*NEW REEFER* Quarantine Tank & Display questions

[ReefJunkie28]

Equipment I am working with

Display:
Innovative Marine Nuvo 40

Quarantine:
10 gal. tank
Sponge filter
PVC Fittings


My question:
Trying to make sure I start my quarantine tank off on the right foot, as I may have more questions I started a thread. It's my first time mixing water or anything, but after I mix my saltwater for my quarantine tank what should I put in for bacteria? I feel as if I need to do some sort of cycle before adding fish to the tank. I would really appreciate some advice. I do not have any seeded media or anything to add to that tank either. Im starting brand new.

 

[LBReefer]

I'd pick up some bacteria in a bottle in there. There's some good QT process threads on here if you do a search. There's multiple philosophies ... TT M, etc

 

[lion king]

Yes, you want to cycle your qt just as you would your display. In your qt your bacteria will live in your sponge filter. Add bacteria, I like biospira; and a food source, I like using Dr Tims ammonium chloride. Do your research and use the same method you are happy with, in cycling your display.

 

[ReefJunkie28]

Another question I have is, test kits, what should I be looking at?

 

[piranhaman00]

Use bio spira to cycle, imo it’s the best one.

Salifert tests are the best “cheap” tests. They aren’t really that cheap if you buy the whole gambit but you are most likely going to want to get Hanna colorimeters for a few perameters after you get more stuff figured out.

I actually use the API master salt kit for cycling, all you need to see is if NH4, NO2 and NO3 are present or not. That’s about 20$.

 

[lion king]

Another question I have is, test kits, what should I be looking at?

Initially your are testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate; basic kits will also include ph. If it's a reef, you will concern yourself of those things down the road. You could get a reef kit from the start if you are going to need it down the road.

Sounds simple, but a good salinity refractometer is a good initial investment. Sounds silly as this is the 1st step, but some have a hard maintaining consistent salinity. Match your qt salinity to sg in the bag of your fish being introduced, and as part of your qt, slowly bring up the sg in the qt to match your display.

 

[A&Aaquatics]

You can also add little pieces of rock/ceramic media from your sump to cycle the qt tank. Works very well and I usually cycle the tank for a month before getting fish. After medicating in qt, I toss the media

 

[piranhaman00]

IME you can cycle a tank O/N with seeded media if you are in a bind with the QT. This is just for new fish for now?

 

[MarsWulf5]

Don't forget to get a 100 W heater and a thermometer. You need 2 QT tanks. One for fish, one for corals. You need to dose your fish QT with Cupramine and a few other meds to treat for internal and external parasites. The copper in Cupramine is toxic to corals, and it absorbs into the silicone and can leach out if that tank is ever reused. So, your fish QT is dedicated to fish forever. If you use that tank for corals the copper can leach out and kill he coral. Just trace amounts of copper from the leeching is enough I kill coral. Your separate coral QT will need appropriate lights for corals and you will need to dose that tank with phoshate etc so the coral has what it needs metabolically. Dont QT corals and fish together. One tank for fish, one tank for invertibrates.

Seed the sponge in the filters with BioSpira. Keep rocks and sand out of QT. They can harbor the pests and diseases that may show up and need treatment.

Be sure to dip your corals in coral Rx and remove the bases with a dremmel or drag saw, remove a little living tissue as well at the base. Pest eggs are usually on the base of corals.

A good qurantine is 76 days. Any shorter and latent disease or unnoticed pests (because the infection was new to the fish/coral when you got it) may end up in your DT.

Its a good idea to have a separate fish net just for your fish QT so as not to transmit disease. Be sure your hands are cleaned, disinfected and dried - anything wet going between tanks is bad. Its also a good idea to keep your QTs covered with something clear to prevent any mist or spray from escaping and infecting another nearby tank - for that reason its also a good idea to keep any QT at least 10 ft from any other tank - especially your DT.

Hope this helps. Be careful of bad videos and advice. There is a lot of it out there.

Good luck and happy reefing!

 

[ReefJunkie28]

Initially your are testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate; basic kits will also include ph. If it's a reef, you will concern yourself of those things down the road. You could get a reef kit from the start if you are going to need it down the road.

Sounds simple, but a good salinity refractometer is a good initial investment. Sounds silly as this is the 1st step, but some have a hard maintaining consistent salinity. Match your qt salinity to sg in the bag of your fish being introduced, and as part of your qt, slowly bring up the sg in the qt to match your display.

yeah I got the refractometer here is what i lack.

 

[ReefJunkie28]

IME you can cycle a tank O/N with seeded media if you are in a bind with the QT. This is just for new fish for now?

whole new set up. got an RODI and my light, rock, refractometer, and sponge filter set up for my QT.

