Setting Up A Quarantine Tank and How To Quarantine Fish; A Guide

[Squishie89]

This is a short guide on how to set up a quarantine tank for fish. Quarantining is a simple and easy way to help protect your display tank from diseases and parasites. This is also a great way to get your new acquisition eating frozen or prepared foods. A quarantine tank system is an individual system not connected to any other systems such as your display.
Here is what you will need:

• 1 tank; 10g or more. A 20 long is good size for fish that swim a lot like angels, butterflies, tangs, etc. Use a tank appropriate for your size fish, a 10” tang is going to need more room than what a 20L can offer, use common sense.
• 1 heater appropriately sized for your quarantine tank
• 1 thermometer
• 1 filter. I suggest getting an Aquaclear hang on back filter (I will be using this filter as reference in the guide). Purchase one appropriate for your size quarantine tank.
• 2+ filter media; sponges and carbon
• 1 lid or covering. Egg crate/light diffuser is fine.
• 2+ PVC pipe parts (these are used as hiding places for the fish)
• 1 light (does not need to be fancy, almost anything will do).
• 1+ powerheads/water movers. Purchase one appropriate for your size tank, you do not want to be forcing the fish to the other side with too much flow.
• 1 outlet timer (optional). To be used for your light.
• 1 ammonia alert badge (optional)
• 1 bottle of nitrifying bacteria (optional)
• 1 set of BlueLife Instant Quarantine Dips (optional)
• 1 sheet of aquarium backing (optional). This is used to cover the sides of the aquarium in case your tank is in a high people traffic area to protect the fish from being startled.
• 1 emergency battery powered air pump (optional)
• Separate set of miscellaneous equipment JUST for the quarantine tank (nets, cups, food, buckets, test vials, etc.)

Purchase your filter media in advance to setting up your quarantine. You can put the sponges in the sump of your display tank so they can start collecting beneficial nitrifying bacteria. After 4 weeks your sponge should have enough bacteria on it. You can now start setting up your quarantine tank.

You can fill your quarantine tank with water from your display, or you can fill with fresh saltwater. Start your heater and program it to match your display tank. Start up your hang on back (HOB) filter and insert 1 sponge into the filter. You can also start up your powerhead, but not necessary at this time. Now start adding in your thermometer, your ammonia alert badge and your PVC parts. Let the tank sit like this for 1 day.
After you have waited a day for the tank to sit, test the tank to see where the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH levels are at. You need ammonia and nitrite to be ZERO. Nitrate can be present in numbers up into teens. pH should be in the normal pH range (7.8-8.3). If you have ammonia or nitrite you can add some liquid nitrifying bacteria (this can be purchased at fish stores, pet stores or on-line) and test again the next day, it may take a couple of days for the bacteria to do its work. Once you have all your parameters in check you can add a fish!

Purchase your new fishy friend from a reputable seller. When your fish gets home (or is delivered if you ordered on-line), float the bag the fish is in in the quarantine tank for 15-20 minutes so that the bag water temperature matches the tank temperature. Drip acclimate your fish for 1 hour. (If you choose to, you can now use the BlueLife Instant Quarantine Dips). And add your fish to the quarantine tank, with the lights out. After 5-6 hours you can turn the lights on and see how your new fish is doing. You can try feeding your fish the first day but it is common for them not to eat the first few days.
Once your fish is eating, swimming and looking great, quarantine can begin! I suggest quarantining for a MINIMUM of 30 days. You can quarantine as long as 6+ months. I personally do not medicate if the fish shows NO symptoms of any disease or parasite. Keep an eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Do water changes as needed, or weekly. Make sure to top off evaporated water with fresh water. Also after feeding your fish, try and remove as much uneaten food as possible as this can contribute to ammonia spikes.

When the quarantine is over, it is time to transfer the fish to your display tank. If any of the water parameters may be different from quarantine tank to display tank, I suggest performing a drip acclimation of at least 30 minutes to help the fish acclimate to the display tank. You can now shut down your quarantine tank until your next acquisition. Empty the tank of water and put the sponge(s) from the filter back into your display tank sump and turn off all equipment. You can also choose to keep the quarantine tank going without any fish in it. You will need to keep the bacteria alive by adding small amounts of food every few days. Perform water changes maybe once a month; you can use water from the display tank.

Some thing’s to keep in mind. If you use any equipment, like a net, in the quarantine tank, it either needs to become the quarantine tank net, or disinfected with a bleach solution. If you decide to add a fish to the quarantine tank while another fish is quarantining, the time restarts for the first fish. So even if fish 1 was in the quarantine tank for 29 days and you add fish 2 on day 29, fish 1 now needs to be quarantine for 30+ days again. You should NOT add rock or sand to your quarantine tank as parasites can hide in them. For some of the wrasses or jawfish you may need to add a small container with sand/rubble for them to sleep/burrow in. This sand should be discarded and NOT reused when the quarantine is done. If a fish dies while in quarantine, you should use a bleach solution on ALL of the equipment and tools used.

For a more in depth explanation and walk through to quarantining and medicating I STRONGLY suggest purchasing Mr. Saltwater Tank’s book on quarantining.

[dante411x]

Great post! My only question is about putting the sponges from your filter back into the sump/dt after quarantine is done. Would it be safer to just toss them and put new sponges in to start nitrifying? Especially if you use medication during qt time?

 

Edit: nitrifying is probably the wrong word. Bacteriafying? Lol.

 

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Edited April 1, 2014 by dante411x

[Squishie89]

Yeah I have been asked about that twice. If you medicate, definitely do not put the sponge back in the sump. Overall there is no harm in tossing the sponge, they are so cheap.

[Mattiejay6]

Good write up Squishie! I agree on the sponges, cheap enough toss em!

Edited April 1, 2014 by Mattiejay6

[YHSublime]

+2 on sponge tossing. Good write up!

[XxTech MoneyxX]

+2 Sweet post!  Hopfully this post will make beginner Reefers...(this guy lol) set up a QT!!

[Orion]

Fwiw I did not add sand for my jawfish in QT. He eventually got comfortable and was eating out of my hand after a couple of days. I just provided plenty of PVC fittings.

 

One great pro to QT'ing that is not often discussed is that it forces you to go slow with stocking your tank. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

[Squishie89]

Thank you everyone. I decided to take the time to write it up because quarantine should be considered just as important as your lights or water source, and yet there is lack of simple guides out there on how to set one up! So many questions about what filter or tank size.

[dante411x]

This should be a sticky every new member has a chance to read.

 

 

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[makai531]

Nice job Squishie! I appreciate the equipment list and the step by step directions! Thank you!

 

 

 

[Squishie89]

Thanks so much! Yeah the equipment list is really how this started (the whole thing ended up SO much longer than intended!!).

[st9z]

Great guide. Would the process be pretty much the same when quarantining corals, except no meds?

 

 

 

[Squishie89]

Great guide. Would the process be pretty much the same when quarantining corals, except no meds?

I will be up front and say I have no experience with quarantining corals. But, I will say I believe so. You will have to watch your lighting as you could either bleach or burn your coral by being too close to the light. Also getting the flow right for the coral.