Quarantine Tanks: Show Us a Picture of Yours!!!!

[Sonny n Colleen]

Show us pictures of your Quarantine Tanks (QTs) so us newbies can see how it is done.

[Sonny n Colleen]

Any takers?

[Merasti]

20G long, Aquaclear 50 HOB, MJ1200, PVC Elbows, Ammonia Alert, thermometer, heater @ 82F, clamp light on a timer. Leave the QT setup all the time in the sump room. Nothing special, but have never lost a fish in it and they come out eating great and healthy. Treat proactively with prazi-pro and cupramine separately for a total of about 8 weeks in QT. Pair of great looking snowflake clowns currently holed up in it.

[gb530]

Looks great! I'm in the middle of setting up a tank just like yours for quarantine. I have everything setup and was about to put live rock in tomorrow, I've heard it's a good idea to put live rock in a quarantine tank. How come you don't have any?

[warlord239]

No live rock in qt is what i was told just bare tank with the pvc elbows 2 hide but no rock or sand

[gb530]

I heard about bare bottom/no sand but an experienced friend told me to put live rock in it for filtration reasons. he said to put one large 5-10lb rock in my 10gallon. He also said to get the synthetic rock that doesn't have the amount of negative critters that come along with real live rock. BUT both of you are saying no rock. anybody else have any input.... Thanks!

[Noobtosalty]

i have also heard.... put nothing but a piece of pvc

[bdr]

i believe the reason is without lr there is nowhere for things like ich to breed. and just to use a sponge that is populated with bacteria from the sump to do the same as lr and just toss the sponge afterwards

[Lorenz725]

Mine is a 29 gallon.

[MuffsAbby]

Originally Posted by gb530

I heard about bare bottom/no sand but an experienced friend told me to put live rock in it for filtration reasons. he said to put one large 5-10lb rock in my 10gallon. He also said to get the synthetic rock that doesn't have the amount of negative critters that come along with real live rock. BUT both of you are saying no rock. anybody else have any input.... Thanks!

Some people (I suspect very few) maintain both a quarantine tank and a hospital tank and, if you do that, you can put LR in the QT (but not the HT). However, if you intend your QT to also serve as a hospital tank (as most do), then you should not put LR in the tank. LR would interfere with any of the treatments recommended for ich and various other diseases. You should use PVC or other inert decorations and keep the tank bare bottom.

I don't have a picture of my QT, but I'll try to take one later today and post it!

[ezerasurfr]

The reason you do not put live rock in your QT (and the reason why it's bare bottom) is due to the way ich reproduces. As the ich parasite moves from a dormant to active state in a fish (it's called a trophant at this stage). It spends a few days at this stage and leaves the fish and moves onto whats known as a protomont. It then looks for a place to settle before dividing. If it settles on the live rock, or in the sand - it will stay there dormant awaiting a host. This means, every time you QT a fish, it's susceptible to ich. With a bare bottom tank and just using disposable filter media, you're keeping a clean QT, thats easy to maintain.

I would not keep a QT running all the time. Prepare your QT as you prepare for your fish purchase. This keeps 2 things in line:
1. It keeps your QT clean, and free from infection
2. It keeps you from impulse buying fish as you grow into the hobby :-)

[jrpark22000]

Originally Posted by ezerasurfr

I would not keep a QT running all the time. Prepare your QT as you prepare for your fish purchase. This keeps 2 things in line:
1. It keeps your QT clean, and free from infection
2. It keeps you from impulse buying fish as you grow into the hobby :-)

The above are recommended for most and noobs. I do things a bit different and have calculated the risk vs reward, minimizing risk.

I keep a 45 QT setup at all times with the my new system configuration. I also keep 2 hospital tanks dry. I break the QT down and bleach EVERYTHING after each QT, and mid QT if needed. After my QT cycle is completely done I then plumb the 45 into my display. I use it for frag grow out and for the small chance I need a QT in a hurry, injured fish/coral for example. Turning 2 ball valves and the QT is separated from the display.

Long term will tell if I keep it setup this way. I needed a cabinet for the ATO and ozone gear, which lead to the permanent QT idea. (Why waste the table top when you can put a tank on it )

[Sonny n Colleen]

Here is a link to mine:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...1&postcount=44

[reeferstace]

This is a 20 long that currently houses 4 fish- all 2.5" or smaller- Naso, Desjardini sailfin, blue-face angel, and bicolor blenny.