 

[ReefJunkie28]

Don't forget to get a 100 W heater and a thermometer. You need 2 QT tanks. One for fish, one for corals. You need to dose your fish QT with Cupramine and a few other meds to treat for internal and external parasites. The copper in Cupramine is toxic to corals, and it absorbs into the silicone and can leach out if that tank is ever reused. So, your fish QT is dedicated to fish forever. If you use that tank for corals the copper can leach out and kill he coral. Just trace amounts of copper from the leeching is enough I kill coral. Your separate coral QT will need appropriate lights for corals and you will need to dose that tank with phoshate etc so the coral has what it needs metabolically. Dont QT corals and fish together. One tank for fish, one tank for invertibrates.

Seed the sponge in the filters with BioSpira. Keep rocks and sand out of QT. They can harbor the pests and diseases that may show up and need treatment.

Be sure to dip your corals in coral Rx and remove the bases with a dremmel or drag saw, remove a little living tissue as well at the base. Pest eggs are usually on the base of corals.

A good qurantine is 76 days. Any shorter and latent disease or unnoticed pests (because the infection was new to the fish/coral when you got it) may end up in your DT.

Its a good idea to have a separate fish net just for your fish QT so as not to transmit disease. Be sure your hands are cleaned, disinfected and dried - anything wet going between tanks is bad. Its also a good idea to keep your QTs covered with something clear to prevent any mist or spray from escaping and infecting another nearby tank - for that reason its also a good idea to keep any QT at least 10 ft from any other tank - especially your DT.

Hope this helps. Be careful of bad videos and advice. There is a lot of it out there.

Good luck and happy reefing!

I know how to QT somewhat so some of your advice was useful(no offense) I’m 7 months into research, just wasn’t sure what to do first, and needed second opinions. and how do you suggest I seed the sponge? like put the bacteria from the bottle directly on it in the water?

 

[lion king]

I know how to QT somewhat so some of your advice was useful(no offense) I’m 7 months into research, just wasn’t sure what to do first, and needed second opinions. and how do you suggest I seed the sponge? like put the bacteria from the bottle directly on it in the water?

Yes the bacteria will find the sponge, it needs a porous surface area to colonize.

 

[MamaP]

Yes the bacteria will find the sponge, it needs a porous surface area to colonize.

So I'm setting up a QT right now too, and I have a question. I have everything all set and last night I put in a bottle of Fritz Turbo Start 900, along with a few food pellets to get it started. Now I have this ugly brown stuff on the bottom. Is this dead bacteria, since it didn't have anything porous to attach to? Did I use too much? Is this normal? This is only my second time setting one up, and the first time it happened, too, but on a smaller scale, but I just figured it was normal and when I did the first water change, I tried to vacuum most of it out. Just wondering if I'm missing something or if this is perfectly normal.

 

[piranhaman00]

That’s the pellets my friend.

 

[MamaP]

That’s the pellets my friend.

So does that mean I should NOT add pellets next time? And should I vacuum it up before my fish go in?

 

[A&Aaquatics]

So does that mean I should NOT add pellets next time? And should I vacuum it up before my fish go in?

The food needs to break down in order to provide the ammonia that is essential for the bacteria to live and colonize. I usually give it a couple days after ghost feeding a tank and then turn on a wavemaker so the filter can grab the suspended particles in the water

 

[A&Aaquatics]

If you daily test Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate, you can literally watch the nitrogen cycle right before your eyes. The bacteria break down the ammonia, turn it into nitrite, and then finally nitrate. I just setup another QT tank and have ghost fed now once per week for 3 weeks, and the only thing detectable in the tank is about 10ppm nitrate.

 

[ReefJunkie28]

If you daily test Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate, you can literally watch the nitrogen cycle right before your eyes. The bacteria break down the ammonia, turn it into nitrite, and then finally nitrate. I just setup another QT tank and have ghost fed now once per week for 3 weeks, and the only thing detectable in the tank is about 10ppm nitrate.

After you put anything in a quarantine tank with copper, you cannot use it in anything else pretty much right.? including wave makers, heaters, stuff of that sort

 

[lion king]

So I'm setting up a QT right now too, and I have a question. I have everything all set and last night I put in a bottle of Fritz Turbo Start 900, along with a few food pellets to get it started. Now I have this ugly brown stuff on the bottom. Is this dead bacteria, since it didn't have anything porous to attach to? Did I use too much? Is this normal? This is only my second time setting one up, and the first time it happened, too, but on a smaller scale, but I just figured it was normal and when I did the first water change, I tried to vacuum most of it out. Just wondering if I'm missing something or if this is perfectly normal.

You will need to run a sponge filter, like hooked to an air pump to provide water flow; or a hob filter with some sort of bio media, a sponge or seachem matrix or something. You will not establish a bacterial colony to break down ammonia and nitrites unless you give them something to live in, they will not live and multiply in the water column or attach to pvc.