Re: Quarantine tanks

[Bruno3047]

I find it truly baffling how a person who is looking into spending hundreds or perhaps thousands of dollars on a beautiful (hopefully) reef tank, will stress out about what kind of lighting to buy, what kind of skimmer to use, what brand of this, what make of that, how much of the other thing and never give a second thought to the one thing that will keep reefkeeping enjoyable.

A $50 quarantine tank setup.

Truly baffling.

BTW. There's no need to keep a QT/hospital tank running constantly for you to have one.

Anyone who cares to know how this is done, post back to this thread.

[kayne_21]

+1 on this. Keeps some of the nasties out of your DT and makes sure your new purchase is fat and happy before getting put in as well.

[jakkalofv]

I'd like to know how to properly set up a quarantine tank

[neotracer075]

Yes I was wondering what all I will need for a QT also!?

-neotracer

[Bruno3047]

Get you a 15 gallon to 29 gallon aquarium with a lighted hood from your LFS. A 15 gallon will be fine for any specimens 3 inches and under and a 29 gallon for any fish up to 5 inches. Then buy a heater.

Next, get a corner filter like one of these:

http://www.petsolutions.com/Medium-T...13410+C24.aspx

Fill it with small bio-balls or some other biological media and set it up in your sump. If you don't have a sump put it into your main tank. This is the filter you will use when setting up your QT tank.

Give the filter a few weeks in your system to colonize bacteria in the bio-balls, etc. before you use it.

Next time you’re ready to buy a fish, set up your QT tank using water from your main tank. Do not put any gravel or sand into the QT tank. In other words, leave it bare-bottomed. Put a few small pieces of PVC pipe 3 or 4 inches long in various diameters into the QT tank. This is to provide a feeling of shelter for the new fish while he's in the QT tank. If you want something more natural-looking, you can buy a set of lock-rocks or some other plastic decoration from your LFS.

Put the filter and heater into the QT tank and let it sit for 24 hours to make sure your temperature is a stable 78 degrees.

Go buy your fish and drip him into the QT tank. Leave the light off and only use it for inspecting the fish. He'll be more comfortable in QT with it off.

Now, just feed him and watch him for a period of at least 28 days. Turn the filter off before you attempt to feed.

If he comes through eating well, you can then drip him into your main tank.

If he develops some kind of disease, you treat it.

Once the QT period is over, and you have finished with the tank, throw all of the water out. DO NOT PUT IT INTO YOUR MAIN TANK.

Take the filter and rinse all of its contents under running water from the tap, then leave all of its parts out to dry overnite. The next day, put it all back together and place it back into your sump for the next QT set-up.

Put the tank away in a safe place so you can use it for your next QT.

[2gen454]

So for a QT tank we should really only be concerned with biological filtration... correct? Not much need for mechanical of chemical?? Just making sure I'm reading this correctly.

[xJake]

Just keep some bioballs submerged in your sump (or just floating around) to use for a quarantine tank. As long as you have some type of flow in the QT to push them around a bit and keep water flowing over them then the bioballs will work just fine without any other type of filter. Bioballs are also extremely easy to disinfect (very important after use in a quarantine system) with a simple bleach soak.
No, bioballs will not cause nitrate problems as long as they're not exposed to air such as in a trickle filter setup.
Yes, the only type of filtration necessary in a QT is biological. Mechanical and chemical are in no way necessary as most chemical filtration will remove the medications (if you use them) and mechanical filtration is simply to keep water clear (not really necessary in a QT).
I've setup a QT with a rubbermaid tub, some bioballs, a maxijet, and a heater for smaller fish. I've never really had to quarantine large fish as I'll usually special order them from a LFS and they will quarantine them for me.

[ricks]

Extra work, extra stress on the fish. My vote is no QT, buy from a quality LFS, one that deals with a good wholesaler...

Call me luck if you want but in 20 years and 5 large reefs. I have never had an issue with sick fish bringing disease into my system. I wonder sometime if the cause isn't the display tank to begin with.. I can't remember the last time I had a fish die on introduction to my system. Some of my fish have been with me for 8-9 years.

I have an oversize skimmer, large fuge and ozone if needed.

Just my .cents

Happy Reefing

[Bruno3047]

2Gen-Correct. No harm sticking a sponge pad in there with the bio-balls if you want. No carbon, though. Just in case you have to treat.

Rubbermaid tub not a very good idea.

You want to be able to inspect the fish from the sides while he's in QT. Also, the bacteria will colonize faster, and in higher concentrations, if you have them in an actice filter with flow, rather than "just floating" in a sump.

Post back if you have any other questions.

[Bruno3047]

2Gen-Correct. No harm sticking a sponge pad in there with the bio-balls if you want. No carbon, though. Just in case you have to treat.

Rubbermaid tub not a very good idea.

You want to be able to inspect the fish from the sides while he's in QT. Also, the bacteria will colonize faster, and in higher concentrations, if you have them in an active filter with flow, rather than "just floating" in a sump.

Post back if you have any other questions.

[Norward]

For those that can afford a little more: I bought a Marineland Eclipse 12(g) set-up for $99.00. It's an all-in-one deal (except for adding a heater) and it works great! Easy to set-up and break down.

[jakkalofv]

I have a 12" x 12" piece of filter pad like this that has been in my sump for a while. Should this be enough as far as biological filtration in the QT?