They have some 4" PVC (most of my fish have been bigger than these guys), and some smaller elbow sections of PVC. I also have tossed in a piece of expendable liverock. I have a HOB filter with floss and one small Maxijet (900?) for circulation. I do have a standard fluorescent lamp in the cover. I do turn the light on daily for a bit so that they can get used to the light and to me. I also want to watch them to make sure everyone is eating and to look for signs of illness.

I don't keep my QT running all the time. I set it up when anticipating getting fish.

[rovster]

I'll play....


Contents:
30 gal
Heater
AC70 filter
Koralia Nano 425
Seachem ammonia badge
Coralife digital thermometer
PVC pieces
I have since added an ATO and a Veggie clip

Here's a video...
http://s1232.photobucket.com/albums/...urrent=023.mp4

I have a build thread for it somewhere around here. Hope it helps

[Englishmatt]

Originally Posted by jrpark22000

The above are recommended for most and noobs. I do things a bit different and have calculated the risk vs reward, minimizing risk.

I keep a 45 QT setup at all times with the my new system configuration. I also keep 2 hospital tanks dry. I break the QT down and bleach EVERYTHING after each QT, and mid QT if needed. After my QT cycle is completely done I then plumb the 45 into my display. I use it for frag grow out and for the small chance I need a QT in a hurry, injured fish/coral for example. Turning 2 ball valves and the QT is separated from the display.

Long term will tell if I keep it setup this way. I needed a cabinet for the ATO and ozone gear, which lead to the permanent QT idea. (Why waste the table top when you can put a tank on it )

mine is similar to this with the addition that when it's plumbed into the main DT environment....I use the 40G QT as a water change vat.

When it is a QT....it's isolated (no drain into the main sump). I change the water every two days if using chemicals and every 4-5 days if no chemicals are treated. I use a Maxi-jet to pump the water from the QT into my sewage for the house where it's goes into the main city dump. I then turn a ball valve to refill it with water from my DT. At the same time in filling the QT, I use another Maxi-jet to then replace the water drained from my DT with new mixed SW. Kinda like giving the DT environment a small WC at the same time.

ALL that is controlled with my APEX...using the FEED C button.

It sounds complicated, but it's really not and it makes the QT environment very easy to manage.

Cheers,

Matt.

[gb530]

Very informative! I will do without the live rock and get some PVC. Thanks!

[A_Z]

I am planning on this for a QT:

10-15g tank only
DIY mesh screen top
aquaclear filter
MJ powerhead
PVC pipes
paint the back black
ammonia badge
thermometer

Treat fish with cuppermine and prazipro.

[Noobtosalty]

Just set up yesterday.... Got to go to the hardware store for some PVC

[ezerasurfr]

Originally Posted by jrpark22000

The above are recommended for most and noobs. I do things a bit different and have calculated the risk vs reward, minimizing risk.

I keep a 45 QT setup at all times with the my new system configuration. I also keep 2 hospital tanks dry. I break the QT down and bleach EVERYTHING after each QT, and mid QT if needed. After my QT cycle is completely done I then plumb the 45 into my display. I use it for frag grow out and for the small chance I need a QT in a hurry, injured fish/coral for example. Turning 2 ball valves and the QT is separated from the display.

Long term will tell if I keep it setup this way. I needed a cabinet for the ATO and ozone gear, which lead to the permanent QT idea. (Why waste the table top when you can put a tank on it )

Great use of that table top, can't pass up the chance to have another tank (great excuse for the wife too )

I just like to be careful in this forum, since its the new to hobby forum. Remember folks, plumbing your QT into your display can be dangerous if you do not have a separate hospital tank for medicating. I would also be leery of my plumbing connections possibly getting some infection in them. Even after you bleach out the tank, and open your gates back up, you may infect your tank unsuspectingly.

I have a separate 20L with an HOB filter I use for hospital and QT. I would take a pic of it, but its standing on its side in my garage and the filter is in a box so it doesnt get full of spider webs. If I need it for hospital, I have a "T"d of section of my return line from my sump (with a gate valve) and some hose to quickly fill the QT/ hospital up. This minimizes stress on the fish as well, since they will be swimming in the same water.