QT Project

[kevin34]

It is time for me to set up a QT. I have a 40g hex tank that I will be using and I want to put in a divider to have about 30g for fish and then a small 10g section to QT corals. The divider will be water tight so if I have a sick fish and need to do hypo or something the coral wont be affected. I was planning to just take a piece of acrylic or glass and use aquarium sealant to seal it into place. I will need a heater and filter on each side. I really like the stealth heaters but what filters would work best? Also since I am using it to QT corals I will need stronger lighting. Any suggestions on this? I dont want to spend a lot of money on this.

 

[scsinet]

I use the Whisper internal power filters with ceramic rings for media. Here's what I do...
I stick the ceramic rings in a mesh bag and drop them in the sump, where they build up bacteria. When it's time to break out the QT, I open the bag and fill a Whisper 10i filter up with them, and drop the filter in the QT. Insta cycle.
When done, I boil the rings and return them to the mesh bag in the sump to be rejuvinated.
The filters are like 15 bucks.

 

[kevin34]

How long do you keep the rings in the sump before they can be used for the QT?

 

[scsinet]

Well honestly I have no idea how long the "minimum" time period is... I usually only need the QT once every few months. My guess would be 4 weeks or so.
If that's too much time, just keep enough rings in the sump for a few loads of the filter.

 

[kevin34]

So I wont have to cycle the QT at all if I use this method? Even if I drain it, refill it with new saltwater, and then add the rings? They cycle would be done?

 

[scsinet]

Well I speak of my success using this method. Whether it will work for you I can't say for sure.
IMO it provides a minimal amount of biological filtration. Most QTs need to be set up hastily because something gets sick or you decide to buy a new fish spur of the moment, so it's certainly a better method than just sticking the fish into a box full of new seawater and doing massive water changes every day, hoping for the best...
When you also consider that most QTs are bare tanks with non-porous decor such as PVC pipe hunks, the porous media in whatever filter you use is really the only place that bacteria is going to colonize anyway, so if you use filter media that's already populated from your DT... theory tends to suggest that this idea will work as well.
I still do a 10% water change daily on the QTs when they are running, but by and large I haven't had any ammonia problems using this method. I am weary however of folks who tout their individual experiences as proven method, so I won't go that far. The method however does work for me.

 

[florida joe]

If you want to be really safe get or make to covers so you eliminate the rare possibility of cross contaminating the tanks