some questions about hospital tank?

[albionpo]

Hey there...I'm going to set up a QT/hospital tank now and I've done a search here and read everything I could but I'm still a little confused about the cycle aspect. Do I need to completely cycle this tank? If so, how do you recommend I do it? bacteria in a bottle? Also, I have an old powerhead with a sponge filter...will this be enough? or do I need to add my old whisper 3000 as well? The tank will be 10 gallons...Thanks for any help on this!

 

[beth]

I setup my 20 gal QT using a few pieces of dead coral heads that had been in my my main tank for some time [making them live], distilled water, 1200 maxiejet PH and my old fluval which just has some carbon in it. For convenience, I just do water changes by changing the water in the canister.
If you have some LR or cycled rocks, you can add these to the QT. But, if you use the tank with meds, LR should be removed. Don't add substrate, but do shield the bottom of the tank [paint black for instance]. I don't like sponge filters unless you claen them very often. They can become nitrate factorys. Good surface water movement is essential. I now also have a prizm skimmer on this tank.
Bare bones, but never went thru a cycle and works just fine.

 

[albionpo]

Thanks for your quick response, Beth! Okay. So, I'll use distilled water, paint the bottom black, throw my old whisper 3000 on there with some carbon packs, put in my power head near the top for surface agitation, toss in some PVC pipe for hiding...and this should be fine? I don't really have any LR to spare right now...Do people really use these tanks w/o cycling them? Thanks for your advice...Also, while I'm here, I was wondering if high nitrites ( I'm on the down side of my nitrogen cycle ) would cause my little green chromis to jerk or twitch every now & then? I'm hoping this is just water poisoning and will go away soon...Sorry so long and thanks for all your help!!

 

[beth]

In the absence of cycled rocks, your tank will go thru a cycle. My tank had the porous, cycled, living dead coral heads. That gave it what it needed not to cycle. If you are going to establish a totally cleaned tank from scratch, then you will need something to cycle the water. Try a bit of raw shrimp to get the cycle going. Don't put any fish in the tank until the tank is cycled. You can also use 50% water from your main tank if it is good water quality and hasn't been exposed to disease.
Yes nitrite will indeed cause your fish to twitch, as well as die. Nitrite is toxic to fish, and fish should never be exposed to it.
Also, paint the outside underside of your tank. Not the inside bottom....for obvious reasons.
[ October 05, 2001: Message edited by: Beth ]

 

[albionpo]

Thanks for the help, Ladies....You're both such a HUGE help on this board, I really appreciate you taking time to answer my questions...I'll set up my Qt using 50% water from the main, sponge filter soaking in main for biological...maybe a little piece of raw shrimp? some PVC for hiding, a whisper filter and a power head for circulation...Does that sound like a good setup? So, I guess you have to cycle this tank every time you use it? Does the sponge become a carrier of disease? Tx for all your help!