I am going to be setting up a quarantine tank for the first time. My fish are not large, so I'll be buying a cheap 10-Gallon glass aquarium from Petco, and I just wanted some confirmation on the other parts.
I plan to disassemble it when it's not in use instead of attempting to maintain it indefinitely.
I currently have a green chromis with popeye and a white patch on his side and have nowhere to treat him or segregate him from his tank mates.
1) Filtration: I figured I'd grab a cheap power filter (Whisper Power Filter 30 (30 instead of 10 or 20 to be on the safe side - also noticed that the foam pieces are larger with that model for more bacteria cultivation). Also getting a couple extra Bio Foam Kits.
I would soak the foam in my main tank for at least a week before placing it into the quarantine tank's filter, yes? I don't have a sump, so I figured I'd just throw it behind the rocks with a corner held down by one of the rocks.
Also, I don't think I should be using the activated carbon cartridge that comes with this filter in the quarantine tank, especially while medicating, but also because it may decrease the amount of bacteria in the system, yes?
3) Aeration: I will use an airstone and air pump rated for a 30-gallon aquarium that I already have on-hand instead of a small powerhead (since I don't already have that on-hand).
4) Miscellaneous: A small, dedicated net, cut sections of large PVC pipe for hiding places, and a mini siphon again so the quarantine tank has one dedicated to its water.
Questions:
a) I read conflicting reports on whether to put a piece of live rock in here. Once in the quarantine tank, I wouldn't want to put the rock back in the main display, so I would have to have (at least) one piece of live rock dedicated to the quarantine and then lose the freedom to disassemble and clean the tank between uses. Should 10% (1-gallon) water changes (source water being the main tank) every other day while the quarantine tank is active be a good enough means to maintain water quality in the quarantine tank w/ the only active biological filtration being the sponge in the filter? I have a test kit, so I will be checking the water, but I'd just like to have an idea ahead of time.
b) Some people medicate new fish just for preventative measures? To me that comes off as overkill and I was just planning on using the QT for observing new fishes for a month. Do any of you do freshwater/medicated dips or medicate new arrivals just in case?
c) I'm not planning on buying lights, since I read they're unnecessary and fish are calmer in the dark. Does anyone think I should buy lights? I don't have any coral - just fish, inverts, and live rock.
d) Is there anything I need that I forgot to list?
When you buy a QT tank, get one of the AGA complete kits in a box. I bought a 10g tank with an incandescent hood, heater, and HOB filter and net for around $30 (I think). The filter will provide enough circulation, you wont need the air pump.
No one can tell you how often your W/C will need to be. It will depend on the number and species of fish you are QTing. Trust your test kits here.
I would put a medium piece of live rock in there along with the sponge, It will help greatly towards filtration. If you need to medicate, you can always yank the LR. I would NOT medicate fish if it does not show signs of disease, you will probably do more harm than good. QT is primarily for observation.
I would also not leave a fish in the dark. i would get them on the same lighting schedule as the main tank to ease that transition later. This also lets the fish get used to you approaching and feeding/maintaining the tank.
If I had to medicate, and there was live rock that I transferred back to the display tank before medicating, then wouldn't there be a possibility of transmitting the disease into the display tank?
Is that AGA kit you mentioned something I should be able to find readily in stores, or something I have to hunt for online (can't hunt online right now - at work).
Depending on the disease, you may not be able to transfer the rock back with out sterilization. If you are careful about the sources you buy fish from, your odds of getting a sick fish should be low from the get go.
The AGA starter kits are available in most box pet stores, they should be easy to find.
You can probably even get the 10 gallon kit in a box at Wal-mart. Check out this article Reefreaders - Quarantine Now! for some more help.
My QT setup is a 10 gallon with a florescent hood (bought used on craigslist) submersible heater, 200 gph powerhead, a HOB bio-wheel filter and some plastic decorations/hiding places. The bio-wheel is kept in my sump and sterilized between uses with bleach.
