Maiden voyage of my hospital tank

[JeffNebraska]

I have one sick female Bosemani Rainbow (probably body fungus) and could not stand the thought of adding Maracyn to my entire 30-gallon tank with well over twenty other inhabitants. I busted out the old 10-gallon, filled it with water from my main tank and put the patient and the medicine in there (heating and filtration also included, of course).

It's my first time trying a hospital tank, but I'm very hopeful. Just being alone in there, she seems more active than she had been. Now if I can just get the white stringy stuff to fall off of her dorsal fin and get her to start eating again, maybe she can be resuscitated.

Btw, do people here have a strong preference for other antibiotics over Maracyn? Also, when she's done with the hospital, should I just empty it and put it away? Otherwise, will I infect the next patient with her bad mojo?

Love to have your comments.

 

[William]

First off.

I don't believe your supposed to have a substrate in a QT tank, I may be wrong on this but I don't know [ You didn't say you did or didn't, just covering the basics ]

I hope your fish gets better, its hard to see a fish that you love get sick.

It'd probably be best to, after the inhabitants of the QT are better and put back into the community tank, to crank up the tank to around 90, kill off any badness that may be lingering in there, then let it come back down after a few days and keep some Danios in there to keep the tank cycled so you always have a emergency tank should you ever need one suddenly.

People with more experiance will be able to help you better I'm sure, hope I'm right tho

 

[JeffNebraska]

I've heard the danios thinking before, but what happens to the danios when you raise the temp up to 90 and/or fill the tank with drugs? Do people put the danios in their main tank, then send them back to the hospital once it's clean again?

Also, I did put in a thin layer of gravel. Is there some reason not to do that?

 

[William]

I said to up the tank for a few days , then let it come back down THEN keep some danios in there.

Like I said before, I don't have much experiance.. so I'm waiting for someone to come up and either back up what I said or to state that I was wrong.

 

[jsoong]

Another way to keep a hospital tank cycled is to keep the hospital tanks' filter running in your main tank. When you need to QT someone, just pull that filter from your main tank & put it in the hospital tank - instant cycled tank!

That way you don't have to worry about what to do with the Danios, and you can also put the tank away when you don't need it.

I think that people don't put gravel in a hospital tank is just for convinence. After you treat the fish, you have to clean out everything & make sure that the bugs are gone, etc., so you don't infect the next occupant. It just is easier to clean an empty tank.

 

[Allivymar]

*&&!#@*%$

So I had this big ol response, and the computer blew up LOL let me recap:

Substrate: Not recommended because its a pain to sterilise after treatin for disease. Also some diseases will hide in the substrate (think ich; cysts fall into the substrate as part of the cycle. easier to gravel vac em up and out of the tank if they've no place to hide).

Temps: Some folks will raise temps high before returning fish to the tank. Some plants may not deal with high temps tho (if you have live plants).

Leaving a QT running as opposed to tearing it down: I prefer the teardown method so one can sterilise the tank after treating for disease. You can leave an extra filter in the main tank for it, but keep in mind most treatments will kill the bacteria anyway, and it may be a moot thing to do. Same goes for leaving it up and running, cept in that case you also need to find a home for the fish that are keeping it cycled (don't want to keep em in the tank if you are adding diseased fish!).

 

[JeffNebraska]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Unfortunately the patient was dead by the time I got home from work on day two. Surprising really, because she didn't seem to be at death's door in my main tank. Perhaps the change to the hospital tank was too stressful in her weakened state.

I think I'll just break the tank down altogether and start again next time.

 

[Allivymar]

Aw I'm sorry Jeff that sucks.

I agree; I would definitely tear down that tank and sterilise everything; substrate, filter, tubing, net, tank itself and basically anything that went into it. I forget, but either a 1-10 or 1-19 ratio bleach to water should disinfect; hopefully someone will pop in and say which it is for sure. Just make sure you rinse everything very well, and when you think its rinsed enough rinse it one more time with water with a double dose of dechlor.

 

[vega]

I tear my Qtank as well when i m not using.
Btw if u let the Qtank running u might need to let the fish climate 1st cause the chem in both tank change differently according to what is contain in the tank.

I am using a air stone only for the tank. Like Alli had mention, med kill the bacteria anyway.
Normally there will be only 1-6 fishes in the Qtank (wheter u are quarentine ur new fish or treating sic one) IMHO i think is quit ok to have airstone only. But if u worry then u can partial change the water every 3-4 days (most med effective period in tank) by chanel the main tank water to the Qtank (i have my Qtank nex to the main)

No substrate but u can consider plastic plants in Qtank for fish to 'hide' and plastic plants are easily clean too.

No light as well in Qtank as fish a clamer in dark tank (wat i mean is Qtank with ambient light only, NOT putting the Qtank in a box with total darkness). LOL .