Also, it was stated that I should use water from my main tank in the QT, but 15 - 29 gallons of water out of my 40g seems like a lot to remove/replace at one time when setting up the QT. how should I go about that?

[Bruno3047]

Assuming you have no fish larger than 3 inches in your 40G, you go with the 15 gallon. Some people might say a 10 gallon is enough, but a 15 gallon, which is the same footprint as a 10G but 18 inches high instead of 12 inches high, gives the fish a greater feeling of space and would probably be more comfortable for him.

15 gallons out of a 40 would equate to being a 37.5% water change in your 40.

That pad would work fine in a corner filter. If its been in your sump for a while, it probably has some solid areobic bacterial colonies in it. Try folding it up first. If you find that its too matted folded up, cut it into peices to fill the box (corner) filter.

[Bruno3047]

If you decide to cut it up, be sure to us either a plastic knife or a VERY CLEAN steak knife. NO RUSTY KNIVES OR SCISSORS.

[ReefGirlSara]

I would like to leave a QT running at all times. I am thinking of setting up a 40 Gallon Eclipse mainly as a QT, but I was thinking of having a shallow sand bed and some live rock in there...is this a bad idea in case the fish need to be treated? I could still do hypo-salinity treatments with lr and ls, right? I can QT several fish at once right, and 28 days is the general rule of thumb for the length of time in QT?

Thanks for the info.

[Chibils]

LS and LR are always preferable, but remember that if you have to treat you'll need a hospital tank (or deal with losing your rock/sand).

If your fish hasn't showed signs of illness after a few weeks, I doubt anything will develop. Ich tormonts can live for almost three months with no host, though.

[khoivo1]

i alway do hypo salinity on all tangs family,,,no mater what,,,they have to go throun hypo salinity,,,other kind of fishe,s,,,,,i don't do it,,unless i see some not right,,,goodluck

[ReefGirlSara]

You do hypo without waiting a few days/weeks to see if ick shows up? Seems like unnecessary stress to me...but I am no expert, just trying to figure out the best method of getting healthy happy fish in my DT.

[FinsToTheLeft]

I have an Ehiem 2026 from my old freshwater tank. Would this be good for a 20 gal QT or is it too much filter?

[Bruno3047]

If you're totally determined to go the hyposalinity route, a sandbed and some rock won't make a difference.

If you find that you need to treat with copper, however, you'll be in a jam. The sand and rock has a propensity to absorb and then release the copper compounds that are used to treat Ich. This will make it very hard for you to maintain a stable therapeutic copper level in your water, leading to a possible overdose of the medication, which could be catastrophic.

You might say, OK, I'll just take out the rock and sand and then I'll be fine. The rock and sand, however, will have become an integral if your bio-filtration and just taking them out will knock your bio-filtration out of whack, leading to more problems.

Consider this before you decide.

You could do several fish at once in the QT, but they must all be on the same timetable as far as when they are added to the QT. In other words, if you have 2 fish in QT for 2 weeks, then you add another fish, you have to start your countdown for the first 2 fish all over again.

GL

[gordon2726]

Can I use live rock rubbles in my refugium instead of bioball for biological filteration in QT? I just finished setting up my 1st 10G QT and now I have 2 true perculas in there with 2 x 2-3 inch rock rubbles from my DT refugium.... Will that be enough for 2 small fish or should I add more rubbles? Thanks.

[tcollins]

QT'ing is tough. I've spent thousand of dollars on my DT and have a hard time keeping fish in a 20 gal QT. Tougher than that is hypo salinity to cure ich. But I done it for the reason's listed above.

I'm at the point where I'm seriously considering buying all fish from Live Aquaria's Divers Den. They QT and guarantee their livestock for 14 days. Haven't done so yet but when I think of the money I've lost in dead fish and the QT itself, I think I'd be saving money.

[gsxunv04]

My qt is always up and running. it has a refugium which house chaeto, if i need to treat i just disconnect the fuge and throw on a HOB filter with a prefilter sponge that remains on it. works like a charm and this way i have plenty of pods(natural food) for the fish to eat. IMO a qt is different than a hospital tank, one you use for observation of an unknowingly healthy or unhealthy fish and the other you use when you need to address a problem that has been determined.

[naprestsleep]

I set up a QT tank after I recently bought an established DT. I moved a damsel into the QT as holding until I could take him to the LFS.
Well.... the Damsel died today. He was breathing rapidly and non mobile for a couple hours, no physical signs of disease though. I checked the water parameters in the QT and they were not zero but were not high either(didn't write them down).

Question. I want to start using the QT tank now for new arrival but want to make sure its safe. Whats the best way to sanitize/sterilize it? I'm thinking draining, wiping down with bleach and then setting back up with water from the DT and filter media from the DTs canister.
Sound like a plan? not enough? to excessive?

thanks -- joe

[tmz]

Just a couple of points.

You only have to worry about bio filter for ammonia, Nitrite and nitrate are not a concern for marine fish.Keep an ammonia detox solution such as Ammo Lock or Amquell handy in case your bio filter fails for some reason.

Fish do better in qt than many think as long as you don't overcrowd it.

I like to use some seeded crushed coral in the filter bag of a hob filter. You can monitor copper with a test kit and deal with the absorbtion.

Often you may receive shipped fish at very low salinity (1.015 or so).
In this case it would take a day or more of acclimation to move the fish to sg 1.026 safely and without undue stress. I find it easier to run the qt at low salinity 1.015 and move new fish into that for a few weeks before raising it gradually during the final week of qt.