QT Ammonia help.

[Brenden]

I have quickly discovered the worst part of this hobby. QTing your fish. Does anyone have any ideas on how to reduce nh3 other than daily water changes? Does any of the ammonia additives work? The tanks are bare bottom with some base rock. Tomorrow I may add 50 lbs of sand in each of them to help in the long run.

 

[TomK2]

Best way is to run a sponge filter in the main tank, then when you use the QT, put the sponge filter in it. Then disinfect the sponge filter after the QT is over, and put it back in the main tank.

Or take spare established biomedia or floss from the main tank's filter, and put it in the QT filter. After the QT is over, discard the biomedia or floss.

I would skip the sand, you would have to disinfect it or discard it if you ended up treating a new or sick fish in it.

 

[Brenden]

I have a 3000 lb pallet of aragonite sand so it will not hurt my feelings if I throw 100lbs or so away. Is it worh it?

 

[ellisz]

fresh sand won't help your current situation. A power filter with a filter that has been in your sump works well.

 

[Brenden]

I know it will not help now but after a few weeks it will

 

[seaham358]

You can use the sand if you want but with no clean up crew in a QT you will need to vac out the waste once in a while, having sand you will be vacing out sand also.
Like the others say keep some type of material in your sump so bacteria can grow on it and when you set up a QT you are ready to go.. Or if you have room keep the Qt running all the time with a damsel in it..
If you have sand to spare then go for it...

 

[cmor1701d]

I just use a HOB filter with a biowheel on my 30gal QT. The filter pad and biowheel go in the sump of the main tank for a few days before I set up the QT. Then when a new fish arrives I'm ready to go. I also keep 5 gal of s/w mixed and ready for pwc as needed.

IMO adding sand now will not help. By the time the sand is coated with enough bacteria to help the QT period should be over.

I would grab a power filter and do PWC until the filter has had a chance to start working (about a week).

 

[TomK2]

But what will keep the sand functioning as a biofilter after you are done with the QT? rather than have to keep fish in the QT all the time to keep the sand colonized, it is easier to keep it bare, stop using it inbetween acquisitions or sick/injured fish treatment, and have biomedia you can take from the main tank to prevent nitogen spikes when in use. IMO Glad you have a QT/hospital tank! I went years before I finally set one up.