I have a 40 gallon for my quarantine but I want to make sure I set it up right....I've got a couple live rocks from my sump, water from the sump as well, a heater and a filter that came with the tank. Any other tips or suggestions???
Quarantine tank
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carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wouldnt put live rock in the qt, it can absorb any medications you dose the qt with making it pretty much unuseable. 
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
Most people don't use LR I believe. They do however out some PVC tubes in for the fish to hide in. No substrate either, Just bare bones.
Also just my opinion
I'm sure others will contribute soon
Also just my opinion
I'm sure others will contribute soon
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
It depends on what you plan on putting in QT. I qt everything. Inverts, fish, everything. If I'm buying out of a tank that is infested, I need to be wary of inverts as well. They probably aren't going to get sick but they might bring a parasite or illness in. If I treat a fish in a qt tank with live rock... The live rock is going to be destroyed and then it will be unusable for inverts. Most of your fish meds are toxic for the little critters. My qt tank has several pieces of PVC for hiding places. They can be washed each use and stored away until I need my QT. I keep filter media in my sump to be ready for the qt tank and then I pull it out when necessary. I set up my 30 gallon QT with that filter media and 30 gallons from my DT during a PWC and I'm ready to go. 4-6 weeks in QT is worth it for me to not have to tear down my DT and treat my fish for 8 weeks.
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Just squares cut from sheets of filter pads to fit into our filter on the cheap filter and pump we have to run that tank. We buy them in bulk and then I swap them out periodically to keep them from getting nasty. I throw them in the sump with the skimmer and forget about them. When we get out the QT, we have established media ready that way.
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
We place ours in the filter box. Simply because our filter and pump has a
Space for it. The idea is to already have established biological media (live bacteria) available somewhere in the tank to prevent a cycle in your QT tank. We place the square pad into the sump and then allow it time to grow the needed bacteria. We change it out every so often to keep it from becoming a nitrate factory. If (or when) we need to set up a QT tank, we aren't then scrambling to find live filter media to run the tank.
Space for it. The idea is to already have established biological media (live bacteria) available somewhere in the tank to prevent a cycle in your QT tank. We place the square pad into the sump and then allow it time to grow the needed bacteria. We change it out every so often to keep it from becoming a nitrate factory. If (or when) we need to set up a QT tank, we aren't then scrambling to find live filter media to run the tank.
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
which compartment do you suggest keeping a backup filter sponge in? I have the intake with the skimmer refugium and return pump section.
Thanks
Thanks
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Carey .. Ours is in the sump "compartment" with our skimmer.
carey
Aquarium Advice Addict
ahh ok thanks. I really should get on that lol
Thanks so much.....last question, you said you did this so that you wouldn't cause a cycle in the qt. If I use the water from my sump, isn't it already"cycled"? Sorry for all the questions but I haven't lost a fish yet and I don't intend too....
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Water from your sump or display tank is good. It is far less harsh than newly mixed saltwater. Less chemical issues there. But water doesn't really contain much bacteria. The beneficial bacteria grows on LR or in filters (filter balls, filter floss, filter pads, etc). Live rock is a good natural filter because it is porous and has lots of places for bacteria to live and convert ammonia. Man made filters work about the same way and there are lots of people who argue the benefit one way or the other. But water alone will not provide you with the appropriate amount of bacteria to prevent a cycle in a new tank. That's were the filter pads come in. Some people go buy them (or they give them away) from their LFS or a friend when they need to set up a quarantine tank. My LFS is an hour away so I keep my own. It's simple preventative practice.
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Huh? Ummm... Thanks.
Sarcothelia
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I qt everything except for corals because the lighting on my qt would probably brown them out. But yea, just put some pvc pipes and have a decent filter along with occasional PWC and you're ready to quarantine (after it cycles, of course).
Maya
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Sarcothelia... Never "cycled" my QT tank. I keep those bio filters ready in my sump and do regular 10 gallon (every three days when running the QT) changes with water from my DT. It has never shown ammonia. We get nitrates but no ammonia. We set up the QT a day or 2 before we get livestock. Run it for 4-6 weeks and then tear it down. Has a heater, a pump filter combo, and some PVC. When we are done with it, we tear it down, throw another filter in the sump and wait till next time.
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