Quarantine tank

[xyousefb]

Hi guys!

So I’m a fairly new reefer who just bought a 150 gallon tank. It’s been 2/3 weeks since the start of the main tank’s cycling process and I decided to get a quarantine tank. In a few weeks I will be able to introduce my first fish as the ammonia and nitrites are beginning to decrease already. However, the quarantine tank is still empty of water.

What is a quick way of making the quarantine tank habitable to introduce fish as soon as the main tank is ready? I hope I won’t have to wait for it to cycle in that slow pace just like the main tank.

 

[Spare time]

Dump a big o'l bottle of bacteria (bio-spira, microbacter xlm, fritz 900, dr tims one and only) in with some sort of sponges or surfaces for bacteria and you are good to go. I like to get a HOB filter with biosponges or similar, and then go back and add a filter pad underneat when the fish go in. Regularly rining the filter pad will keep things clean.

 

[xyousefb]

Dump a big o'l bottle of bacteria (bio-spira, microbacter xlm, fritz 900, dr tims one and only) in with some sort of sponges or surfaces for bacteria and you are good to go

I won’t have to wait for it to cycle?

 

[elchopo]

I won’t have to wait for it to cycle?

dr tims one and only will handle that.

 

[ariellemermaid]

This article covers your options. A word of caution. When I started in the hobby I fully bought into the “insta cycle” idea from various YouTube videos and comments. Added some sponges and media, used Fritz Turbostart (so alive it has to be refrigerated), got a seachem ammonia badge, and added some clowns. Before the end of the first week they were gasping for air and died. Ammonia badge was yellow but a regular test revealed a lot of ammonia.

If you follow Dr. Tim’s cycling recipe dosing ammonia you’ll note they expect it to take at least a few weeks (to process the amount of ammonia they tell you to dose). If the manufacturer doesn’t think it’s an instant cycle, I don’t know why we would.

Lessons: keep a careful eye on ammonia. Test daily for 1-2 weeks. Keep seachem Prime on hand for emergencies, as well as extra water for large water changes. Don’t rely completely on the ammonia badge; it didn’t change color on that tank and on another in which I was dosing ammonia a second badge barely changed color. Make sure the cycle is good before considering copper; it interferes with ammonia tests and some forms become very toxic with Prime. In short, pay lots of attention to the tank and your fish with a fresh QT.

 

[Not an IT guy]

Have extra water in case of spikes.

 

[RedoubtReef]

If your tank is up and cycled, here is what I would do/have done. Go buy a cheap sponge filter and a 20-40 gallon glass tank. Put the sponge filter in your sump. This will get the bacteria you need for the bio filter. If the tank is cycled, you can use the sponge filter in your QT after a week or so. No need to buy any bacteria in a bottle. If you medicate or use copper in QT, throw the sponge away after your done. From there on out, keep a sponge on hand or in the sump (rinse any detritus that collects in it during your regular maintenance) in case you need to setup a QT in a hurry.

 

[ariellemermaid]

If your tank is up and cycled, here is what I would do/have done. Go buy a cheap sponge filter and a 20-40 gallon glass tank. Put the sponge filter in your sump. This will get the bacteria you need for the bio filter. If the tank is cycled, you can use the sponge filter in your QT after a week or so. No need to buy any bacteria in a bottle. If you medicate or use copper in QT, throw the sponge away after your done. From there on out, keep a sponge on hand or in the sump (rinse any detritus that collects in it during your regular maintenance) in case you need to setup a QT in a hurry.

I don’t have the exact answer, no one does. But I just want to mention many folks recommend putting a sponge in a cycled tank for a full month before considering it seeded. In any case, keep a close eye on ammonia for 1-2 weeks no matter what you do.

 

[EricR]

I don’t have the exact answer, no one does. But I just want to mention many folks recommend putting a sponge in a cycled tank for a full month before considering it seeded. In any case, keep a close eye on ammonia for 1-2 weeks no matter what you do.

I don't know jack from diddly but sponge seems like it'd need TIME to populate beneficial bacteria, like you said.

FWIW, a trusted R2R user recommended at least two months when I asked about putting a sponge filter in DT to get ready for QT. If of interest, that's here:

Shrimp QT