I'm back with yet another question about cycling/seeding for qt

[UnderseaOddities]

As far as qt setup goes @Matt Miller I would siphon 10 weekly from display to qt since its empty when you do weekly water changes get this filled up about half way with microbial rich tank water then add saltwater I run my qt more hypo saline at around .028 then add 3 3 inch PVC elbows for hides maybe a piece or two of rock for optimum at that way there are places to hide also run hob an no powerhead or wavemaker less flow = more activity that way you can see how your fish are eating

 

[Matt Miller]

As far as qt setup goes @Matt Miller I would siphon 10 weekly from display to qt since its empty when you do weekly water changes get this filled up about half way with microbial rich tank water then add saltwater I run my qt more hypo saline at around .028 then add 3 3 inch PVC elbows for hides maybe a piece or two of rock for optimum at that way there are places to hide also run hob an no powerhead or wavemaker less flow = more activity that way you can see how your fish are eating

Ok thanks for all that lol, my source of frustration was from putting the inverts directly into my dt. After that I was advised I need to give that 76 days to make sure I didn't inadvertently add some parasite, disease or something like that.

I did a fishless cycle with Dr tims one and only, ammonia and fish flakes just for good measure.

I watched the cycle and after I was sure the ammonia was being consumed I added snails, without any quarantine. I have another post I will link in here about that.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear about that with the first post.

 

[Matt Miller]

Here's the post I had where I got the 76 days from originally.

Freaked out about QT

Maybe I'm freaked out about how much the fish I'm planning on buying. The idea of quarantine is scaring me more than I was just setting this up. I've never spent this kind of money on fish and I'm afraid of all the treatments and this and that. I feel like there's more chances to screw up...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Matt Miller]

Let me try to start this over lol (my wife reminds me daily I need to work on giving details)

I recently started a 20g cube, 2 clowns/anemones tank plans.

Cycled and documented over 2 weeks (it was done around 10 days).

I then added 4 snails and a peppermint shrimp, this is when I got worried that I didn't think to quarantine them.

So no I planned on setting up a qt for everything else before it goes in. I tossed the extra rubble and filter media into my dt so I could cycle my qt with it.

That's where I'm at now, I just realized I'm using the bacteria from the tank I need let sit.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

It's like I said above invert based pararasite and disease is invert based and can't be passed on to fish and vice versa most people dont qt inverts only fish as cilliate(flukes) can't break through chitin ... the things that cause ich also when buying a fish know the vital signs 80% of all marine fish have internal parasites,and if one has it they all can contract it especially if it's running on same filtration,always qt most stores run copper in displays so you can't really see what's going on at least at chains like petco WYSIWYG LFS have dormant parasite even the trained eye can over look telltale signs of internal parasites are discoloration,struggled breathing,loos of appetite not attack food,letargy,lesions paleness peeling slime coat also on another note if you can see the fishes bone through scales stay away the ffg fish is unhealthy ask to feed fish and if you become a regular at lfs chances are pretty good they'll let you net your own and feed the tank and make your selection based in which ones attack the food. And always qt you did good starting with snails got lucky with shrimp usually gotta wait a couple months for water chemistry to stabilize I'd say next week at get a pair of clowns and pickup a cupramine based product and maybe a uv sterilizer and do the research on the product you decide to use not that copper is not an end all be all and should be used with a product to treat internal parasites like praziquantul and annehyde running more hypo saline condition for qt...I think where you may he getting the 72 days is where people get on a 8 week qt regimen week one observe fish and acclimate week 2 dose annehyde or something like melafix then dose your prazi at recommended dosage then cupramine product the do your water change and dose again as product directs

 

[Matt Miller]

I rushed off to work before really finishing they thought again. I feel like I need it take all that extra "seeded" rocks and media out and clean it all, then start a fresh cycle in the qt.

Is that right, and what's the easiest/best way to clean it and make it safe to use?

