Quarantine Tank Questions

[mdavis203]

After battling ich, I've finally decided to break down and set up a quarantine tank. I'm thinking of going with a 10 or 20 gallon. Will an el-cheapo hang-on-back filter from wal-mart work, or do I need to get a bio-wheel or something? I don't need a skimmer on a quarantine, do I? I was just planning on using a cheap hang on back filter, an extra powerhead for aeration, and a heater.

On a related subject, I have a mandarin in my DT. Do I have to remove him along with all of my other fish for the ich to die out of the tank? I've heard that they don't get ich, and he never has, but will him being in there keep me from being able to break the ich life cycle? I'm afraid to put him in the quarantine, because there won't be any pods for him to eat.

[Blown 346]

Yeah a cheap ten or 20 gallon will work fine, just as the HOB filter, I like the BIO wheels myself since they hold bacteria, and you wont have to have a sponge in the tank.
I would also suggest to use a airstone to keep the PH stabile.
You dont need a skimmer but you will have to do water changes more often since the tank is small.

Mandarin's can still get ich but they are less prone to it from there skin and slim coating. You can leavehim in the main tank as long as you dont add any meds to it. Just watch him carefully.

[der Riff-Konig]

I keep my QT bare bottom and some PVC tubes to still give hiding areas. all nice and easy to keep clean.

[mdavis203]

I looked at the walmart 10 gallon kits today. They have one with a HOB that has a sponge (or bio-fiber as they call it). I may pick up one of those, or look for a 20 gallon kit that's similar.

I'm not so much worried about the mandarin breaking out with ich and getting sick as I am him allowing the ich life cycle to continue in the DT tank, therefor making the whole 5 week excercise useless.

[Hal]

I recommend fake plants and driftwood too. Many hiding places make for secure fish.

I had significantly better luck with my QT after I added about 6 fake plants, a big piece of plastic driftwood, and the bottom and sidewalls encrusted over with algae, so the fish couldn't see their reflections.

[mdavis203]

So you keep your QT running all the time? How do you keep the bio filter active?

[Blown 346]

When he QT isnt holding fish I use it for a frag tank.

[old salty]

Originally posted by mdavis203
So you keep your QT running all the time? How do you keep the bio filter active?

I keep some biomedia in my sump. When it comes time to get a new fish, this media has the bacteria required.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

1. you can also cover all but top of QT to block movement....stress reliever

2. keep in hypo for at least 4 weeks after last sign of ich is gone....so more like 6-8 week QT time

[paulallen]

Hmm, I don't know about using a QT for frags. I ran copper in mine, so that wouldn't work. If you plan on using copper in your QT don't put the mandarian in. I am pretty sure they have ill effects to copper treatments, so well as most gobies, and I think blennies too.

[Blown 346]

I only use the hyp salinity method, so my frags are safe.

[mdavis203]

But will leaving the mandarin in my DT make it where the ich doesn't die out during the quarantine period? The point of emptying the DT of fish is to let the ich die out during the 6 week quarantine period. If the mandarine is still in the DT (because I can't dose him with copper or feed him pods in the QT), will the ich in my DT still die out?

[paulallen]

If he isn't hosting the ich it should die.

[wayne in norway]

Get the mandarin out as well. It is a fish, and while they are reputedly more immune to ich, they can get it, and thus they could, and probably would be a host, albeit at a very low level. But high enough for some ich parasites to survive

[mdavis203]

OK... Here's "The Plan"

I just purchased and set up a 10 gallon QT with an HOB filter, heater, air pump with a long air stone, and a few plastic plants and decorations for hiding places. I took the sponges from the HOB and shoved them in between the bubble trap baffles in my sump. I have the salinity in my QT matching my DT. I plan on letting the sponges get some bacteria in them, then putting them back into the HOB on the QT. Then, move all of my fish (drip acclimating) into the QT. Then, I slowly lower the salinity in my QT to 1.009 and hold it there until I'm sure the ich is dead. Then, I slowly raise it back to 1.025. In the meantime, my DT is sitting without fish for approximately six weeks to let the ich die off in there. Then, I move the fish (drip acclimating) back to the DT and leave my QT running for coral propagation, new fish, etc.

I think this will work, but I have a few questions about the process...

1. When moving the salinity from 1.025 to 1.009 with the fish in the DT, how fast should I move it?

2. How long does the salinity need to stay at 1.009 before I can be sure that all the ich hosting my fish is dead?

3. I have a mandarin that hasn't taken to prepared food and only eats pods. What's the likelihood of me losing her and what precautions can I take.

