polyppal
2500 Club Member
One of the big concerns people seem to have with Quarantine Tanks is the additional cost. After dropping hundreds to thousands of dollars on a Display Tank, the last thing many might be inclined to do is buy another set of equipment that they will only use infrequently...
After a trip to Petco today, I thought I would compile a list of the equipment I often recommend for a simple QT to demonstrate just how cheap it can be if you keep it simple! Additionally, all of the items on this list can be picked up in person at Petco! Doesn't get much easier than that!
Note: I am not endorsing (nor do I particularly like) Petco or any other pet store... This is simply a list of items one could purchase and pickup same day in most places. Additionally, Petco prices in-store will likely be higher on many of these items, but Petco will match their online prices in-store for any item if you show them at checkout.
Here is the shopping list for the $48 Complete Quarantine Tank:
10g Glass Aquarium $10.00*
*Petco Dollar-Per-Gallon Sale price which happens regularly throughout year. In-Store only.
Preset heater $10.99
Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge $7.35
Seachem Ammonia Alert Accessory | Petco
Continuously monitor toxic free ammonia with the Seachem Ammonia Alert. Simply place the alert in the aquarium for continuous ammonia readings for up to a year.
www.petco.com
HOB Filter $13.29
Air Pump $05.06
Tetra Whisper Aquarium Air Pump for 10 gallon Aquariums | Petco
Tetra Whisper Aquarium Air Pump, For 10 gallon Aquariums
www.petco.com
Thermometer $1.34
Imagitarium Glass Thermometer, Small | Petco
Keep an eye on the temperature in your aquarium with the Imagitarium Glass Thermometer. This device easily attaches to tank walls with an included suction cup and measures in Celsius and Fahrenheit.
www.petco.com
Total Cost: $48.03!
This is enough to get you going with a basic QT, various upgrades or price deductions could be made depending on your preferences or extra equipment you have lying around... For example, I prefer an air-pump powered sponge filter to an HOB, because I find it oxygenates the water better (Petco does not sell these if you are looking for an instant setup). You could find one on amazon for about $8.00 (Since you would no longer need the HOB listed above, this would drop your QT equipment cost to $42.10!)
Additionally, during the Dollar-Per-Gallon Sale, you can upgrade to a 20 gallon tank for only $10.00 more!
Of course you will need to add to this the cost of meds (if you are treating something specific or doing a recommended prophylactic quarantine of your fish). For a small bottle of Copper Power, Prazipro and Metroplex, the cost comes out to about $18.00 online...
Here are some images of my 10g QT that uses most of the list above, with the exception of a sponge filter and the use of a 75w Jager I had laying around. I like the 10g size because its easy to dose/clean/do water changes. I find it more than suitable for 2-3 small fish at a time. If you were housing larger fish or want more water volume, the 20g might be more ideal.
You may also notice the cardboard on the sides of the tank - the huge windows in my new apartment let in a lot of light, so I taped some cardboard on the sides to give the fish less light (I'll probably paint 3 sides of the tank after this QT cycle finishes).
The point being - a quarantine tank need not be expensive or complicated! It could very well be the best $50 you spend in this hobby!
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