Size for a quarantine tank.

[reef diver]

Can you tell me how big a qurantine tank should be? Is a nano 10 gallon tank okay, if all fish and inverts that ill be keeping are small and the maximum size will be 5 inches? Id like your input.

I bow to you all!

 

[granny]

HA HA!!
My quarantine tank is a 29-but that is just because I found a nice used one inexpensively to use. Tanks are not expensive and the small tanks are pretty easy to maintain. personally, I would go with a larger tank if you have room and you can spare a few extra dollars. Your fish will be in this tank for several weeks-and if you ever have to use it to treat disease, they could be there for six weeks or so. A 5 inch fish would be just too cramped in a 10 gallon, especially if it is a swmmer like a wrasse or angel.
Could you do a 20 long? Really shouldnt cost you more than a few dollars more since you arent aquascaping it. I have a little crushed coral in the bottom of mine, a few pieces of tufa rock and a fake piece of coral just to give it some color. a small submersible heater and one of the biowheel filters that I keep running all the time.
You dont need a light-would probaly want a top so you done lose anyone.

 

[sinner's girl]

20 long are cheap at walmart, if you were here I'd give you one, some how, we always have them. Mother-in-law has another she's throwing away.
What size tank will you have (sorry, still don't remember), what fish do you want? I wouldn't qt a tang or any large fish in a 10 or 20. Small fish, clowns, goby, wrasse, damsel, ect would be fine (as long as they were qt'd 1 or 2 at a time).
You won't have to keep the qt running all the time, set it up and cycle it, then once your done adding fish to your dt, you can take it down. and just set it back up if you need it.
However, a hospital tank should be big enough to hold all your fish if you need to. (like for an ich outbreak or something where you can't treat your main tank). That's one reason I only keep a few fish in my 75gl. Some people keep qt/hospital always running.

 

[reef diver]

my fish will be small, the largest is 5 inches, im just looking for one of those that comes with it's own filtration, so I only have to buy a heater, and small stuff like that, i dont exactly have room, my dt is in my room, which is about 15sqd feet, and a computer, with a desk, my bed, and of course, the tank. I might have room, but im not sure, what are the 20-long dimensions, and are the ones at walmart equippetd already with a filtration, lighting etc.?
All walmarts are basically generic, all carrying the same basic products.
I live in a small town, so i do not have access to an lfs

 

[sinner's girl]

you won't need lighting, but yeah, they sell the kits, or just the tanks...could you keep a qt in another room in the house?
How about you sell your bed and sleep in a sleeping bag? that'll give you more room, and then you can get a bigger tank!

with no lfs, you'll need to order your food online, walmart doesn't sell the right foods. Those bloodworms and flakes may work in a pinch, not long term (though, my clowns loved the bloodworms). I have to drive to get real food.
If you have a ***** anywhere near, they'll have them too, ours is having a sale, so is the webpage, but you'd have to pay shipping...

 

[reef diver]

denvers only 45 min away, and like phixer mentioned in another of my threads, sherman tanks is there, and theres nothing like buying in quantity, nad anyway, it seems that many of the things on my list fish wize will eat shrim, and my dad owns nad operates a restaurant, that serves fresh shrim, not to mention sushi night, so i have plenty of things around my house to make my own foods, with a little trip to sherman tanks of course. do you think that a bag with a fish or two will last from hserman tanks 45 min to an hour up to hwere i live, and i just mean by time not by location exactly.

 

[reef diver]

oh yeah if ur there can u tell me wether i need substrate in my quarantine especially, if im gonna drain it and put it away when i dont use it?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Reef Diver
oh yeah if ur there can u tell me wether i need substrate in my quarantine especially, if im gonna drain it and put it away when i dont use it?
No need for substrate in a QT tank. :happyfish