Q-Tank Water Problem

[Salt1972]

We started a 10g quarantine tank in June. It's never had any inhabitants. We started with fresh Reef Crystals, a recirculation filter (with a sponge from our display tank), a Sicce powerhead, a heater, and a Sea Chem ammonia indicator.

Over the last few weeks, the water became very cloudy and there are bubbles on the surface. We put a small amount of ROX .8 carbon in, but the problem is getting worse. Any ideas?

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Have you done a WC? What's on the bottom of the tank, I cant tell if its substrate or just the color of what your tank is sitting on?

 

[mcarroll]

Since it's a bare quarantine tank, you are almost better off starting over.

An additional factor to consider is that 10 gallons is very very small for most fish that most people want — I would QT no more than one or two small fish in there...one being more ideal. A larger tank like 20 or 30 gallons would be even more ideal.

The question is how much stress you want to apply to your fish while you are trying to de-stress them and get them ready for the display tank – you can literally be working against yourself if you don't do this phase correctly – so picking the largest tank you are able to for quarantine is a good move.

It will also be beneficial if you outfit the tank with at least one little chunk of live rock.

Do you have some books or it least a start up guide that you are going by?

 

[Salt1972]

Have you done a WC? What's on the bottom of the tank, I cant tell if its substrate or just the color of what your tank is sitting on?

No water changes. The tank is bare except for a few PVC pieces. Back, sides, and bottom are painted black (exterior of course).

 

[Salt1972]

Since it's a bare quarantine tank, you are almost better off starting over.

If that's whats necessary, we'll go that route. We were hoping to use a cycled tank for Q...

An additional factor to consider is that 10 gallons is very very small for most fish that most people want — I would QT no more than one or two small fish in there...one being more ideal. A larger tank like 20 or 30 gallons would be even more ideal.

The question is how much stress you want to apply to your fish while you are trying to de-stress them and get them ready for the display tank – you can literally be working against yourself if you don't do this phase correctly – so picking the largest tank you are able to for quarantine is a good move.

It will also be beneficial if you outfit the tank with at least one little chunk of live rock.

Do you have some books or it least a start up guide that you are going by?

We've been reading on R2R and saw suggestions for a variety of sizes. In the past 5 years, we've never quarantined before, but felt like now is the time to start. A 10g seemed reasonable. Most of our stocking plans are small - i.e. chromis or single. Many of the recommendations say to avoid live rock...

Interestingly, salinity is 1.026, Nitrates 4ppm, PO4 - .05, Alk- 9, Ca - 460, Mag - 1380.

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

No water changes. The tank is bare except for a few PVC pieces. Back, sides, and bottom are painted black (exterior of course).

Since it's been almost 3 - 3/12 months, you may want to empty, clean, and start over. Its looks like the bubbles have some brown on them as well, and you never know what has grown in there in that amount of time.

You dont necessarily have to cycle your QT; however, it will be better for your critters if you do. If you don't, you will just have to be up on your water changes at least every other day. I use a 10 gallon as well with a 240 hydor nano powerhead and a Aquaclear 110 hob for mine; works great.

 

[mcarroll]

Agreed with @Arcticfirefighter: Without some live rock, it's hard to say what you've really been culturing in there, but it's easy to guess that it's a limited population and not all-good.

If you aren't limited by budget or space to a 10 Gallon, I would switch to something larger.

QT can take weeks or months depending on your fish and your goals. So you need to look at this more like a small, basic fish-only system. What you have is more like a hospital tank.

Which would be fine for meds or any scenario where time in the tank is limited to the very short term. Assuming you have options (you might not) I wouldn't use what you have now as a QT for anything bigger than (eg) a neon goby or two. Chromis and most other fish are much larger and/or have much larger swimming requirements than neon gobies.

FYI, the issues around live rock and QT are mostly hypothetical and IME overblown. If you subscribe to the worst of those hypotheses then just consider the live rock you add sacrificial. It's still a benefit to your fish in QT that's either difficult or impossible to replace. (I think if you tried growng a reef using your "sacrificial" rock you'd find that it had no problems though.)