I haven't seen the 10-Gallon AGA kits for less than $50 anywhere... so I checked Craigslist, and I found this setup (which the guy just e-mailed me about and said I could come pick it up today): 20 gallon Eclipse Freshwater Aquarium
I was leaning towards the 2nd, mostly because I'm unsure of whether I want the "Eclipse II Filtration" system. (1) It uses bioballs, I believe, and I don't have a sump to charge those in, so I'm guessing I would have to leave them in a bag or something, somewhere in my main tank to get the bacteria going? (2) I like the miscellaneous accessories that will come with the 2nd...
Does anyone know anything about that Eclipse II Filtration / Lighting Hood? Is it going to be too much headache?
Does anyone have any input on which of these is a better deal? Or more appropriate for a QT tank? Size doesn't come into consideration for me - but the filtration / accessories do.
Both of these guys wrote me back and said I could pick up the aquarium tomorrow, and I need help choosing.
If I had to medicate, and there was live rock that I transferred back to the display tank before medicating, then wouldn't there be a possibility of transmitting the disease into the display tank?
Is that AGA kit you mentioned something I should be able to find readily in stores, or something I have to hunt for online (can't hunt online right now - at work).
Actually, what would worry me more is the rock absorbing medications and then leaching them back into your system. For some medications this might not be a big issue, but if you medicate a fish with copper to prevent ich, do not put the rock back! Personally, I just use some cheap plastic plant in there or cheap plastic coral, or, heck, just a piece of PVC. If you fill the QT up with water from your main system, which you should do anyway, you will not need live rock at all. If you want to suck up nitrates, i suggest tossing some macro algae in there. Again, don't put this back in your display. Just toss it afterwards.
The same leaching principle is true with the tank as well, or the silicone in the tank specifically. The silicone will take up some of the medication through osmosis and slowly leach it back when you refill the tank for another QT. Only use the tank for one type of animal: inverts & coral, or fish. This way you won't run the risk of treating a fish with copper, then killing a coral later when it leaches into the water.
So what about the sponges and such? I guess it depends on how much and what type of medication you use, but personally i would even use new sponges if i dosed something i knew was not reef safe.
__________________ Samuel
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That's good to know about the silicone - at least I decided to go pick up the acrylic one then - those shouldn't have silicone seals, right?
Does anyone have any suggestions for how to catch a fish that has decided to be incredibly evasive? He's not sick, he's just being too aggressive and I want to bring him to the LFS. Last time I had to do that, I had to remove ALL rock from my tank, and it was a huge project. This time it's not as urgent, because he appears to hassle other fish, but not inflict any visible injuries.
Thanks! I am not clever enough to make one, though - would have to buy one, which is sad, because I have full access to anything at Home Depot... Maybe I should just learn how to make one... A bunch of acrylic, a hand saw, and some silicon gel would work, you think? Naw - I'll probably just buy one.
I bought my 12-gallon acrylic tank for quarantining fish today (and got to feel like a complete tool as I grabbed the tank to walk away and forgot to pay the guy--luckily he reminded me, but I still felt like a tool).
Anyway, the filter is a Hagen Aquaclear 200 - I went out and bought some new foam inserts, and the guy gave me a bag of carbon and a bag of Seachem™ Matrix™ Biofilter Media.
I understand correctly that I just have to soak the foam filter media (and maybe also a bag of the biofilter media) in my DT for a week and it'll be ready to start supporting the QT?
Would it be better to place the filter media in the center compartment of my Bak-Pak Dual Pak Protein Skimmer than near the substrate of my DT?
That's good to know about the silicone - at least I decided to go pick up the acrylic one then - those shouldn't have silicone seals, right?
Does anyone have any suggestions for how to catch a fish that has decided to be incredibly evasive? He's not sick, he's just being too aggressive and I want to bring him to the LFS. Last time I had to do that, I had to remove ALL rock from my tank, and it was a huge project. Thi
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