Quarantine Tank

[fishyscientist]

So, I have let my DT tank fully cycle (~3-4 weeks). Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5-10ppm. I added the CuC crew yesterday (snails, hermits, peppermint shrimp, brittle star, emeralds, etc.) Everyone seems to be doing ok, and when I get home, I'll check the params to make sure the nitrates haven't risen too much. Before adding the CuC, I took some water from the DT, and added it to a 20 gal tank with plastic rocks, etc for a QT. I filled the rest of the QT with fresh saltwater, added a HOB filter and power heads, and I've been letting that run for several days. I also took a sponge, and put it in the HOB filter of my DT to collect good bacteria to eventually put into my QT. The water params in the QT are ok right now but I haven't added the sponge to it. When is it safe to get a fish, and quarantine it? And when do I add the sponge to the QT?

I couldn't find any threads that say exactly how to do this! Thanks in advance!

 

[fishyscientist]

Nobody has any advice on quarantine tanks?

 

[jstdv8]

if you are going to have a cycle it won't occur until you add something with ammonia in it, like fish waste. I'd add the filter now, let it buck for a day or two and then add fish, teast every day for ammonia for the first week,ifnone appears you should be in the clear.
The water by itself will not start a cylce, it needs ammonia, fish waste,real ammonia, dead dinner shrimp, urine,pick your poison.

 

[aquaknight]

Are you going for a strictly barebones QT, just the tank, heater, sponge, and some PVC (hideouts for the fish)? Or more of a "holding tank" with a piece of LR or a few, and maybe a chump of chaeto?
In a barebones QT, one you would treat diseases in, there's essentially no place for aerobic bacteria to grow, other then the sponge (it does grow other places but is such a minuscule amount don't worry about it). So as long as the tank is running for a little bit before the fish is added, that's all you need. If you haven't added anything to the tank to cause the levels to rise, they won't rise. In a QT some of bioload will be handled by the sponge, but the bulk of the water parameters being kept in check, will be taken care of through water changes. Especially if you do treat with medication.
If the sponge is running on your DT, it is handling a bioload, which would only make sense to add to the QT a little bit before you add the fish (since there is no load on the QT, the filterjust needs to settle for a few hours). The night before or so.
About the sponge, it is a 'proper' sponge filter, that water somehow (air pump, powerhead) flows through? Just a sponge sitting the tank isn't going to cut it. Google sponge filters and there should be a myriad of info.

 

[srfisher17]

I've always used a similar QT set up. I prefer Aqua-Clear HOB filters---just because the sponge is fairly big. If the sponge has been in the flow of an ACTIVE system; it will instantly cycle your DT. But, it sounds like your DT really hasn't cycled unless an ammonia source has been used (as mentioned above). Have you used anything to your cycling DT, like a dead shrimp? This would have produced a jump in ammonia. If not, there is no food source for the bacteria to feed on and you will probably have a dangerous ammonia spike as soon as you put in your fish.
Once you are in the routine; never return the sponge to your DT system after being used in the QT. They're cheap, I just toss them out and always keep a spare sponge in the flow of a DT. This will make the QT instantly available if you need it for QT or a hospital tank.

 

[fishyscientist]

Thanks for y'all's comments!
I cycled my DT with a dead shrimp, and let that go for a few weeks. The cycle is complete now. So, I added a regular old unused, clean, sponge (read this somewhere) to by HOB filter in my DT. It has been in there for several days too. Is this not ok to do? And I guess if it IS ok to do, can I just add that to my QT a few days before getting a fish?
My QT just has some plastic rocks, an HOB and power heads (getting heaters soon, but the temp is high enough as it is). I don't plan on adding any LR or LS because I want to use it as a QT before adding fish to the DT but also if I need to treat fish too.

 

[srfisher17]

Sounds good, but put the sponge from the DT into the QT filter at the last minute. The longer its in the DT, the more bacteria it will culture. In a bare QT, there is no ammonia to feed it. You're also right about the LR; never use it in QT. A QT set-up should never have anything that can't be discarded or sterilized; that's why odd PVC pieces are so popular. They give the fish good places to hide and can be boiled between uses, if needed.. The big thing is to never move anything from the QT to the DT, except the fish & other livestock. (I QT everything, even snails.)

