Easiest Way to Set Up a Quarantine Tank/Hospital Tank

[MitchSutherland]

Marine Aquarium Basics

First off, I am not George Costanza. I am NOT a marine biologist. I am just a simple hobbyist. Not even a 25 year pro like anyone else on here. Just a simple 2 year saltwater hobbyist. So, now on to the basics.

Easiest Way to Set Up a Quarantine Tank(QT Tank)/Hospital Tank

First off, you must have a tank to set up a quarantine in the first place. A quarantine tank is a tank set up to observe fish for any stress, infections, and/or parasites. This tank also can be used to treat fish before being put into the display tank(DT). This prevents any infections or parasites from entering the display tank. Some people use Rubbermaid totes as quarantines. While in principal this works.(just a container that holds water and fish.) It does not work in the real world setting. You must be able to observe the fish and make any other adjustments to treatment needed. SO do yourself a favor and use a glass aquarium. And before you ask should I quarantine all fish, because they look healthy? Or my fish store quarantines their fish do I need to? YES QUARANTINE ALL FISH. Now onto setting it up. You will need:
1. A tank/aquarium
2. Air pump
3. Airline Tubing
4. Airline Bubbler ect
5. Heater
6. Refractometer(hydrometer can work, but having two would be basically a necessity. One STRICTLY for your display tank, and one strictly for your QT tank.)
7. An ammonia alert badge(will make your life a lot easier. It constantly checks the ammonia in your tank)
8. A Nitrite Test Kit
9. Light(florescent work fine)
10. Freshly Made Saltwater on Hand
11. Hang on the Back Filter(HOB) or a Sponge Filter
12. Powerhead
13. 5 Gallon Bucket(or any container to transfer water)
14. Medications to proactively treat(will get to that later down the paper)
15. Sponge media/material for the HOB or Sponge Filter(many reefers typically just throw some sponge matrerial in their sump/tank. This lets bacteria grow on the sponge. This bacteria will consume the ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate will be relatively harmless to fish until ridiculously high amounts.Typically I give 6-8 weeks for the bacteria process to occur.
16. PVC for fish to hide
17. Power Strip
18. Thermometer
19. Bacteria in a Bottle(Dr Tims or Biospira. Only need this if you do not have sponge material from your DT)
20. RO WATER(FRESHWATER)

STEPS

1. Place tank on sturdy and level stand(dresser ect)
2. Drain water from your DT(using 5 gallon bucket/other container) into your tank.(some of this water should contain some bacteria. ONLY do this when you are first setting up the tank. NEVER use the display tank water again.) Use the fresh saltwater to replace the removed water from your display tank.
3. Place the PVC in the QT
4. Place the Ammonia Badge in the QT
5. Place the heater in the QT and set it properly
6. Place the bubbler in the QT
7. Attach the Airline tubing to the bubbler and the airpump
8. Install the HOB or the Sponge filter
9. Place the sponge material in whichever filter chosen
10. Pour the Bacteria in a bottle into the filter, over the sponge material
11. Install the powerhead
12. Install the thermometer.
13. Setup drip loops on ALL equipment
14. Plug in the equipment into the power strip, then plug the power strip into the wall outlet
15. Check to make sure everything is working properly and temperature is correct.(wait a couple hours to insure heater is working properly.
16. Install the light
17. Then acclimate the fish and place them in the quarantine. TURN THE LIGHT OFF.
18. Leave the fish alone for a half day or a couple hours.

NOW DURING QT

1. Continue to monitor the Nitrite and Ammonia levels. If there is ammonia or nitrite then perform a water change(USING FRESH SALT WATER, NOT DISPLAY TANK WATER) to lower the levels. If treatment is in the tank then replace the medication accordingly.
2. With new arrivals wait a couple weeks and observe. Many fish stores run low levels of copper. This will mask all symptoms for right around three weeks. So wait till you treat unless they really need it. Correctly identify the disease/parasite, and use the correct form of treatment.
3. Feed the fish, of course
4. Continue to monitor the fish.
5. Use the RO water for top offs on both tanks.
6. Once the disease is completely rid of then do a water change to remove the medication and observe to 1 or 2 more weeks. Once to this point, just keep feeding the fish and observing.
7. ONCE the display tank infestation has been taken care of and the fish is completely healed/proactively treated, then slowly acclimate the fish to the display tank. I try my best not to get any QT water into the display, but if you properly treated the QT then you should be fine.

After QT

1. You can either leave the QT up and running to add any additional fish to the tank, or take down the stank and sterilize the equipment(vinegar/water). Let the equipment completely dry, before using again.
2. Throw away the sponge material. JUST get new media.
3. Replace fresh media into your display/sump so you don’t need bacteria in a bottle again

WORDS OF CAUTION
1. DO NOT CROSS CONTAMINATE(USE EQUIPMENT ON THE SAME TANK ONLY. ONE DRIP OF WATER CROSS CONTAMINATED MEANS THIS WAS ALL FOR NOTHING. THAT MEANS PROPERLY DRYING YOUR HANDS COMPLETELY, BEFORE PLACING YOUR HAND IN BETWEEN TANKS.)
2. QT AND PROACTIVELY(TREATING BEFORE DISEASE SYMPTOMS OCCUR) TREAT ALL NEW ARRIVALS. DO NOT PLACE THEM INTO THE DISPLAY. YOU NOW HAVE THE EQUIPMENT AND KNOWLEDGE. USE IT!!

[ca1ore]

Ah, you're not asking .... you're telling Lots of effective ways to setup and run a QT/HT. I don't do a lot of what you prescribe; and do some of the things you discourage. Not Mr. Costanza either; though I am one of those pesky 25 year guys.

Cudos for doing QT, though, I don't understand why some folks are so opposed to it.

[rssjsb]

I kind of get it.

When I started out, my failure to QT was based on money, ignorance and, once I started to learn, wishful thinking. However, the biggest obstacle was honestly fear that the more I handled a fish the greater the chance that I would screw something up and do more harm than good.

Once I had been doing this awhile (especially after living through a virulent ich outbreak), I sucked it up and bought a 20-gallon tank with a couple of HOB Aquaclear filters. Now it's hard to believe I ever just dropped a fish into my display.

I still hate handling fish, but doing so now is better than the trauma (to them and to me) entailed in tearing up a huge reef tank to catch and treat them. Not to mention watching them suffer from preventable disease.

[MitchSutherland]

Just trying to do a complete how to and why. That's all. Just trying to help.

[MitchSutherland]

And that's just how I tend to do. It. Like I said no pro, and you don't have to do it exactly how I say. Just some ideas is all.

[30g]

And I guess if you bought a 12" fish you might need a bigger tank....

[rishu_pepper]

Mitch, thank you for the primer. I have a few questions, in regard to setting up my QT for an incoming Achilles, in anticipation for my 8 footer tank in a couple weeks. The Achilles is currently on hold at the LFS for another two days, so I have to set it up quickly. We don't get many Achilles often here (first ones I've seen in half a year).

Currently I have a 30g holding some live rocks and a couple of damsels. If I remove the rocks and fish, will that suffice as a QT? Do I keep the water, use DT water from my RSM130 (the temporary home for some of my livestock), or make completely new water?

Will a MaxiJet 1200 suffice as the powerhead?

If I use something like an AquaClear filter, do I just pour the bacteria-in-a-bottle into it?

Thanks for the help.