Got a qt tank

ASH

Active Member
So I finally broke down and got a qt tank....found one at petsmart for $50 but went to my LFS first too see if they had one and they did but it was like $75. But since i'm such a loyal customer (lol)...they matched the price at petsmart.

So someone tell me again all I need to set this thing up....I have tank, heater power filters, hood and water....anything else?
 

kyle1284

Well-Known Member
perhaps some cheep lighting so that they arnt left in the dark all the time? :) but it sounds like u got something goin just make sure there is a sponge type of media in the power filter .... the next W/C you do on your main tank, take some water from it and put it in the QT tank it could speed up things as far as cycling goes... any more questions feel free to ask! :)
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Watch the cycle closely on the qt tank.
If you plan to put fish in it any time soon you will need to do a lot of water changes. Do a large change any time you see any amonia on the test.
The only other thing I can think of would be some simple pieces of pvc pipe for the fish to hide in. Also most qt tanks are kept dark and somewhat secluded to reduce stress on the fish.
Good Luck
 

ASH

Active Member
I have a hood with lights came with it....i have to do a water change today so your saying take the water from my main tank and put in my qt tank???
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I don't see any reason why not as long as the levels in the main tank are good. If you have high nitrates or something then I would start fresh with NSW. Very little of the benificial bacteria lives in the water column. It is mostly in the rock and the substrate.
 

kyle1284

Well-Known Member
yeah it could add some of the benificial bacteria to the sponge or media.... what i did was place a sponge in my main tank for a month then take the whole waterchange from the main tank and place it in the QT the presto change O, you got a tank that is cycled in about a week after a 50 percent water change.
 

ASH

Active Member
k and the thing about the lights......you said darkness means lower stress so how long should i have lights on. or should i have them on at all???
 

kyle1284

Well-Known Member
well during feeding for sure :)but it varies... i run mine for 4 to 5 hours a day one other thing to entice them to feed and strengthen their immune system is to feed them garlic extreme
 

Melanie

Well-Known Member
Congrats on getting a QT Ash! :thumbup:

I really love my QT and it has saved my fish several times. I went with light, then no light, then light again. I only have the light now because I put chaeto in there to help w/the nitrate problem. If I didn't have a plant in there, I would use ambient window/room light for the reasons that lynn said. You might find that the light raises your tank temp too high.

Some tips that might be useful:
  • use the same salt water mix at the same salinity, keep the temperature exactly the same, feed at the same time as the DT, lights at the same time (if you use them), etc.
  • consider using no substrate because it's easier to keep clean
  • get a new turkey baster for use only in your QT and clean detritus off of the floor of the QT often (at LEAST weekly)
  • QT one fish at a time and keep him in there for a minimum of 2 weeks (preferably more) so you can watch to see that he is healthy and eats well
  • remember you will still have to acclimate the fish to the DT as if you just purchased him.
My QT but you don't have to set it up like this:
010.jpg

I have a skimmer and a HOB filter (with no media), PC light, egg crate cover, heater, digital thermometer, and a powersweep powerhead. I also put a little less than 10 lbs. of LR in there and a handful of chaeto because I've had high nitrates in that tank. There are two tiny hermits and one astraea snail and my current resident the royal gramma. It's a 10 gallon.
 

ASH

Active Member
I didn't think you were supposed to have live rock in qt? thanks for everyone's input. We just got the fish in there gonna treat them with copper in about an hour...
 

AQTCJAK

RS Sponsor
copper is not an effective treatment. I would look into other things copper will stay in the sylicone of the tank forever & leach
 

ASH

Active Member
That's all i've been hearing is use copper that's the whole reason i got the damn QT tank b/c you couldn't use copper in the big tank cuz it would hurt the inverts. Sorry for getting so upset but I just didn't have the money to get the qt tank but did it b/c everyone said i needed too.
 

