Hospital Tank setup question

[hnf2k]

im in the process of setting up my hospital tank because im almost ready to add another fish. i got a hangon wet/dry filter with a skimmer built in. i put 30 gallons of water in(it's a 30 gallon tank). now does this tank have to cycle? if i throw in raw uncooked shrimp, i still have no dsb or live rock or anything to build up denitrifying bacteria. so can i just put water in and it's good to go? can someone please clarify on howto setup a hospital tank and not tell me to search the forums, i tried that and couldnt find the info i needed. thanks in advance.

 

[beth]

The tank is not going to really cycle with just the water from the main tank, unless your filter has already been cycled. Has it?
I usually put in a bit of sand from my tank [about 1 cup or so] to assist with a cycle. Make sure you you pick out any worms, detitrivores that are in the sand and return them to the main tank so that they won't die. In a addition to this, do the raw shrimp, then use your test kits to see how the cycle is progressing.

 

[hnf2k]

no the filter hasn't cycled. my sand bed probably isn't live yet as i have a new tank. still should i take 1 cup of sand and throw in a shrimp?

 

[beth]

I'm sure the sand has some bacteria on it, and it will also provide some surface space for additional colonies to grow. Just a cupful.