up skimmers and remove them from the water in there skimmate. Also no to a Fuge. The medicines kill inverts, which includes copepods amphipods and anything else in there. Macro algae also absorbs copper, which would make it hard to keep levels at therapeutic. No carbon or gfo, that will also absorb medicines. Not sure about a UV sterilizer, but they kill a lot of micro algae. Those algae help keep nutrients under control though. For decorations and hiding, I recommend plastic fish tank decorations and fake plants.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Heater, hiding decor, some kind of bio filter, ammonia testing, cheap light to get better look at the fish during observation.
A powerhead and a bubbler is all i use tank wise.

for a cheap algae clip.

Regardless how you go observation or treating before. Enhance your foods with vitamins, selcon, vitachem. I like aqua forest fish v. But all will help boost a fishes immune response.

For finicky eaters a cheap diy brine hatchery, San Francisco angel diet, and i pick up blood worms from the lfs the day i get the fish.

I like to start with a bath in methylene blue first even if i am just doing ttm. But thats a personal choice lol.

 

[dwest]

Yes it does. I’ll definitely have to research the best protocol for qt’ing angels as well then. Thank you very much for sharing

Before I get a new fish, the first consideration is whether or not a fish can handle copper. So I look here:

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart) The following chart is a quick reference guide on what QT protocol should be used according to which type of fish you are running through QT. It will give you an idea of which methods are generally safest with certain species but is not meant to be...

www.reef2reef.com

All of these great threads can be found here:

Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis

A forum for discussing treatment and diagnosing saltwater reef fish.

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

 

[Bruce17]

No skimmer. Medicines mess up skimmers and remove them from the water in there skimmate. Also no to a Fuge. The medicines kill inverts, which includes copepods amphipods and anything else in there. Macro algae also absorbs copper, which would make it hard to keep levels at therapeutic. No carbon or gfo, that will also absorb medicines. Not sure about a UV sterilizer, but they kill a lot of micro algae. Those algae help keep nutrients under control though. For decorations and hiding, I recommend plastic fish tank decorations and fake plants.

Thank you very much for that great info. I definitely disn’t Know that.

 

[Bruce17]

Heater, hiding decor, some kind of bio filter, ammonia testing, cheap light to get better look at the fish during observation.
A powerhead and a bubbler is all i use tank wise.

for a cheap algae clip.

Regardless how you go observation or treating before. Enhance your foods with vitamins, selcon, vitachem. I like aqua forest fish v. But all will help boost a fishes immune response.

For finicky eaters a cheap diy brine hatchery, San Francisco angel diet, and i pick up blood worms from the lfs the day i get the fish.

I like to start with a bath in methylene blue first even if i am just doing ttm. But thats a personal choice lol.

Thank you very much. So put them in a bowl with methylene blue before putting them in the qt tank? How long do you do that for? Is it with fresh water or saltwater?

 

[Bruce17]

Before I get a new fish, the first consideration is whether or not a fish can handle copper. So I look here:

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart)

Fish and Treatment Guidelines (with chart) The following chart is a quick reference guide on what QT protocol should be used according to which type of fish you are running through QT. It will give you an idea of which methods are generally safest with certain species but is not meant to be...

www.reef2reef.com

All of these great threads can be found here:

Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis

A forum for discussing treatment and diagnosing saltwater reef fish.

www.reef2reef.com

Good luck!

Thank you very much. You have me a lot of great info to read up on.

 

[alabella1]

I have QTed most sensitive fish except for angels unfortunately. Besides the basic coral beauty and flame angel those did fine. I’m a wrasse lover and most are sensitive to copper but I haven’t lost one that wasn’t already in a bad state to being with. I strive to always pick the healthiest fish at the LFS before I bring home so my odds are in my favor. With that being said ALL my fish go through my QT protocol before they even get close to my DT. Hope this helps!!

What is YOUR QT protocol specifically? I'm planning to QT a madagascar flasher and a pair of bellus angels. I'm trying to pick the best options to get them through it alive!

 

[NeedAReef]

I have a fluval 15g all in one with nothing in it but some bio media. I have a small piece of rock from my main tank, and when I water change I take 5 gal out of it, and refil from the main display tank water. Then I refill the main display tank. All fish go in there for 4-6 weeks for observation. There is also an in tank UV that runs in there. So far for the last 2 years it has made a huge difference in fish life span. That, and dipping all corals before they ever go into my big tank.

 

[alabella1]

I have a fluval 15g all in one with nothing in it but some bio media. I have a small piece of rock from my main tank, and when I water change I take 5 gal out of it, and refil from the main display tank water. Then I refill the main display tank. All fish go in there for 4-6 weeks for observation. There is also an in tank UV that runs in there. So far for the last 2 years it has made a huge difference in fish life span. That, and dipping all corals before they ever go into my big tank.

4-6 week obs? Do you treat them at all with anything?

 

[NeedAReef]

No I do not treat them with anything, I simply have to feed them every day and look at them. Do they swim normal, do they eat normally? The UV seems to make a difference (no data to prove it just a major difference versus when I kept a reef 10 years ago). That being said nearly all of my fish have come from the same store and I spend a good amount of time observing them there as well. Maybe I am lucky, maybe not, but it works well for me. When they finally go into the big tank there is little to no trauma for them from a water chemistry perspective.