Questions about QT tank

[makai531]

I am considering getting a goby and a pistol shrimp for my tank and plan to quarantine them prior to adding them to the tank. I've never set up a QT tank and had a few questions.

 

Plan -10 gal, standard light hood that came with it, aquaclear HOB filter, heater, and an air stone. Plan to fill with water from my tank.

 

Questions-

How long would you wait after setting up QT TANK until adding fish to QT tank?

 

I have an established live rock that I pulled from my tank 5 days ago, kept in SW bucket with heat and flow. Lots of life on it. Good idea to place it QT tank?

 

Should I put substrate in the tank for the potential goby?

 

After I QT and then add fish to DT, can I keep the QT tank ready to go without any fishes in it and only the LR? If so, how do I maintain? Is that a good idea?

[Orion]

Congrats on setting up a QT tank!  

 

A 10 gallon might be a little on the small side, but can work.  I would recommend a 20 gallon long.

 

- I recommend getting Dr. Tim's Live Nitrifying Bacteria, adding it to the QT tank, and then waiting 24hrs until you add the fish.  This worked for me, and I never had a spike in ammonia.  You could also keep sponges in your DT sump for your Aquaclear, and let them collect good bacteria.  You will still need to keep up on water changes, especially in a 10 gallon tank.  Get a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge to monitor ammonia.  Other Ammonia test kits will give a false positive if you end up treating the fish with medication.

 

- No live rock or sand in a QT tank.  You could keep a small dish with sand in it for the goby if you think its necessary.  If your fish brings in a parasite they can be harder to get rid of since they can embed themselves into the sand/rock.

 

- I would keep the goby in the QT tank for a minimum of 30 days.  You can keep your QT tank running once you put the fish into the DT, but will have to add ammonia for food to keep the good bacteria alive in the sponges.

 

- Keep in mind if you need to treat the goby, the shrimp will not tolerate any copper and have to be placed into another tank.

 

I highly recommend Mr. SaltwaterTank's QT Guide.  https://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/quarantine/

 

I also see you are in Annapolis.  I don't live too far from you, and if you want to see my QT tank setup you are more than welcome to stop by.

[gmerek2]

Good write up. Emphasis on watch the ammonia and lots of water changes. Some medicines kill the good nitrifying bacteria causing spike. Some ammonia kits are thrown off by copper so do your research on the kit. Also fish are a lot of times scared and not eating in QT then the food rots and causes ammonia spike so do not over feed. I like picking up live brine at the fish store because chances are they will be picky eaters in QT.

[Orion]

Another good point. Get some live brine shrimp, and Selcon. Live brine gets a lot of fish to start eating quickly, and the selcon will load the shrimp up with vitamins and nutrients for the fish.

You can store the live brine in the fridge which will slow their metabolism down a bit so they last longer.

[lutz123]

I agree with Orion (and the live brine). If it's just qt, my preference is to run is more like a barren display. I like live rock and a tupperware of sand because it makes it more natural and therefore less stressful in my opinion. I want the fish to settle into QT quickly and be comfortable enough to start eating. Ammonia shouldn't be an issue with one small fish in a ten gallon but I would keep an eye out for a small cycle.

 

The downside is that if there is an illness you will have to ditch the sand and sacrifice the rock. Keeping a couple of pvc pipes in there from the beginning would help if you needed to eventually medicate. It would be easier to leave it up and running with live rock there, but your bacteria won't thrive in numbers if there are no fish so it might need a boost before using it again.

[Der ABT]

the amonia alert badges have failed several times for me and i no longer use them, if they work for you great, but id still test as well

 

Check out my nano biopellet DIY reactor...that will help with bacteria colonization.

 

Amonia is key to watch, keep in mind some meds can be lethal if there is amonia present (prazipro and amonia = bad)

i put a cheap skimmer on mine and it seems to help as well, just cut off the air for medications if needs be.

 

otherwise good info above

[SpideyFish]

Like all have said, watch that ammonia you will need to check it often.  A sponge filter has been a great addition for me, plenty of bacteria and easy to clean and repopulate. 

[Der ABT]

I have to disagree with the repopulate.

IMO

NEVER reuse a sponge from a qt tank, throw it out and start a new one in your main tank (i have 2 sponges in my main at all times for this purpose)

if you put that sponge back into your main your more likely to spread whatever was in the qt into the main.

they are cheap enough and your main is probably important enough not to risk this.

 

Also suggest designating a bucket and syphon tube, heater, equip etc to ONLY be for the QT...label it as a reminder. or make sure yuo do a full full cleaning and let it dry before reuse

if you use copper be careful reusing anything if your going to keep corals.

 

Ridetheducati has a GREAT writeup on how he QTs, ill see if i can find a link somewhere

[YHSublime]

OP, great information you're getting here.

 

Ryan, I'm impressed, look at you go!

[monkiboy]

it's awesome to come on this thread and see so much accurate and helpful information.

