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!
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!