Quarantine or Guppy tank?

[ManicPenguin]

I just bought a used 10gal from Craigs and I am wondering how important a quarantine tank is.

I would like to set it up as a guppy tank, so I can put a betta in with my mollies and cories. However, I have read that many of you have Q tanks and I could set this 10 g up as a q tank.

If you advise that I use it as a Q tank, please tell me what a Q tank should or should not have...e.g. plants, gravel/sand, decorations, full-time(not Q) fish. etc.

thanks again!

oh, maybe I use the 10g as a sump tank to increase capacity on my 20 gal? i dunno.

cheers.

MP

 

[Masha]

Having a quarantine tank is extremely useful. So there's that.

On the other hand, if you prepare, you can set up a Q tank quite quickly without having to dedicate a tank for that purpose. Get a plastic bucket with see-through sides. Have a extra filter at hand that you can pop into the q tank when needed, and put an extra sponge into your existing filter that you can put into that extra filter, already seeded with beneficial bacteria. Heater and light will also be needed.

A classic quarantine tank has no gravel, as that makes it easier to keep clean and to treat for parasites like ich that hide in gravel. You should have some hiding places for fish - e.g. half a terra-cotta flower pot. I put some floating plants in mine as I think the fish like that too, but you can easily pull those out if the medication harms them.

See-through sides are useful so it's easier to inspect fish. A heater that can go high enough to treat for ich (32°C/89.5°F)

So you might not need to dedicate the 10g for quarantine.

 

[Jorik]

Having a quarantine tank is extremely useful. So there's that.

On the other hand, if you prepare, you can set up a Q tank quite quickly without having to dedicate a tank for that purpose. Get a plastic bucket with see-through sides. Have a extra filter at hand that you can pop into the q tank when needed, and put an extra sponge into your existing filter that you can put into that extra filter, already seeded with beneficial bacteria. Heater and light will also be needed.

A classic quarantine tank has no gravel, as that makes it easier to keep clean and to treat for parasites like ich that hide in gravel. You should have some hiding places for fish - e.g. half a terra-cotta flower pot. I put some floating plants in mine as I think the fish like that too, but you can easily pull those out if the medication harms them.

See-through sides are useful so it's easier to inspect fish. A heater that can go high enough to treat for ich (32°C/89.5°F)

So you might not need to dedicate the 10g for quarantine.

Make it a guppy tank

When one of my fish is sick I just put them in a tub with a heater and a pump thats all and of course medicine