New tank - new QT?

[ThunderGoose]

I'm still in the process of cycling my tank and I've been reading about quarantine tanks. I wasn't able to get clear answers to a couple of questions.

1) are they needed for the FIRST thing I add to the tank? (I think yes but I wanted to check)

2) if they are needed for the FIRST thing I'll need to set one up before the DT is ready. Do I have to cycle the QT? How? I read a suggestion of putting a sponge filter/ filter media in the DT to build up bacteria but my main tank isn't cycled yet so I don't have much bacteria. Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Brew12]

I'm still in the process of cycling my tank and I've been reading about quarantine tanks. I wasn't able to get clear answers to a couple of questions.

1) are they needed for the FIRST thing I add to the tank? (I think yes but I wanted to check)

2) if they are needed for the FIRST thing I'll need to set one up before the DT is ready. Do I have to cycle the QT? How? I read a suggestion of putting a sponge filter/ filter media in the DT to build up bacteria but my main tank isn't cycled yet so I don't have much bacteria. Ideas?

Thanks!

You don't know how happy I am too see you ask these questions! Seriously!

Yes, you should QT everything before it goes into your DT. If you get a fish with ich, you can treat it in your QT and when the treatment is done, move it into your DT. If you put your first fish into your DT and it has ich, you need to pull the fish out into a QT to treat it and then not add a fish to your DT for 76 days while the ich starves itself out.

I don't keep sponge filters in my sump like some recommend. I just dump around 1/2 bottle of biospira into my 10g QT with HOB filter and I never have an ammonia issue. Just make sure you use a Seachem alert badge in your QT since copper can cause false positive readings.

Lots of great information on how to QT in the fish disease section. When I first set up my tank I had fish in my QT prior to even starting my cycle. A good QT takes around 30 days so it is nice to have them overlap.

 

[ThunderGoose]

Awesome thanks!