AQTCJAK

RS Sponsor
Treat in you QT tank is correct just dont use copper it is very harsh & has long term effects on any tank. What are you trying to treat for with out me going back through the thread
 

Melanie

Well-Known Member
Ok, a hospital tank and quarrantine tank are not always the same thing. If you are using this as a hospital tank to use medication (like copper), you do not want to put LR in there or hermits or snails. Mine is merely for holding a fish for a few weeks of observation. I don't use meds in there.

I'll defer to someone who DOES use a hospital tank and disregard what I said about everything.:away:
 

AQTCJAK

RS Sponsor
Here is some info how to treat ich fast & easy

One of the simplest and fastest ways to reduce and eliminate the numbers of all types of ich organisms, as well as flukes and lice that are parasitic on saltwater fishes is to give them a quick freshwater dip or bath. This method of hyposalinity is very effective, takes little time to prepare for, and is strongly recommended as the first step in treating ich diseased fish prior to placing them into a QT for long term treatment with the proper medication for what ails them.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Less than 10 minutes
Here's How:
Fill a plastic container of choice with an appropriate source of freshwater, such as RO/DI filtered water. If you have no choice but to use tap water, be sure to dechorlinate it first.

To prevent unnecessary shock and stress, try to match the pH and temperature of the freshwater to that of the aquarium water the fish will be removed from.

To prevent ammonia from building up in the treatment water, add an ammonia eliminating product. AmQuel by Kordon is highly recommended for this purpose, and it is a dechlorinate as well (shop & compare prices).

Although an optional step, it is recommended that some type of antibiotic medication be added to the treatment water as well. Because fish will be confined in a small amount of water, probably with other fish, the freshwater will cause them to expel waste, which in turn will most likely foul up the water. A nitrofurazone based product works well to help protect the fish from being exposed to their own waste during the procedure.

Keep the water vigorously aerated during treatment. The simplest way to do this is to insert an air stone into the container.

Remove all the fish from the infected aquarium and place them into the freshwater. If you have a large number of fish to treat, do not overcrowd the container. You can do small groups at a time, changing the water after each group has been treated.

For the best results fish should remain in the freshwater for a duration of 3 to 4 minutes. If any fish is showing signs of undue stress after a minute or two, remove it.
Tips:
If when you initially put the fish in the freshwater they settle to the bottom on their sides and do not move about, don't worry, they usually upright themselves and start moving around within about the first minute. If concerned you can nudge them a little bit to stimulate movement, and if any fish looks to be overly stressed, remove it.

Sometimes during the dip/bath the water can become extremely fouled with waste. By making up and setting some extra treatment water aside it can be used to do water changes during the procedure if this occurs.

If you do not plan to quaratine new fish prior to placing them into the main aquarium, and as long as there are no signs of stress from being in transit, it doesn't hurt to give them a quick freshwater dip or bath as a preventative measure.
 

cheeks69

Wannabe Guru
RS STAFF
That's all i've been hearing is use copper that's the whole reason i got the damn QT tank b/c you couldn't use copper in the big tank cuz it would hurt the inverts. Sorry for getting so upset but I just didn't have the money to get the qt tank but did it b/c everyone said i needed too.

You are correct no invert will survive a treatment with copper or hyposalinity. Copper is very effective at treating Marine Ich and Marine Velvet and if this is going to be strictly a QT then I wouldn't worry about inverts . There are some fish that are very sensitive to copper and should be treated with hyposalinity instead. I recommend you do some reading such as the links I posted and here are some more:

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part I by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Marine Ich/Cryptocaryon irritans - A Discussion of this Parasite and the Treatment Options Available, Part II by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

Aquarium Fish

Aquarium Fish
 

ASH

Active Member
So basically I just take my fish (Royal Gramma, Clown, Chromis, Domino Damsel 3 striped Damsel and Goby) put them in a bowl with freshwater for 3 or so mins then put them back in the Qt tank. Is that right?
 
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