QTing Question...

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Mad Professor

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
174
Location
Orlando FL
Well I bought some new guppies from wal-mart acouple of days ago as a rescue mission for the week. Well They looked good with a very minor case of fin rot. Well I resetup my 2.5Gal tank. Yes I know its too small to hold that many fancy guppies but Its a QT For a month or 2. Well I almost lost one down the drain that day. Somehow it manage to get out of the bag as I change the water in it, before I moved the fish. Well I caught the little guy but I only gave him an extra day to live because he died the next morning.
I do 50% water change every time I get up and go to bed. Now today I lost another one which was stuck to the filter. So now I only have 4.

But My question is:

Is this ok?
What I mean is, Is this humane that I bought 6 fish and whatever survives gets move to the main tank?
Do other people do it too?

Thanks Mp
 
QT'ing is probably the best way to receive new fish. It will keep any diseases from spreading in your main tank. Once you are in the clear, then they move to the main tank. Perfectly normal.

As for being humane, I would say it's more humane than putting affected fish in the main tank with a whole bunch more fish, which could also get affected. So yes, you are doing it right. And as for the pwc's, could probably do with just 1 per day instead of 2, since you are doing 50% ones. And if the filter was cycled, you would only need to do it weekly.
 
I agree with wolf, it sounds like you are doing it just fine.

With my QT tank I actually take water from my main tank and refil the main tank so that when the time comes to move them they are already acclimatised.

The real trick to using QT tanks is not turning it into a main tank! most MTS starts this way.
 
Well I know I'm doing it right.
But Shoving alot of fish into small tank with a Power filter and the whole thing is uncycle.
Don't you think I've overstocked the 2.5gal?
Is it better than those wal-mart tanks? *Of course, right?*
Just wondering if its ok to overstock a small tank temporarily, Before moving them to my main tank which is a 44 Gallon stock with 1 or 2 dozen fancy guppies.

Oh yeah how long do you guys QT?
 
SkullJug said:
With my QT tank I actually take water from my main tank and refil the main tank so that when the time comes to move them they are already acclimatised.

Wish I would have thought of that, lol. Sounds like a great idea.... :)

Mad Professor said:
Well I know I'm doing it right.
But Shoving alot of fish into small tank with a Power filter and the whole thing is uncycle.
Don't you think I've overstocked the 2.5gal?
Is it better than those wal-mart tanks? *Of course, right?*
Just wondering if its ok to overstock a small tank temporarily, Before moving them to my main tank which is a 44 Gallon stock with 1 or 2 dozen fancy guppies.

Oh yeah how long do you guys QT?

I've never QT's myself, but I guess it's because I trust my lfs here. Bought well over a hundred fish from them, and only had ick 2 times. For QT'ing, I would say 2-3 weeks is long enough to tell if there's any problems. To me, a month is just too long. Will see what others say about how long... :)
 
As long as you continue to do large enough/frequent enough water changes to keep the QT tank water healthy, the size really doesn't matter. It's a short-term thing. I know some people who don't even use filters on their QT tanks; they go the water change route to keep things in line. I have a ten gallon tank with a sponge filter; I tear it down and sterilize it after each use.

I agree with Wolfie: two weeks is probably long enough to QT new fish.
 
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