Scubaguy February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 Hey Everyone, Im still on the side line waiting for my display tank and sump to be delivered. AND since I am in this holding pattern for another few weeks. Ive decided to do some research on a Quarantine set up, I have read so much about why you should.. but i am learning that people dont have them either. If you do have one... can you tell me / show the setup? or where to find the best procedure for setting one up? Do you do a full set up? Assistance is appreciated.. Richie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madweazl February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 I went about 20 years before I setup a quarantine tank but started using them in 2013. I have a pair of 20R that run a simple Pengiun HOB filter, small heater, and Ecoxotic Panorama Pros (1 blue/white and 1 blue/magenta per tank). 1 is used for fish that has some PVC for a place to hide but otherwise bare bottom and typically has copper. The other has a couple small pieces of live rock (left overs from the DT that I didn't want to trash) and is used for inverts. I've always been very meticulous about the specimens I purchase and am pretty good at spotting things. This combined with dumb luck and lack of money were the reasons I went so long before setting up the quarantine tanks. In 2013 however, I picked up a McCoskers wrasse that looked great for about a few days but started to show symptoms of ich. He ended up taking a digger because there was no way for me to retrieve him from the DT stressing everything else out. It ended up dying and I promptly setup the quarantines. I would have been able to treat and save it had I just taken the time to do things right. In my formative years I didn't get so attached to things but as time passed I grew a great appreciation for the items I was plucking from the ocean and gained a new found respect for the role I played in their lives. A QT is well worth the investment and is a mandatory item for me now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwweber February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 1st HMMMM I did not use a qt tank for years. Only takes one bad apple to kill off the whole crop. My stepson brought a sick fish home form PETCO and without asking me he put it in my sump. EVERYTHING (all my fish died). However the corals were ok. You will learn the hard way one day if you dont QT. 2nd. I think anyone that has corals (takes years to grow them) will agree. It is also very important to QT your corals. If I lost all my fish again i would be upset, but I can replace them. The liverock and coral I have been growing for years is a different story, if I lost my corals I would prob sell my stuff off as I could not afford to buy replacement and dont know if I can stand taking years to grow it again. 3rd Several members and I basically have a coral bank going. We all share frags (after and or treatment) so if we have problems we dont loose everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwweber February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 Also I hope you know to have a good RODI system! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR-Tanked150 February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 Be smart qt EVERYTHING. Don't take the risk and hope for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 I don't QT, but I also rarely add fish to my tank. Last fish added was 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaguy February 9, 2015 Author Share February 9, 2015 I went about 20 years before I setup a quarantine tank but started using them in 2013. I have a pair of 20R that run a simple Pengiun HOB filter, small heater, and Ecoxotic Panorama Pros (1 blue/white and 1 blue/magenta per tank). 1 is used for fish that has some PVC for a place to hide but otherwise bare bottom and typically has copper. The other has a couple small pieces of live rock (left overs from the DT that I didn't want to trash) and is used for inverts. I've always been very meticulous about the specimens I purchase and am pretty good at spotting things. This combined with dumb luck and lack of money were the reasons I went so long before setting up the quarantine tanks. In 2013 however, I picked up a McCoskers wrasse that looked great for about a few days but started to show symptoms of ich. He ended up taking a digger because there was no way for me to retrieve him from the DT stressing everything else out. It ended up dying and I promptly setup the quarantines. I would have been able to treat and save it had I just taken the time to do things right. In my formative years I didn't get so attached to things but as time passed I grew a great appreciation for the items I was plucking from the ocean and gained a new found respect for the role I played in their lives. A QT is well worth the investment and is a mandatory item for me now. Thank you!!! Much Appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaguy February 9, 2015 Author Share February 9, 2015 1st HMMMM I did not use a qt tank for years. Only takes one bad apple to kill off the whole crop. My stepson brought a sick fish home form PETCO and without asking me he put it in my sump. EVERYTHING (all my fish died). However the corals were ok. You will learn the hard way one day if you dont QT. 2nd. I think anyone that has corals (takes years to grow them) will agree. It is also very important to QT your corals. If I lost all my fish again i would be upset, but I can replace them. The liverock and coral I have been growing for years is a different story, if I lost my corals I would prob sell my stuff off as I could not afford to buy replacement and dont know if I can stand taking years to grow it again. 