QT question

[mpjmeyer]

I'm almost ready to start cycling my tank and QT. I'm going to be using carbon and Biomax pellets in the QT filter. Will this be ideal?

Also, once I QT the first group of fish, can I drain the QT and wait to fill it once we are ready for the next group of fish or if I need to put a fish in time out? I'm not sure if I should keep the tank running for months without occupants or if I can break it down until I need it again. Once it's cycled the first time, it will be good....right?

Thank you

 

[azbigjohn]

If you are going to treat with anything, you won't want carbon... it will remove medication. If you are just observing, that should be okay.

 

[mpjmeyer]

So when I introduce fish for 1st time, carbon is ok? Then once fish are in the display tank, I can empty the QT until I need it for either introducing more new fish or treating a disease in which I won't use carbon...correct? Once I cycle it this first time, I won't have to cycle it again, will I? Sorry for all the questions

 

[mcarroll]

A little carbon might not hurt, but I'm not sure what benefit one expects from it in a QT environment.

As long as you're there with a nice biofilter and adequate water changes, it really shouldn't be generally necessary.

As was already mentioned, if you wind up in a treatment scenario – which is best done in a separate hospital tank if you can swing it – you might use carbon to remove medication from the water. So it may be handy to have around.

Having a QT running perpetually isn't as crucial as having a portable bio-filter that can be moved to the QT as-needed. Like a sponge filter you keep in the display tank's sump, for example. Then your QT is as ready as taking water and that bio-filter from your display. I think some folks try to rely on bottled bacteria for the same effect....they should work, but you'd have to research the effectiveness on those things in this role. Sometimes a solution like that might be the only route available.

A Seachem Ammonia Alert is never a bad idea on a QT or hospital tank, but if there's any question about the bio-filter (like when starting from a bottle) – it's a must.