Setting Up A Quarantine Tank and adding New Fish.

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Hi,
I have noticed several topics where people talk about how they have a Quarantine tank or that a member should set one up. I would like to get some Ideas out there for people who do not have one just how this tank should be set up and how other members qt tanks are set up. Also how you would handle adding new fish to your tanks. Please feel free to add anything and everything you can


Myself I have 6 tanks and When I get a new fish I will move the fish in the tank with the least fish into the other tanks and put the new fish in that tank. Normally this would end up being my 1.6 gallon tank.

This tank has a basic UGF filter with a heater.

I will keep the new fish in the qt tank for 2-3 weeks, feed lightly, and watch for any signs of trouble, disease, etc.

Even though I rarely buy new fish I probably should get another bigger tank just for this as I feel the small tank isnt quite big enough. 8O

I would love to hear from others who have Quarantine tanks and the way they deal with adding new fish to their collection.

FGG

 

[hashbaz]

I have a 29 gallon main tank and a 10 gallon QT tank. Both have HOB filters. When the QT tank is not in use I put the take the small filter cartridge and squeeze it into the larger filter on the 29. That way the QT always has mature media to eliminate the need to cycle the QT. I have no gravel in the QT and empty it when not in use. I quite like this system but everyone seems to have their own way.

 

[BASSNMAN]

Hashbaz has your answer. 10 gal tanks are cheap. Run it with no gravel to make it easier to sterilize if you do end up with a problem fish. Many people keep a sponge filter in the main tank and transfer it and its bacteria colony to the QT tank as needed. You also need a 50 w heater, and some sort of light. I usually siphon water from my main tank to fill the QT, then refill the main. This gives you warm water with some bacteria in it.

 

[adri_dand]

I think it's time I invest in a QT!!! Seems to save many aquarists trouble! Thanks for the great info!

 

[oscarbreeder]

I have a 10gal qt tank that I let run all the time.
It is a bare bottom set up with a sponge filter big enough for a 29gal tank.
It also has a small hob filter and a 50w heater.

Leaving it up all the time(if you have the space) eliminates the hassle of set up/ tear down all the time.

A new fish is brought in and added to the qt tank for about 4 weeks.
Then I take that fish and just a little bit of the qt water and put it in a bucket.
I then take a piece of air line and put one end in my main tank the other end into the bucket and start a siphon.
Tie a knot in the end that is in the bucket and let it drip.
In about an hour the bucket is full and your fish is acclimated to the main tank.
Net the fish put it in the main tank and DUMP the bucket out.(dont add this water to the main tank)

Hope This Helps......

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Hey good ideas and thoughts!! keep em coming.

Is an Empty tank with nothing (gravel, rocks, decorations, etc..) in it the very best way to have a qt Tank?

If a fish does show signs of disease during the qt period what would you do then?

Does anyone do a short bath in a salt solution or formalin before introducing the new fish?

I see alot of 10 gallon tanks listed is a smaller tank ( 2, 2 1/2, 5 )really that suitable?

Any special diets?? like pepso food for internal paracites?

Minimum time for a qt fish?? 2,3,4,5, etcc weeks?

Anyother thoughts and Ideas would be very helpful thanks again!

 

[Jchillin]

I have a "stripped down" 10 gal qt. It contains no gravel, a HOB filter and a 50w heater. A piece of pvc pipe on the bottom gives it a "hospital" setting. Normal food feedings (once every day). 4 weeks seems to be the best. If your fish were to show any signs of disease, you have options of treating the disease or taking them back to LFS. No reason for bathing...just acclimate to your main tank slowly. Oscar has a beautiful acclimation process.

 

[QTOFFER]

There's an article about quarrantine tanks here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=35

The quarrantine/hospital tank, IMO, is a necessity. All it takes is one sick fish to introduce disease into tanks you have spent months and $$$$ creating. It's also good for medicating sick fish, since most meds permanently stain aquarium silicone.
And don't forget to quarrantine your plants - snails and fish pathogens can hitch-hike on newly purchased plants!

