QT Set-up

[saltyj]

When setting up a QT for the first time, do you start with new water and cycle it or just take from the DT?

[ameares8]

I have always taken it from the display tank. This seems to make an easier transfer from the Qt to the DT, seeing as the only thing your fish/coral would need to acclimate to at that point would be different lighting and/or flow. You want your transitions to be the least stressful. That includes going into the QT or the DT. Hope that helps.

[BlueCorn]

This thread has been moved to the current forum.

[sheac12]

Originally Posted by ameares8

I have always taken it from the display tank. This seems to make an easier transfer from the Qt to the DT, seeing as the only thing your fish/coral would need to acclimate to at that point would be different lighting and/or flow. You want your transitions to be the least stressful. That includes going into the QT or the DT. Hope that helps.

Go ahead and use DT water, when you change the water in the main tank use some of the old DT water to do you qt water change.

[saltyj]

thanks for the ideas

[lucidheights]

i would establish a biological filter by placing a sponge in the sump of the dt for a bit, then start the qt with fresh saltwater. If the fish you plan on qting is new, it's easier to match the salinity of your vendors water when you start new, imo.

[wooden_reefer]

Originally Posted by lucidheights

i would establish a biological filter by placing a sponge in the sump of the dt for a bit,

It is possible but this way is in general not the best. You are not allowing additional bacteria to grow, just shifting away from DT to QT under equilibrium between bioload and nitrification bacteria population. This is a good resource in a bind, but not something one should plan to do given enough time in advance.


Better is to just collect some bacteria and then cycle separately in a separate container with a source of ammonia. This way, you create additional bacteria, and a lot of them, to use in QT. This way will not be marginal.

[MaJaCa]

Don't mean to jack this thread, but can a QT tank be hooked up to your system? Or does it have to be on its own "circuit"

[wooden_reefer]

Originally Posted by MaJaCa

Don't mean to jack this thread, but can a QT tank be hooked up to your system? Or does it have to be on its own "circuit"

A QT must be totally isolated from the DT, to the last drop.

Why not?

[Plan>B]

Originally Posted by wooden_reefer

Better is to just collect some bacteria and then cycle separately in a separate container with a source of ammonia. This way, you create additional bacteria, and a lot of them, to use in QT. This way will not be marginal.

Could you go into more details on this please, how do you 'collect' bacteria and could one 'store' this bacteria and use it when needed.

Originally Posted by MaJaCa

Don't mean to jack this thread, but can a QT tank be hooked up to your system? Or does it have to be on its own "circuit"

I wouldn't have a QT hooked up to my DT in any way, shape or form.

[ameares8]

The point of the QT is to isolate a new addition to be sure that you are not adding any unwanted pests or diseases to your main tank. This is not the only reason to have a QT, but it is a main reason. You also want to keep equipment dedicated to your QT or DT and not swap back and forth. I personally do not dose copper, but if you do, you do not want that leaching into your DT if you are swapping equipment. I also do not dump any water from my QT into the DT when transfering fish or corals to the DT.

[wooden_reefer]

Originally Posted by Plan>B

Could you go into more details on this please, how do you 'collect' bacteria and could one 'store' this bacteria and use it when needed.


I wouldn't have a QT hooked up to my DT in any way, shape or form.

You should use a power filter for QT. It can be a HOT power box or a canister filter.

For an HOT power box, get a 5-10 gal rectangular plastic container or just the QT if you are not using it (In case you plan ahead so you don't need the QT just yet). You put the sponge (that has been in DT sump for a while or just a day) inside the filter. If there is extra room inside the filter, add more sponge or other new filter medium to loosely fill the filter. Then you just fill the container or QT with saltwater and run the filter. After a while, when you are sure about the flow and setup, add a source of ammonia into the water. It can be dead shrimp or urine or ammonia, each has advantages. Say you put half an emulsified (blended to milk) shrimp in 10 gals of water, this will decay to give about about 5 ppm ammonia in 10 gals of water.

Let the filter run. After 4-6 weeks, after nitrite has dropped to zero, you will have a lot of nitrification bacteria for use in QT. If you are using the Qt to cycle, instead of a separate container, you may elect to change 100% of the water. If you are using a separate container, you can transfer the whole setup to the QT. Make sure you don't subject the cycled medium to great changes in ph and/or salinity.

For a canister filter, the container to cycle with does not have to be rectangular. A 5-gal bucket can be used to cycle the medium inside a canister filter.