3rd Several members and I basically have a coral bank going. We all share frags (after and or treatment) so if we have problems we dont loose everything! Ok.. So i will put together a 20L for a QT..Thanks for the heads up.. Question: When you say you have a coral bank going... ?? Do you have another tank that is just corals? do you use your fish QT for your frags? Thanks.. Richie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinpanva February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 I have a small 7 gallon rimless I use as my QT. Not the most current picture, I've added liverock, a lawnmower blenny, and a fire shrimp. QT for corals only. Simple HOB filter, custom rapid leds, one mp10 for flow and a heater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrench February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 I QT everything now. I've had the misfortune of losing a collection to disease and learned the hard way. QT tanks IMO are invaluable. Not only do they minimize or eliminate disease, but the give the new fish time to acclimate to captivity and prepared foods without having to worry about aggression from other fish. Total time in QT is a minimum of 15 days. My setups are simple: I keep two 29g tanks running at all times. I use sponge filters driven by air pumps for primary filtration. I also have HOB filters on them. These are good for providing circulation, aeration and you can easily add a filter cartridge with carbon to remove medications. PVC pipes for hiding places, bare bottom, no rock. I medicate prophylactically: I immediately treat new arrivals with chloroquine phosphate. I treat for 10 days which takes care of most parasites like ich, velvet, etc. Next up is a dose of PraziPro I will treat with antibiotics if they show signs of infection. If after this time the fish are eating and behaving normally they'll be moved to the display. Ammonia control is paramount and the sponge filters do a pretty good job. When there are no fish in the systems I add a pinch of flake food every other day or so to keep the bacteria going. When I add a fish I also add a dose of MB7 along with a 1/2 dose of Seachem Prime. I perform water changes twice a week at 25% each. During the treatment of Chloroquine Phosphate a daily 25% water change is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattiejay6 February 9, 2015 Share February 9, 2015 Lots of great advice here and just want to say Quarantine is great practice and really should be a part of all aquarists tool box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffyGeos February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I am getting ready to build a stand for 2 or 3 20gL QT tanks. Plan to QT everything. I have just set up a coral QT tank on it's own system so that I can also QT corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I'm to lazy to QT... Not gonna lie But I have resigned myself to get fish that are only QTd.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime February 10, 2015 Share February 10, 2015 I'm to lazy to QT... Not gonna lie But I have resigned myself to get fish that are only QTd.... Nothing wrong with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grav February 12, 2015 Share February 12, 2015 Home QT is a great practice especially if you might get fish from a source that has a limited or no QT of their own (such as pet store super chains.) QT done by a new hobbyist can present a whole new set of problems (proper filtration, accurate measurement of meds, water changes and more) especially if your knowledge, time and space available for the QT system are limited. Whatever you choose to do, visit several local stores and ask about how they QT before you bring anything home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangros May 14, 2015 Share May 14, 2015 I didnt. Not in 20 yrs of reefing. TILL TODAY! Now I totally agree w/the post above! After buying a nice tang from Petco, I now have ich and I've lost 2 clowns and 2 tangs . All fish looked and acted great till about a week after bringing one of the clowns home. I have 2 more clowns left and 1 of them looks like tonight could be his last. I just ordered some Chloroquine powder from amazon and overnighted it. If anyone knows where I can get some locally, please let me know and I will get it asap. It seems like a pain to QT but I'm now a firm believer. It would have been cheaper, easier, and a LOT less PITA to QT from the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite May 14, 2015 Share May 14, 2015 There is no need for cycling when using water and rock from the main system (rock from the sump so I won't miss it if I have to trash it later), so I see no need to keep a QT up all of the time, given that I can toss one together in 15 to 30 minutes. I have a bunch of empty tanks sitting around (2, 10, 15, 16, 16bf, 20), a couple of HOB filters, a couple heaters, a few little powerheads, and a couple small skimmers. What has to be ready is a vat of clean 1.026 to replace what I take from the DT. If I have to use medication, I do not use liverock, which means changing the water even more frequently, and keeping some sponges in the sump to toss in the QT to keep replacing lost bacteria (I have not had to use medication in a QT for years, but believe me, I have done it all in the past). I believe it is crucial with a QT to do very frequent water changes, like every day or every few days depending on the size of the QT and the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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