Fish in QT

[CiRXSi]

This is for those of you that have a QT tank consistently running. Do you have fish in there on a constant basis, to help keep the tank cycled? Or once it's cycled, do you not need fish? If so, what kind of fish would be good that won't get lonely? I'll be setting up a 10 gal.

 

[Strikh]

Why not stick a betta in the quarantine tank?

That way, when you need to use the tank for new fish or as a hospital, you can move him into a smaller, non-heated tank. And you know he'll be OK with it, as that's not uncommon living conditions for bettas anyway.

 

[Menagerie]

And you know he'll be OK with it, as that's not uncommon living conditions for bettas anyway.

Strikh, since you're new here, I won't give you a long ranting response (you can see that on many other threads). FYI--unheated tanks are NOT ideal and the rice paddies bettas originate in are NOT shallow and NOT small.

As for what to put in the QT tank, I know someone does keep a betta in there. Why do you want to keep the QT tank running? Anytime you use meds to treat fungal/bacterial/ich problems, you will loose the good bacteria and have to recycle the tank. You can keep a sponge for the QT filter in your large tank and let it colonize the bacteria and transfer it to your QT tank when needed.

 

[CiRXSi]

That's true about tranferring a sponge. I hadn't thought about that (despite that's how I helped start out new tanks ). But I wasn't sure if there were benefits to keeping it constantly active. What would the water be like if it sat for a few weeks? Or would you just use fresh water and established bacteria (keep it empty when not in use)? Those last two ?'s are for my curiosity only because I am mostly doing this to keep my guppy fry in breeder nets without "cluttering" up the community tanks. As far as meds go, I've got a separate 5 gal hospital for that. Betta has always been an option. I'd probably actually go with a couple females.

 

[grimlock3000]

Keeping a tank up and running for the purposes of using it for QT would not accomplish much. If you do keep fish in it, they you gotta deal with moving those around which can cause a lot of stress for any fish, so you might as well just buy another tank anyway. IMO, any QT tank with full time residents is not a QT tank if you then have to find those fish a new home while you QT something else. I would use some water from the existing tank mixed with fresh treated water and an established bacteria source (sponge filter, corner filter, load of aquarium gravel...). Some meds do not destroy the bio filter, so having the bacteria in the tank is a good idea.

 

[TankGirl]

This question comes up from time to time, and is a good one.

I will tell you what I do - I do not keep mine running. My Q/H tank is bare-bottom with a sponge filter that runs in the big tank all of the time, ready and waiting (as mentioned above). In general, for a hospital tank you are doing more water changes anyway, so cycling it is not really an issue, and when the sickness is cured I like to "nuke" the hospital tank. The fish in quarrantine get the sponge filter and usually a fake plant or some structures for hiding so they feel secure, but otherwise nothing fancy. It is tempting to keep it running because I hate to have a tank with nothing in it, but so far I have resisted the urge. It is nice for when you spot a sick fish to be able just to crank the tank up fresh and not have to worry about moving anyone.

 

[crazie.eddie]

I actually keep a QT always running, which I always use for new fish. I never know when I'll be visiting a store one day and see a fish I like. I had never had to use it to dose sick fish, yet (knock on wood). My latest battle with ich was on a whole tank, so I figured it would be easier to just increase the temp on the tank slowly, perform the daily water changes/gravel cleaning, and add aquarium salt. My QT tank has an Emperor 280 filter and my 37 gallon tank has an Emeperor 400 filter so if I ever had to sterilize my QT tank, I could just easily use one of the 2 filter sponges and media that my Emperor 400 uses.

 

[LAGlocker]

I dont keep my qt tank up and running when not using it. I do however keep the filter from the tank stuck on one of the larger tanks to keep the bacteria alive while the qt tank is put away. that way when I need it, I just fill the qt tank, put the conditioners in it, and move the filter from one tank to the other.

 

[crazie.eddie]

Basically it's by personal preference. I always keep a QT running so in case something does happen, I can easily transfer sick fish over. Instead of cleaning the tank, filling it water, turning on the heater and waiting about an hour to make sure the temp is right, adding conditioners, etc. I just easily move fish over from one tank to another. No worries, bacteria is already established. I keep all my tanks the same temp and come from the same tap, so there's no worries about differences in water. I also do not have in chlorine, so no need for dechlorinators. If I did have to sterilize the tank and start fresh, as I mentioned, I could move one of the 2 sponge filters from my Emeperor 400 on my 37 gallon tank and put it on the Emperor 280 on the QT tank. I also have pl*cos so I can just suck up ther feces and put into the QT tank to build up the ammonia.

I breed guppies for the fry, which I feed to my angelfish and afran butterfly. So once the guppy finishes, I move her into the QT tank to rest.

But like I said, it's all in preference. I have plenty of room and extra equipment to keep another tank running, so it's no problem still.

 

[Deitta]

I personally am only allowed to have 2 tanks running at any one time. (I do have a 1.6 gal hidding under the bed, empty.) My 6 gal is use for anyone I am not sure of. My gourami who is a bully to any fry, any new fish who I want to watch before they get allowed into the display tank, etc. I do plan to also use it as a med tank if neccessary so I make sure no one is in it that I would mourn. It is on the kitchen table, so if there is unusual anything, it tends to get noticed early on. Even my 6 year old is becoming trained on what to look for, but she crys wolf more than being a true lifeguard. Better safe than sorry.
I like that I can put my "rejects" and on probation fish in there first. To get to know them alittle before my fry get to know their stomachs.

 

[CiRXSi]

Thanks for the different ideas. I'll definately use my 5 gal for a qt/hospital/new fish tank. Whether I leave it running or not, I'll have to decide later. I too, have the availability to keep a back-up filter active in another tank. I think for now, I will probably use the 10 as a guppy tank/breeder tank. Living room is full though. I'll have to rearrange the computer room. mts

 

[deli_conker]

I keep a 10 gal running for a few reasons...

1) I have the room
2) I'm too lazy to tear it down
3) In case of emergency, it's ready to go, no wait time at all...

I keep it cycled by adding a few frozen bloodworms every now and then. I also do water changes/gravel vac on it when I do water changes on my big tank (it's a 10 gal tank, it takes 10 seconds and it's on the way to the sink).

If I bring a fish home or do work on the big tank I have a place for my fish.
If somebody is getting beat up or needs a time out, I have a place for them.
If time is of the essence, I'm already there...

 

[Strikh]

And you know he'll be OK with it, as that's not uncommon living conditions for bettas anyway.

Strikh, since you're new here, I won't give you a long ranting response (you can see that on many other threads). FYI--unheated tanks are NOT ideal and the rice paddies bettas originate in are NOT shallow and NOT small.

As for what to put in the QT tank, I know someone does keep a betta in there. Why do you want to keep the QT tank running? Anytime you use meds to treat fungal/bacterial/ich problems, you will loose the good bacteria and have to recycle the tank. You can keep a sponge for the QT filter in your large tank and let it colonize the bacteria and transfer it to your QT tank when needed.

No long rants, please!

I KNOW keeping a betta in an unheated, cramped tank is not IDEAL, nor is it particularly kind. I was merely saying that if he wanted to keep a fish in the qt tank, he'd have to move it into a temporary tank if/when he needed the qt tank. And a betta would handle the temporary move into a different, non-heated tank better than most other fish that I know of. My own betta lived in a heated 10 gal tank, before he moved on.