4. How long should I let the sponges sit in my sump of my DT to get bacteria growth before moving them back to the QT HOB to minimize QT cycle time?

5. Once this whole process is over, if I keep the sponges in the sump between the bubble-trap baffles when there's nothing in the QT, will I create a nitrate factory for my DT?

All input and opinions are welcomed and appreciated!!

[Tu Ku]

My quarantine is a 10 gallon with a hang in the back and a heater. That's it. Everyday that it is treating fish I remove all of the water except for about an inch in the bottom and I replace it with fresh uncycled saltwater, straight from the storage. At the same time I remove all of the filtration and the heater, run it through scalding hot water for about five minutes and then put it back. The only medicine that I use is a product called Rally that turns the water green for a day or two. I don't have problems with ich attacking my fish anymore. And I haven't lost a fish for well over a year on this method either.

[Drewpy]

Originally posted by mdavis203
OK... Here's "The Plan"

I just purchased and set up a 10 gallon QT with an HOB filter, heater, air pump with a long air stone, and a few plastic plants and decorations for hiding places. I took the sponges from the HOB and shoved them in between the bubble trap baffles in my sump. I have the salinity in my QT matching my DT. I plan on letting the sponges get some bacteria in them, then putting them back into the HOB on the QT. Then, move all of my fish (drip acclimating) into the QT. Then, I slowly lower the salinity in my QT to 1.009 and hold it there until I'm sure the ich is dead. Then, I slowly raise it back to 1.025. In the meantime, my DT is sitting without fish for approximately six weeks to let the ich die off in there. Then, I move the fish (drip acclimating) back to the DT and leave my QT running for coral propagation, new fish, etc.

I think this will work, but I have a few questions about the process...

1. When moving the salinity from 1.025 to 1.009 with the fish in the DT, how fast should I move it?

2. How long does the salinity need to stay at 1.009 before I can be sure that all the ich hosting my fish is dead?

3. I have a mandarin that hasn't taken to prepared food and only eats pods. What's the likelihood of me losing her and what precautions can I take.

4. How long should I let the sponges sit in my sump of my DT to get bacteria growth before moving them back to the QT HOB to minimize QT cycle time?

5. Once this whole process is over, if I keep the sponges in the sump between the bubble-trap baffles when there's nothing in the QT, will I create a nitrate factory for my DT?

All input and opinions are welcomed and appreciated!!

1) Drop it slowly over three days to be safe. Although I have simply added fish to hypo salinity and they have showed no signs of stress. RAISING THE SILINITY IS ANOTHER ISSUE THOUGH-- when the treatment is over raise salinity slowly only 2 or 3 points a day...

2) After all th spots are gone start a 4 week count down.

3) Feed the mandarin live podes from an ick free tank (local reefer?) or try to train it to eat frozen foods.

4) A cycled QT takes about 2 or 3 weeks anyway... If keeping fish in 10 gallon tanks uncycled---

-start with water from the display
-Have only one or two small fish per tank
- run carbon in small hang on filter
- add power head if QT fish that like current
-use a bacteria product like "stability" or "cycle"
- monitor ammonia twice a day "seachem ammonia alert" works well
- and have twice the amount of salt water that is in your qt tanks in a trash bucket airated and heated-- ready for water changes...
- change water, match salinity with a REFRACTOMETER and change water as needed to keep ammonia levels down. As much as 100% of the water can be changed if you have salt water premade and match salinity well.
- Products like "prime" work well to de toxify ammonia as well. Using Prime and the seachem ammonia alert works well.
- DO NOT USE AMMONIA DE TOXIFIERS IF RUNNING COPPER (another reason hypo is easier treament)
- check PH twice a day as it will tend to drop under hypo conditons. Seachem "marine buffer" easily and safely (no stress) raises and maintains PH.
- an air stone may help keep PH up

5) No...

[Drewpy]

oh lastly if you have fish like a tang--- provide pvc pipe they can hide in and add a maxi jet 900 or equivalent for water flow... They will be fine in the 10 gallon tank--- Just realize with their size the water can go south so to speak more quickly....

I have quarantined a 3 inch powder blue and a 3 inch copperbanded successfully with hypo in ten gallon tanks this way.

Sadly the powder blue, as well as much of my tank was lost, during the combined attacked of a heater stuck on and a power outage after the tank heated up too hot-- i came home to no power and very hot tank What luck!?

But the tank has recovered nicely since then...

The copperbanded is new and has been in my quarantine going on 5 weeks now-- eating well.