QT/HT setup help

[mattvand]

OK, I tried to get by on the 'cheap' and not have a QT tank for my fish additions (I know, typical noob) and now I am paying the price, quite literally. Tank has been up and running for 6 months and up until 6 weeks ago the only fish I had in were some ill-tempered damsels. Damsels taken out except the only mild-mannered one (yellowtail) and added gradually over last 6 weeks clown, scooter blenny, cleaner wrasse, coral beauty and royal gramma. The gramma started showing Ick 6 days ago and I just lost it today. The coral beauty (been in tank one week now) is showing spots and I believe I can see a spot or two on the clown.
I just got a 20 gal. QT setup today but it will take time to cycle, so I added the cleaner shrimp and using garlic extract to help keep Ick at bay while the QT catches up and the coral beauty is already attending the cleaning station
Questions are:
1. Can I put fish in the QT/HT before it cycles if I perform regular pwc's and if so, how often do pwc's need to be done?
2. How long do I need to let the DT sit w/o fish for the Ick to completely cycle out?
3. I am assuming I still need to run filters in DT to keep inverts/rocks healthy while fish are away?
4. What product (brand names would be helpful) do I need to get to treat fish in the QT/HT?
Thanks for any input you can provide!

 

[scsinet]

Assuming that is your tank in the picture, it looks like all your decor is fake.
Ergo, you are a perfect candidate for hyposalinity treatment. Unless you have too many inverts to provide alternative housing for, you can simply treat the whole DT at once and knock it out that way, without needing a QT (though you should continue setting the one you have up...).
Invertebrates like corals, anemones, clams, shrimp, feather dusters, crabs, urchins, stars, or snails would not survive the treatment. They would need to be removed. If all you have is the cleaner, you could consider returning him to the LFS, or finding someone with another tank that can hold him for you.
So... what kind of inverts do you have besides the shrimp?
Alternatively, you can take a bunch of that fake decor out of the main tank and put it in your QT system. That will provide enough of a biological filtration baseline for your inverts to survive in there while you treat the main system with hypo.

 

[geridoc]

If you do have to remove your fish to the new QT, keep a bottle of Amquel Plus on hand and as soon as the ammonium levels begin to rise treat the tank exactly as directed on the bottle. Amquel Plus detoxifies nitrogen wastes while permitting the nitrogen-consuming bacteria to develop normally, cycling your tank without killing the fish.

 

[mattvand]

I've got 35 lbs of live rock that has a nice bloom of purple and green coralline algae on it along with the 3 syntheitc coral structures sitting over a 2" aragonite and crushed coral mix substrate. Inverts include: 3 turbos, 2 nassarius, 3 bumblebees, 1 cc star, 4 blueleg hermits, 2 emerald crabs and one porcelain crab in addition to the cleaner shrimp.
Hypo probably won't be my best option since I'd like to keep that friggin' expensive rock going.