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Why you haven't had anything dirty in the tank yet? Like a sick fish

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Or dosed something like chloride or copper to where it would harm inverts or coral in the future so there would be no point

 

[UnderseaOddities]

You want the rock and substrate this is an internal filter the rockand sand colonize beneficial bacteria and should feel slimy to the touch

 

[UnderseaOddities]

This is what they call a biogeochemical buffer ie a natural filter some people add macro algae for nutrient export as a chelating agent and to fine tune water and make q balanced system

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Qt I would maybe buy a few new rocks like one or two grab some PVC elbow maybe something like a freshwater chilid pot and everyime you do a weekly water change put 15% that you woulda through out into qt this is already mature water just then add saltwater mix and some more quick start and wait a couple days

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Makes a 5 to 8 week process happen in less than a week when you upcycle microbial rich water and add more to setup the test water after a week dont add ammonium if you do what I am suggesting as it's just a waste as soon as the water is clear and you test it and it's at desired levels then you can qt

 

[UnderseaOddities]

@Matt Miller how do you plan on qting you already have a tank ready to go if not and there isn't a dollar a gallon sale you can get away with double stacking 2 20g sterilite totes 7$ a piece with a heater CFL and sponge or hob filter
I understand not everybody has space for qt and totes work out good because you can use them for clothes or storage when your done if you dont plan on keeping them or if you plan on staying in the hobby for awhile go with the aqueon 20-29 for qt for optimum result

 

[UnderseaOddities]

It doesn't have to be huge or permanent or expensive since you can do something like this in a ten gallon for forty bucks that one day not buying a cut,or filling up you gas tank,or eating out once to ensure success and good fish husbandry anybody can afford a qt setup like this

 

[UnderseaOddities]

You can even through some bioblocks(filtration for sumps) and add to dt build microbial life then add to qt after they feel slimy over spongy if you wanna dial your qt in even more

 

[Steph1]

I think "starter fish" is not best practice and potentially cruel. There is doctor Tim's and about 10 other ways to cycle a tank without "starter fish"

 

[Matt Miller]

@Matt Miller how do you plan on qting you already have a tank ready to go if not and there isn't a dollar a gallon sale you can get away with double stacking 2 20g sterilite totes 7$ a piece with a heater CFL and sponge or hob filter
I understand not everybody has space for qt and totes work out good because you can use them for clothes or storage when your done if you dont plan on keeping them or if you plan on staying in the hobby for awhile go with the aqueon 20-29 for qt for optimum result

I have a 10g and a fluval canister filter ready to set up. My concern was about the rocks and other media I was going to use to "instant" cycle the qt.

I thought the snails and shrimp could have something that not noticeable that could be passed to the fish I add later.

I'm buying quarantined fish now with the plan to monitor in the 10g qt before putting in the DT.

I will probably upgrade to a larger aio in the future so I can leave it up in my basement, but that's just an idea right now.

Why you haven't had anything dirty in the tank yet? Like a sick fish

There's no fish, just 3 snails and a peppermint shrimp for 2 weeks.

I was concerned on how much I'm spending on these fish and wanted to make sure I took all the right steps to keep the tank clean.

 

[Matt Miller]

Is there a good way to clean the rocks I was seeding, without bleach? Then I can start a new cycle in the qt with everything clean and sterile again.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I would just use bottled bacteria to seed the QT and cycle if. if you want a rock in there go buy a dry rock. No reason to remove rock from the tank you're worried about. But if its a quarantine tank you really just need some sort of filter in there and maybe a piece of pvc for the fish to hide. Its not really a 2nd tank. If you put a rock in there and then have to treat the fish with copper or something you can't put that rock back into your DT.

 

[Matt Miller]

I would just use bottled bacteria to seed the QT and cycle if. if you want a rock in there go buy a dry rock. No reason to remove rock from the tank you're worried about. But if its a quarantine tank you really just need some sort of filter in there and maybe a piece of pvc for the fish to hide. Its not really a 2nd tank. If you put a rock in there and then have to treat the fish with copper or something you can't put that rock back into your DT.

I had extra rubble from my dt rockwork.

I put that and my canister filter media in the DT to get it seeded.

I want to take it out of my DT and clean it so I can just cycle my qt and have it ready for my fish in a month or so.

I'm just trying to figure out the best? safest way to clean the extra rock and media so I can start the qt properly.