 

if you'll be quarantining more than once, you'll want to be certain to sterilize when you're done.

 

if you are sharing equipment, be sure to sterilize. don't forget about cross-contamination via refractometers, test tubes, feeding time between tanks, siphon tubes, etc. quarantine is an all or nothing affair.

 

if you're treating your fish for an active infection or prophylactically, then the ammonia badge is the easiest back up plan. you'll be monitoring your fish a few times throughout the day, every day so you'll get a great sense for what's normal for that/those fish and figure out what it needs. a natural flow of water changes and feeding and siphoning off detritus will become second nature and intuitive. don't wait for the ammonia badge to alert you to dangerous levels. if it's pointed that out to you, you need to be more attentive and know water changes need to be done more often. nutrients are one of the most critical things to focus on in qt.

 

as long as the saltwater has been mixed for at least 24 hours, i deem it fine to use for qt and a fish can go right in assuming it's been properly acclimated. i wouldn't use rock in the qt tank because as folks above suggested, it give a nice home for parasites to latch onto. appropriately sized pvc fittings work wonders in that they don't leech, they are very easy to sterilize between uses, are cheap and easy to find, and provide comfort for fish as a hiding/refuge spot.

[lutz123]

Very true, and definitely the best way to make absolutely sure you are in the clear. Do you plan on treating with meds?

[makai531]

Thanks for providing so much good information and taking the time to reply.

 

Very true, and definitely the best way to make absolutely sure you are in the clear. Do you plan on treating with meds?

I'm not sure. I thought I'd just observe. Differing opinions about this on the web.

 

it's awesome to come on this thread and see so much accurate and helpful information.

 

if you'll be quarantining more than once, you'll want to be certain to sterilize when you're done.

 

if you are sharing equipment, be sure to sterilize. don't forget about cross-contamination via refractometers, test tubes, feeding time between tanks, siphon tubes, etc. quarantine is an all or nothing affair.

Suggestion on sterilization? I've only washed items in vinegar with a clean unused sponge in the past.

 

Like all have said, watch that ammonia you will need to check it often.  A sponge filter has been a great addition for me, plenty of bacteria and easy to clean and repopulate.

 

I have to disagree with the repopulate.

IMO

NEVER reuse a sponge from a qt tank, throw it out and start a new one in your main tank (i have 2 sponges in my main at all times for this purpose)

if you put that sponge back into your main your more likely to spread whatever was in the qt into the main.

they are cheap enough and your main is probably important enough not to risk

I'm going to throw a new Aquaclear sponge into the media basket of my display tank (Penquin 330) to get populated then I will transfer it to the QT. Once QT is done, I'll chuck it and repeat process with new sponge for future QT.

[monkiboy]

Suggestion on sterilization? I've only washed items in vinegar with a clean unused sponge in the past.

the assumption being that sterilization is needed because you moved a fish, or a fish didn't go through sufficient time (usually 4 weeks) in qt, etc. it's assumed that if a fish is leaving your qt it is disease and parasite free so the qt system should be clean as the fish was clean enough to enter your tank right?. if you are not prophylactically treating and simply observing than you do not know hat even after 4 weeks so sterilization is recommended. one cup of household OTC bleach for your standard 20 gallon qt tank filled with tap and all materials is the ratio i use although i'm sure less than that might be equally effective. let it go for a few hours (2-4) then rinse and let dry and you're good to go.

Edited March 4, 2014 by monkiboy

[makai531]

Ridetheducati has a GREAT writeup on how he QTs, ill see if i can find a link somewhere

I looked for it briefly and couldn't find it. He has a lot of posts. I'll keep looking and PM him if I can't find it. I'd like to read it.

 

 

I like picking up live brine at the fish store because chances are they will be picky eaters in QT.

I'll look into the brine shrimp. No experience with them, but sounds like a great idea!

 

 

I highly recommend Mr. SaltwaterTank's QT Guide.  https://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/quarantine/

 

I also see you are in Annapolis.  I don't live too far from you, and if you want to see my QT tank setup you are more than welcome to stop by.

I really like Mr. Saltwater's videos. I'll put the book on my WTB list.

 

Thanks for the kind offer on the visit. I will take you up on it this Spring. I really need to see some real tanks in order to plan my upgrade. Nothing worse than buying something that doesn't work for you or the system or is a piece of crap, especially when you are on a budget. You are on my side of the beltway too.

 

I have bought into the QT tank after reading some of the build forums, and reading the horror stories of a tank wrecking diseases and parasites. Although I have a minimal amount of money invested in livestock compared to your investments, I love my tank and want to keep it healthy. Thank you WAMAS members for helping me out!

[monkiboy]

I looked for it briefly and couldn't find it. He has a lot of posts. I'll keep looking and PM him if I can't find it. I'd like to read it.

here you go: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/53375-the-looking-glass/?p=454001

[makai531]

Thank you Marco!