New and confused

Okay, so I am new... and impatient... and yes, paying for it$$$
I lost everything in my tank about 2 weeks ago... due to a horrible ICK outbreak (Everybody was scratching and driving me nuts).
Had to set up an emergency HT to try to save my clowns... but too late... they are no longer with me.
Anyway, my confusion is this:
I used water from my MT to set up my emergency HT because it had to be done quickly... I didn't put any substrate or LR in the HT because I thought I had read a few posts suggesting NOT to do so. Now, I scan through and see that I SHOULD have added some of the substrate & LR from my MT... :eek:
BUTTTTTTTT....
If I need to do Hyposalinity in the HT, won't this hurt the LR in there?
I just added 3 little bitty green chromis to this HT... is it going to cycle again?
I am so confused... I think I need to set up a HT for my HT.
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
 

mr . salty

Active Member
You have the right idea with your HT..A HT is supposed to be a low stress,low light tank to treat your fish in...This means adding medications to the tank...Most medications will affect(if not kill) the nitrafying bacteria the tank,so adding substrate and live rock is really a waste of good rock and sand...Most HT's are empty except for something for the fish to sleep in like a small clay pot or something similar...
When you have fish in this HT,the water needs to be checked daily,,and water changes are used to control the ammo and nitrite...Once treatment of the fish is compleate the tank can be taken down till the next time you need it..
Now if you are setting this tank up to keep it going,as you suggest by adding fish and asking about a cycle,,,Then what you are actually seting up is a Quarenteen(sp?) tank...This tank should have some sort of substrate and rock to keep a bio system going...Otherwise everytime you add a fish it will recycle...
 
Thank you!
Okay... now I understand... the difference between HT & QT... I was thinking they were one and the same...
The 3 chromis I placed in the 'HT' yesterday died... :mad: :mad: :mad:
The LFS said they had just got them in... I guess the fact that several were dead in the tank should have been my first clue NOT to buy them... oh well, at least they were CHEAP!!!!
Thanks again for your help...
:D
 

gregzbobo

Member
Only thing I would change about what Mr Salty (only a suggestion :) ) said about a hospital tank is the clay pot part. I would instead use some leftover PVC fittings for the smaller animals, and some sort of plastic cup or something similar for larger ones. The clay pot will disintigrate (over time) in the water, releasing nasty junk into the tank you don't want.
 

mr . salty

Active Member

Originally posted by gregzbobo
The clay pot will disintigrate (over time) in the water, releasing nasty junk into the tank you don't want.

This could be true if the pot was left in a tank for like 10 years or so.And even then,what Nasty junk could possibly be released???It 's only a clay pot!!!
..But remember,,,A "HT" is a temp setup.So the pot would only be in there for a few weeks to a month...But the other options you mentioned would work perfectly fine also....
 

gregzbobo

Member
Right now the only two things I can think of that might be of harm are cadmium and lead. There may be more, but then again, there may not. But who knows, it IS just a clay pot, I just don't think a 50 cent pot is worth the life of a 50 dollar fish, thats all. The risk IS admittedly smal, but the risk IS there.
 

mr . salty

Active Member
Asyou said,,May be,,,maybe not. But this is what I have used Many many times without a single problem...But if I ever need to set one up and can't find my trusty ole clay pot,,, I will use one of the options you listed...
 
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