Nano quarantine

[Neilie]

I’m building a 17-gallon ADA nano tank and have a few questions about cycling, as well as any suggestions to speed up the process. I’ll also be adding some pictures.
I currently have a 60-gallon reef tank with a custom-built sump (about 15–20 gallons), running over 8 years. My plan for the 17-gallon nano is a rear chamber similar to an old-school wet/dry system, I built it. I want to keep 1–2 fish in the tank and also use it as a quarantine for the 60-gallon. Would be much easier to catch a fish there if needed.
Here’s my plan:
Use ~10 lbs of live Marco rock that’s been in my 60-gallon tank for about 2 months.
Use ~2 cups of Matrix in a mesh bag from my sump, also held for ~2 months, I’ll keep it submerged in the rear chamber of the nano tank, positioned after the filter pads but before the return.
Add live sand.
Place the heater and UV bulb in the return chamber. That should be about it.
I’m curious about how long the cycling process might take with this setup and would love any tips or suggestions to help the cycle go quicker.

 

[Mebbid]

It should cycle just fine; might be instant cycled or might take a couple weeks. You will have to add some ammonia to see it's hard to predict what bacteria are going to do.

My concern tbh is the use of it as a quarantine tank. If there's already fish in there, what is the plan if you bring in a fish with velvet or ich? Are you going to be able to treat those fish you want to keep as permanent residents while keeping it fishless for 11 weeks? What if you have to treat the fish you're quarantining with medication?

 

[Neilie]

I have a separate tank if this should happen I can set up to treat with medication. Also I won’t be adding many fish to my 60 gallon it’s running well with what’s already in there. But if I do it would definitely be easier to catch and treat.

 

[Mebbid]

It'll work, just be aware of the limitations. You can't 100% rule out something like ich with just a quarantine and observe period.