The quarrantine/hospital tank can be made from any clean 5 - 10 gal container that has never been exposed to fertilizers, household chemicals, or detergents. An old glass aquarium, wastepaper basket, sterilite container, rubbermaid tub, or bucket will do. I wouldn't go below 5 gal because it's harder to maintain constsnt temperature and water parameters in such a small volume.

No gravel or decor is needed, and lighting can be crude. I use a clip-on desklamp on an 8 hour timer just to provide the fish with a constant photoperiod. The only other things you need are a spare 50 W heater and a filter that has been running in one of your established tanks. Sponge filters work great for this, as does a HOB filter with a biowheel. I have a net, algae scraper, and siphon that is only used with the quarrantine tank. No point in quarrantining if you use the same net in all your tanks, right?

I have a glass 10 gal quarrantine/hospital tank that is always left up and running. The water is kept heated, and the HOB filter (carbon removed) is always running. I leave the biowheel floating in one of my established tanks. If I get some new fish to quarrantine, or a sick fish to be treated, I just pop in the biowheel and I'm ready to go. When I'm done quarrantining, or treating, I rinse the biowheel in very hot water for about 10 min to kill any pathogens. Then, I put the now-sterile biowheel back into my established tank to be repopulated with good bacteria. Once a week, I change 40% of the tank's water whether or not it is occupied (unless I'm medicating - then I follow the med directions).

If my glass QT tank is occupied, I use a new, never used 5 gal paint bucket. I fill it by siphoning water from one of my established tanks. Then, I set up my spare heater in it - I place a piece of slate between the heater and the bucket, so it won't melt the plastic. Finally, I put in a sponge filter that is always kept running in my established tank. Now, I'm all set to go. When I'm done, I rinse the sponge filter in very hot water for about 10 min to kill any pathogens. Then, I put the now-sterile sponge filter back into my established tank to be repopulated with good bacteria.

I like to quarrantine for three weeks, although some people may prefer an even longer time. If the fish show any sign of disease, I treat the entire quarrantine tank aggressively. The most common disease is ich, which can be treated with elevated temp for three weeks. Occasionally, fish die during quarrantine - I immediately remove them and reset the three week quarrantine clock. I don't currently use any prophylactic measures like salt or formalin dips, or methylene blue. However, I am toying with the idea of quarrantining at elevated temperature to flush out any latent ich infection. I'd love to hear everybody's thoughts on this.

 

[BrianNY]

QTOFFER has given some excellent advice here. Especially about isolating related equipment such as nets and siphons. When someone begins to think about keeping a spare tank for QTing new arrivals, they've made the leap from hobbyist to aquarist IMO.

To be really effective in the QT process you have to understand the requirements of the species and what common illnesses that species falls prey to. After my bout with what I believed was the discus plague, I QT my discus for 4 to 6 weeks. I want the pH of the water slightly higher than the water they are coming from. Most fish stress less when going from a lower to higher pH than the reverse.

My goal in QTing is to eliminate any possible problems before the new discus join my general population. During this process I treat the QT tank with salt and furazone green for possible bacterial infections, then epsom salt which flushes the digestive tract, and finally potassium permangenate for three weeks to kill any gill flukes.

So QTOFFER, based on what I'm doing it's an excellent idea to treat for latent ich while you are QTing. Raise the temp gradually and use salt if the fish can tolerate it. Just be sure and add an airstone because the higher water temp reduces the O2 content of the water. I always break down and clean my QT tanks after use. I also sterilize the sponge filters in the microwave.

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Alot of good info thanks again!

Does the temp matter wether its higher or lower when transfering fish??

 

[Jchillin]

FGG - You would acclimate your fish the same way as from LFS. Slowly add water from your main tank into the recepticle you will be using from your QT tank.

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Gotch cha!

I am working on getting a tank committed to new arrivals and sickness as we speak. Hopefully I can keep it that way