First fish in QT

[MarkW19]

I'm going to be putting a fish into QT for the first time on Thursday, and I've got a couple of questions...

I've got one of the small Fluval 2 Plus internal fitlers, and I'm currently seeding one of the 2 rectangular foam pads from it, in my main tank, by burying it in my live sand for 14 days, as suggested by a member of this forum.

1. When I take it out of the sand, it'll have a lot of sand on it. What's the best way to get all this sand off?? If I shake it, it'll all be floating around in my main tank, and even if I do that, there'll still be quite a bit of sand left on it, presumably?

2. Is it certain that I'll have enough bacteria on the one foam pad (I'll be combining it with the 2nd dry/unseeded foam pad in my QT tank) so I can just put it straight in the Fluval and start my QT tank running straight away (I'm also adding water from my main tank into the QT tank).

3. I'm considering using a black drinking mug, thoroughly rinsed out, as a hiding place for my fish. Will this be ok?

4. Is it ok to put a fish in the QT after it's been running for a few hours, to make sure everything's ok? Or should I wait a couple of days?

5. If everything goes ok with the fish, and I haven't used any meds, can I add another fish to put in QT again for another 4 weeks, straight after my fish comes out?

6. If I use meds, what do I have to do with the fluval pad before putting it back in my main tank again (to keep it seeded)? If I don't use meds, can I just put it straight back in?

I'm not using any substrate in the QT tank, and I'll be doing 30% water changes for the 4 weeks it's up, every 10 days or so.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[BillyZ]

1) Get a clean small bucket or large bowl, put enough of your tank water in it that you can easily fit the sponge and your hand under the water. put the filter sponge in the bucket and squeze it repeatedly and shake. this should remove most of the sand. IMO, burying in the sand is not necessary. Placed anywhere with a decent amount of water flow is all that is needed. Most folks simply place it where it belongs in the fluval as the pad is not needed during normal operations of the tank.

2)not certain, but chances are good. Using water from your tank is also a good idea. With any QT, constant water quality tests are a must. Do water changes as regularly as determined necessary by the tests.

3) as long as it's never been used for any harsh chemicals that should be fine. clean thuroughly.

4) IMO, I would give it at least 24 hours to be sure the filter, heater etc have all had a chance to "break in" and the temp will be constant.

5) It shouldn't matter too much. as long as the meds you used on the first fish are also safe for the second fish, it shouldn't matter much.

6) If you don't use meds you can put it straight back in the filter. If you do use meds, i'm not 100% of what you should do before replacing it in the fluval, if you even should. Depending on the meds you might just be better off tossing it and putting a fresh filter pad in the fluval, they're pretty cheap aren't they? (i dont have one so I dont know)

X) no substrate and regular water changes are the way to go!

good luck!

 

[quarryshark]

And Kudos to you for using qt!!!

 

[MarkW19]

Thanks for the help (and Kudos!)

Billy - will shaking and squeezing the sand off the pad not get rid of all the bacteria from it too, and just get the bacteria on my hands etc.??

Also, I haven't mixed enough saltwater to replace my main tank water with, if I'm also going to fill a large bowl (as well as my QT tank) to shake the sand off...

 

[quarryshark]

You can use new salt mix to fill part of your qt tank. As long as you acclimate your fish properly. It's what you will be using for you water changes anyway.

 

[BillyZ]

as long as you're not wringing out the sponge like a wet shirt, the bacteria should stay pretty well attached (it's microscopic after all). Yes, you'll get some one your hands, but... you've got some on your hands right now 8O so don't worry

yep, welcome to the hobby :? ... always have plenty of water on hand. I have a 30 gallon bin in the basement that is always full of RO water. When ever I need water for top offs or need to mix up salt water, I take what I need and turn the RO filter back on to replace what I took. You can get a rubbermaid or similar style bin at your local HW store for just a few bucks.