Help with quarantine tank for blue rams.. - they're in!

[elliott_001]

I have decided to give blue rams a try. Im thinking of buying a pair. Im also planning to quarantine them for about 2 weeks. I have never done this to new fish before introducing them to main tank, but i'm aware of blue rams sensitivity to water parameters and so on.

I have a small plastic tank i can use to quarantine, i have an air stone, filter and thermostat. The filter media is always in my brothers large external filter to keep it 'cycled', so i will just whip it of there and put it in the small tank filter.

I know qt tanks are normally minimalistic, but what should i add to keep the rams happy?? I have some fake plants i could use, or some live ones from my tank, an ornament, or cave? No substrate?

TIA.

[aquakev]

you could put small amounts of substrate in the tank, just so they feel more comfertable, but it may not be neccisary. The one thing that I would recomend highly is to make sure that the tank is at least 10 us gallons. I tried to keep a breeding pair of blue rams in a 5g temporarily (no onger than 7 days) while they bread but it freaked them out and I could tell that they were gong down hill fast in that tank. In a ten gallon they did fine and spawned. and you could always put something in their for them to hide around to make them nnot feel like they are out in the open.

[elliott_001]

Thanks for the advice, i will add some sand. I dont have anything as large as 10 gal, id say its more like 5! but im not sure.

[TomK2]

A hospital or QT need not be fancy or expensive, and can also serve breeding purposes. Since I got a new digital camera just before I made one, I have some pics at:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomstank/to...s/page0019.htm

Also, sponges over an established tanks intake tube are really easy to move into a QT and can hold a pretty good bio-filter too. If you have the time, I would put a sponge over the established tanks intake for a month, then move that with some colonized biomedia over tot the QT when the time comes. If the fish ends up needing any kind of treatment, throw out the QT biomedia and sterilize the sponge for re-use.

I understand that you are trying to stick with the equipment you have, but 5 gal is kinda small for a QT. But it is better than nothing if you have a sick fish!

[elliott_001]

Yeah my brother had a really sick yoyo loach, which we brought back to full health over about a month in this tank. I would like to get a cheap qt/hospital tank, but yes, i am trying to make do, i dont really have the space for a larger, more perminant tank.
Is the fact that this tank is rather small going to stress the rams furthur and reduce the survival chances? Would i be better off just adding to the community tank?? I assume apart from possibly introducing disease to the community, the rams could also be stressed by other established fish in the tank?
What do you think i should do?
Thanks

[TomK2]

I have to admit, I have mostly just added fish to the tank without a QT. And I haven't had a case of Ich in many,many years. I have had new additions get into trouble and moved them into the QT for isolation, not for treatment (they were being picked on and weren't eating, and motivated me to get the QT and set it up ). I have moved aggressors into the QT to "chill out". But so far, my QT has never been used to prevent a contagious disease.

That being said, now that I have one ready to use, I would use it next time. My last fish acquisition was a skunk loach that was hidden in the leaves of a plant I bought. It was found gasping in the bottom of the bag without water when I got home, I didn't have time to get the QT running.

I really can't comment on Rams, I never had one. But, a 10 gal tank is not that large, and rather cheap too. Plus it is still small enough to use without a stand (just a flat, stable surface), and filters for it would be cheap, if you can't use the filter for your 5 gal set-up. But rather than harp about the QT size, I would give it a try with the 5 gal set-up but with only one fish at a time. When it comes down to shoosing between 2 weeks in a cramped QT versus trying to treat an entire 30 gal community tank, I would try the small QT first.

[elliott_001]

Did the skunk loach survive? Is it still on it's own? Or did you get more?

I just really do not have space for a 10gal, the small tank i have set up is in a temp spot, i have made way for it by stacking my stereo up in the corner of my room!!

Im gonna go ahead with using this small tank, see how it goes, they shouldnt need to be in there too long, about 2 weeks? Or can i go for less than that?

[Japola44]

you might also want to consider the pH of the tanks waters. My 55gal has just now settled at 7.2 and not to long ago was 8.0. I'm planning on getting a pair of rams for my 50gal. How ever i don't plan to qt them. Reason being my 50gal's pH will be around 6.5, because of CO2 injection. It woul probably be far less stress to just add them to my tank insted of having a huge pH fluctuation.

[elliott_001]

My pH is always very high, around 8.5 - 9. I cant really do much about that, ive asked about it the lfs, they have the same water parameters.

Im actually thinking more towards adding them straight to the 30gal, and not bothering with the QT.

I just carried out some pH tests.

Community 30Gal - 8.0-8.2
Small Qt - 8.0
Tap - 7.4!

Thats the lowest ive ever seen the tap pH! I filled the small qt tank with water from my 30Gal.

[TomK2]

You have to test your tap water after it has set out overnight. Co2 equilibration can alter the pH. If your tap water is still much lower after sitting out at night, then you have substrate or rock in your tank that is raising the pH. Ie: crushed coral or limestone.

Yes, the skunk loach - stowaway is still doing fine all by itself. I already have all the bottom dwellers I want, so I haven't gotten anymore.

2 weeks is the generally accepted quarantine time. If you treat for disease, then two weeks after treament is over.