Stupid question

[dazoc]

I am wondering if a FW sponge filter can be used to setup a SW q.t. tank. Ill effects? Bacteria compatable? Any possable disease transfer problems. In a bind for tank space and would like to jumpstart a QT tank for new fish. I am completly new to SW and allready bit off a little too much.
Thanks,
Dazoc

 

[ice4ice]

Be safe than sorry. Use new ones.

 

[michaeltx]

iut wont jump start anyhting it will cause the bacteria to die off before and then get repopulated but its best to go ahead and replace them from the start,
Mike

 

[saltn00b]

you are starting in the right direction with getting yourself a QT tank , so Kudos to you!!! as mikeTX said , that bact. will die and then SW bact, will have to form. you can only 'jump start' tanks with existing SW tank materials. sounds like you have a bio wheel or something, so just replace the filter pad and you are good to go. also make sure you have enough Flow so you dont get cyano and if you cycle it with LR or something , make sure to eventually take out any calcerous substances such as LR and LS so it breaks the ich cycle.

 

[dazoc]

Thanks everyone for the quick responce.
Not so fast on the Kudos. I was asking to try to save myself from the giant mistake I already made. And not have to bear my stupidity for all to see..
Here's the story....
Bought a 90 gal. complete setup from a guy that was moving for $100.
My wife was at a fish store and bought salt for me.. First mistake $70 for a 160 gal mix... She also bought me a yellow tang just because she likes me I guess, and it was cheap. Here comes the second mistake. Tang goes in the 90, 3 weeks later every thing is going well, so I place a good sized order for fish that arrive today. Needless to say yellow tang breaks out with Ick 1 1/2 days ago and I have nothing to seed my qt tank because my main tank has Ick. Now I will most likelly have to pull the fish in the 90 out to treat with hypo., and another tank for QT, and run the 90 with fishless. BTW the 90 is to be run without fish for 6 weeks?
Sorry for the long story but maybe someone will have some insight, will take any suggestions I can get.
Thanks once again,
Dazoc

 

[saltn00b]

depending on how many fish you are getting and the size of that YT, and the size of your QT, i would consider putting them all in the QT and Hypo them all. when you get new fish you are supposed to basically assume they have ich and do hypo to them for the QT period to back up that assumption. now if you only have a 10g with 3 or 4 large fish you are gonna have problems, you also are going to go through a lot of water dropping and raising the salinity while doing water changes to keep a new tank from cycling with all the ammonia from an overstocked 10g + QT.
you should also think about only adding 2 fish at a time, once a month, so you can properly qt, and give your DT time to adjust to the new bioload.

 

[ice4ice]

Yep - don't add all your fishes at the same time. It will cause a alot of stress on the fish plus the tank won't get themselves a chance to balance itself out. I'd say adding 1 fish at a time is better with additional fishes a few weeks apart.