Building my 150 Gallon U-shaped Room Divider Tank

kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
if your tang is rubbing his sides on rocks or the substrate 9 times out of 10 it's a possiblility it's getting or got ick, (from experience) get that QT up and running before you regret it later. (IMO)
What type of skimmer do you have? Is it new? Depending on whay type it is, you need a good 72 hours of break in time for the settings will work right. Mine took almost a week for it to work right.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
The skimmer has been working great! I just need to fine tune it. I am trying to find a cheap tank that I can setup for my QT. I am trying to go as fast as I can.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
Glad to hear the skimmer is working.
And that you're working on the QT. If your fish get sick (and it sounds like the tang probably is), you'll be glad you did. Believe me.
 
kiefers

kiefers

Active Member
Well, after all this talk of QT's, I come home from work to see my 2 clowns smothered with ick. So, this is why QT's are imparative! Guess who's going into the hospital tank TONITE!!
Didn't mean to highjack, sorry
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by benztech858 http:///forum/thread/383277/building-my-150-gallon-u-shaped-room-divider-tank/100#post_3377873
Once I have QT up and running will I have to treat the water in the display tank?
Yeah a quarantine tank just needs to be basic, a simple hang on the back filter for water movement is fine and a small powerhead.
When my hippo tang started flashing against the rocks like that it soon broke out with cryptocaryion irritans (Ich). Hippo's in general seem to be notorious for being suseptible to this. Infact some have crowned this fish as the king of ich.
First thing first you need a positive id before you start any kind of treatment.
Yep, you need the QT tank asap. Something like a 30-40g would be better.
You'll want to quarantine all fish. I would be willing to put money on the fact that there is already something in your tank that you don't want in there. I would plan to leave the display tank fishless for at least the next 6-8 weeks. If there is ich in there you'll need to let the ich run its cycle. They eventually won't be able to reproduce without a host (fish) in the tank so they will die out. So no treating the display tank, just let that run it's course. It's safer that way.
What all is in your display tank at this point?
Did you find the sweet spot on that skimmer yet? Micro adjustments. When you make changes to your skimmer make micro adjustments and then let it run, changes often won't show up for hours. So it's a matter of fine tuning, slowly.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
The QT tank is up and running. It is a basic 36 gallon tank with a hang on filter. I has been running for 2 days now. Apparently, I need to put a piece of live rock in there to get the process started. I thought I had a positive ID on the ich but I have to say I think he/she is getting better. The display tank only has the 3 fish (2 clowns and 1 blue hippo). I thought I found the sweet spot with the skimmer but I guess not. It started making great foam one afternoon but now nothing. I just adjusted it so we will see.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
I do have inverts in the tank. I am transferring them to the QT today. I am having a Hell of a time trying to catch that Blue Hippo.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
You're going to have a heck of a time with water quality in your QT since it hasn't cycled, have mixed and aged saltwater ready at all times, and test your water everyday. Also , I'd turn off the filter during feedings, and remove any uneaten food.
If it is ich, it won't go away on its own. You'll need to leave the DT fishless and treat the QT (I'd recommend hypo).
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
I should have taken your advice and waited. Within a week of the being in the QT all 3 fish died... damn. I will now start from the beginning and hopefully do it right this time.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
Sorry to hear it.
Let your DT sit for 6-8 weeks without fish, and cycle your QT. Then you'll be ready for fish.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
Sorry for being unresponsive. I have recently added 2 clownfish and one Midas Blenny to my QT. They have been doing really well so far. Meanwhile, I purchased a new protein skimmer because I wasn't happy with my old one. It has been doing great as well. I hope to keep the fish in the QT for another 2 weeks and then into the DT they go. I really like the new Midas Blenny I purchased.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
Definitely! So, I changed out about 30 gallons of water yesterday. I also removed all the bio balls because the guy from the LFS said they weren't any good. When I tested the water today the Nitrates are still higher than I would like. They are somewhere between 20 and 30ppm. I haven't had any fish in the tank for about 4 weeks. If I had some snails die will that raise the Nitrates? I have one sponge in my sump to gather all the large particles, should I remove it or just clean it frequently? My fish are doing great in the QT but I am anxious to put them in the Display tank. I am also ready to add some Zoandiths but the Nitrates are too high. Thanks for the help!
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
I think taking out the sponge would be a good idea. It probably isn't doing much. If you leave it rinse it very often (like every other day). Bioballs aren't bad, they just need to be cleaned. But most people don't use them.
How much live rock do you have in the tank?
You said you got a new skimmer, how long has it been running?
How often do you do water changes?
How long has it been since the tank has had fish? It needs to be a good 6-8 weeks. Glad to hear they are doing well in the QT, I'd keep them there as long as they aren't cramped until you get the nitrates under control, fish will just make it worse.
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
Yeah that is what I am planning on doing. The tank has been fish-less for 6 weeks now. I didn't do any water changes during those 6 weeks. I changed out 30 gallons on Sunday. The skimmer has been running for a week now and is pulling out some stuff but I can't image the bio load being that large. I have 110lbs of live rock in the tank now. I plan on doing another water change this weekend.
 
yannifish

yannifish

Active Member
No, your bioload isn't that high. Keep doing water changes, try to get in the habit of doing them every week or every other week, depending on how large they are and what your tank needs.
Are you using RODI water?
 
benztech858

benztech858

Member
Yes, I am using RODI water. With the nitrates between 10 and 20 can I add the fish now or should I wait until after the water change? I am really interested in purchasing a couple of zoanthids.
 
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