 

[fishyscientist]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3266608
Sounds good, but put the sponge from the DT into the QT filter at the last minute. The longer its in the DT, the more bacteria it will culture. In a bare QT, there is no ammonia to feed it. You're also right about the LR; never use it in QT. A QT set-up should never have anything that can't be discarded or sterilized; that's why odd PVC pieces are so popular. They give the fish good places to hide and can be boiled between uses, if needed.. The big thing is to never move anything from the QT to the DT, except the fish & other livestock. (I QT everything, even snails.)
Thanks so much for your reply! I think I will get a fish this weekend!!! I'm not sure what to start with. I want to stock my tank with 2 clowns, a sixline wrasse, a blenny, and a goby. I don't know which one I should add first (and which one is the hardiest). Any suggestions?

 

[srfisher17]

Just one more comment on the QT; as this will be the first test of cycling the QT with a seeded sponge---be sure to watch ammonia in the QT closely after you add the 1st fish.

 

[fishyscientist]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3266751
Just one more comment on the QT; as this will be the first test of cycling the QT with a seeded sponge---be sure to watch ammonia in the QT closely after you add the 1st fish.
Thanks for the advice!!! What do I do if the ammonia DOES go up in my QT?

 

[srfisher17]

Water changes and you can use something like Ammo-Lock to neutralize ammonia. If the sponge has been allowed to culture bacteria, it should. always work well. You can always test the sponge in the DT with a dead fresh shrimp. Allow the ammonia to rise a bit, put the sponge from the DT into the QT filter---it should remove the ammonia/nitrite.

 

[fishyscientist]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3266886
Water changes and you can use something like Ammo-Lock to neutralize ammonia. If the sponge has been allowed to culture bacteria, it should. always work well. You can always test the sponge in the DT with a dead fresh shrimp. Allow the ammonia to rise a bit, put the sponge from the DT into the QT filter---it should remove the ammonia/nitrite.
Well, I already threw the dead shrimp away! But I will test for ammonia after I add a fish, and do water changes (I have enough to do this a couple of times if need be). Any advice on which fish to add first?

 

[srfisher17]

You're in New Orleans, everyone sells shrimp...a dead, uncooked crayfish will work too. (I moved from the MS Coast after Katrina and really miss crayfish boils!) I'll wait for the small fish experts to chime in on the fish. Just be sure the clowns are the same species and introduce them together as juvis, if possible. there have been questions from lots of folks lately who have mixed clown species; and that is usually a disaster, especially in small tanks.

 

[fishyscientist]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3267091
You're in New Orleans, everyone sells shrimp...a dead, uncooked crayfish will work too. (I moved from the MS Coast after Katrina and really miss crayfish boils!) I'll wait for the small fish experts to chime in on the fish. Just be sure the clowns are the same species and introduce them together as juvis, if possible. there have been questions from lots of folks lately who have mixed clown species; and that is usually a disaster, especially in small tanks.
Well, I tested for ammonia after adding the sponge, and it was 0! So, I went to the LFS, and talked to them about the fish. They said that ocellaris clowns are more peaceful than the others and the most hardy on my stock list, so I got two! I'm acclimating right now! I'm going to test the ammonia levels tomorrow morning, and do a water change if neccessary! I'm excited!

 

[srfisher17]

Sure the ammonia will be zero; there is nothing in the QT to produce ammonia. The clowns are a good choice and, assuming they are small, will almost certainly turn into a mated pair. The female will be the bigger one. Clowns can handle more ammonia than most fish, but it still burns their gills---so watch ammonia as you said. I'm just not sure the sponge has built up enough bacteria--but the aerobic bacteria multiplies very rapidly when ammonia is present for it to feed on. Good luck!

 

[fishyscientist]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3267141
Sure the ammonia will be zero; there is nothing in the QT to produce ammonia. The clowns are a good choice and, assuming they are small, will almost certainly turn into a mated pair. The female will be the bigger one. Clowns can handle more ammonia than most fish, but it still burns their gills---so watch ammonia as you said. I'm just not sure the sponge has built up enough bacteria--but the aerobic bacteria multiplies very rapidly when ammonia is present for it to feed on. Good luck!
Thanks! I'm going to measure ammonia every day for the first few days. I thought about putting another sponge in the DT to soak up more bacteria to add to the QT in a week or so. Do you recommend this to add to the filtration?

 

[jstdv8]

the more benficial bacteria you have the less likley to get an ammonia spike

 

[fishyscientist]

I tested the water 2 days in a row after adding the fish, and no ammonia!!