Does everyone have a QT tank??

[Tasha]

I was just wondering how many of us had a QT tank and how many of us didnt. If you dont what do you do, or look for to minimize the chances of adding a fish that may contaminate your tank?

 

[herp_mommy]

I never used to have one until I bought a group of GBRs. A few days they developed holes in their head and strange lacerations. So I removed them immediately because it was my discus tank and I didn't want my discus catching whatever it was. All the GBRs passed, but I learned a hard lesson. I've got a QT tank kit ready to throw together now.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I've got a couple 10g tanks laying around if i ever need one... but... I don't buy my fish from anywhere where diseases are present. My LFS qt's fish and immediately stops selling if one of the tanks is infected with something. I've not *knock on wood* had any diseases in my tanks since I started and bought fish from bad sources. If I ever needed one though, I have one at my fingertips

 

[BigJim]

I'm with mfd. My QT tanks mysteriously turn into display tanks. I've been even more careful about picking fish after I had an anchor worm issue from a rainbow a few years back.

 

[Tasha]

The problem is I have no where to buy fish BUT the pet stores, and im really learning they cant be trusted, however I dont want to give up my fish hobby becuase they are my only option.... If I had a QT tank I would have to be set up and cycled right, I cant just have an empty tank sitting here waiting to use.....

If Im looking to buy a fish from now on, Ill look over the entire tank, look for any worms, ich spots, or sick looking fish (I own mollies btw)

what else should I be looking for? how can I minimize my chance of infecting my tank? if I buy fish from the pet store is it a must to have a QT tank? how big does it have to be?

Im on a roller coarster ride right now with my camallanus infected tank, treating with panacur, but not sure what to do now... I just want to prevent this from happening again in the future if and when I clear up my problems with my tank now..

 

[jenatron]

You can run an extra filter in one of your main tanks and throw a QT together last minute using it.

 

[meegosh]

I absolutely QT everything I get, regardless of seller. I think the only exception was my von rios I got from SM and HN1 - in that case I was tearing down tanks and it was not feasible at the time.

I've had new batches of fish wipe out my entire livestock so I've learned the hard way. any new additions go in QT for a minimum of 2 weeks, longer if there any deaths or signs of infections.

It is not worth it to risk all my other livestock, IMO.

 

[Tasha]

You can run an extra filter in one of your main tanks and throw a QT together last minute using it.

that would be enough to "cycle" your water?

 

[mfdrookie516]

You're not cycling your water, you are cycling the aquarium as a whole. If you put a filter from an established tank on to a new tank, as long as the water is de-chlorinated, you'll have an instantly cycled tank. Cycling is just the process of building up a sufficient colony of bacteria to eliminate ammonia and nitrite. By putting a filter from an established tank, you've got the bacteria right there. That's what I do any time I set up a new tank. I've only cycled two tanks... and one was just to see how a fishless cycle worked so I could understand it better.

Oh... and meegosh has a good point. You really can't be too careful. I hope my post didn't make you feel like qt'ing isn't necessary.

 

[Tasha]

You're not cycling your water, you are cycling the aquarium as a whole. If you put a filter from an established tank on to a new tank, as long as the water is de-chlorinated, you'll have an instantly cycled tank. Cycling is just the process of building up a sufficient colony of bacteria to eliminate ammonia and nitrite. By putting a filter from an established tank, you've got the bacteria right there. That's what I do any time I set up a new tank. I've only cycled two tanks... and one was just to see how a fishless cycle worked so I could understand it better.

Oh... and meegosh has a good point. You really can't be too careful. I hope my post didn't make you feel like qt'ing isn't necessary.

Ok, It makes more sense now... Thanks all of you for your help.
Im still not sure what to do about a QT tank, I realize I need to be carefull, and how important it is.

When i was a kid us and all my friends families seemed to have fish tanks, and I never heard about this side of it, sick fish, QT tanks, cycling.... It seems like we'de go to the store pick out a fish put it in the tank and vowla!! I wonder if over time it has become more of an issue for some reason?!

 

[adadkins1]

There are many people, myself included, who believe all of the inbreeding and fish farms have caused some species of fish to be especially suceptible. My parents told me about buying some bad neons a while back and it wiped out every single fish. My past qt tank is now a betta tank, but I do have 2.5 gallon on stand by should I need it.

 

[meegosh]

QTs don't have to be elaborate. I was using a 5g hex but opted for a $10, about 12g, rubbermaid tub.

All you need to do is throw an extra filter on your main tank and keep your tub and heater in a closet. I toss the media when I'm done with the tank. I then bleach the filter, heater and tub in a 1:19 bleach:water solution and rinse it good and let soak in double-dosed dechlorinated water.

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[mfdrookie516]

double-dosed dechlorinated water

Now that's a mouth full right there!

 

[adadkins1]

I know another option, which is a bit more time consuming, is to do a fishless cycle, then keep dosing the aquarium with small amounts of ammonia each day until you need the qt tank; then just do a large water change and add the fish. This is more effort than the filter idea, which works great too.

 

[Tasha]

QTs don't have to be elaborate. I was using a 5g hex but opted for a $10, about 12g, rubbermaid tub.

All you need to do is throw an extra filter on your main tank and keep your tub and heater in a closet. I toss the media when I'm done with the tank. I then bleach the filter, heater and tub in a 1:19 bleach:water solution and rinse it good and let soak in double-dosed dechlorinated water.

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The heater is ok in rubbermaid? how do you get it to stay on? Also I take it its a clear rubbermaid otherwise how woud you look to see if there ok? I have 2 cats in the house, do you cut wholes out in the lid and put the lid on?

So I just want to make sure I understand correctly, you have a cycled filter ready to go, and after QT you totally clean it as you described then add it back to your main tank ready for next time??

THanks

 

[Mr. Limpet]

QTs don't have to be elaborate. I was using a 5g hex but opted for a $10, about 12g, rubbermaid tub.

All you need to do is throw an extra filter on your main tank and keep your tub and heater in a closet. I toss the media when I'm done with the tank. I then bleach the filter, heater and tub in a 1:19 bleach:water solution and rinse it good and let soak in double-dosed dechlorinated water.

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+1 I do this too.

The heater is ok in rubbermaid? how do you get it to stay on? Also I take it its a clear rubbermaid otherwise how woud you look to see if there ok? I have 2 cats in the house, do you cut wholes out in the lid and put the lid on?

So I just want to make sure I understand correctly, you have a cycled filter ready to go, and after QT you totally clean it as you described then add it back to your main tank ready for next time??

THanks

I have a fry tank (5g clear tub) going right now with a heater just propped up in the far corner of were the eggs/fry are kept. It's a kit special, but it does have a hard plastic cap on the bottom so the glass itself doesn't touch the plastic tub. The filter is a back up that's kept active on one of my tanks.

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[doogle]

ich or other issues will make you want a qt if you plan on getting more fish/tanks

 

[meegosh]

The heater is ok in rubbermaid? how do you get it to stay on? Also I take it its a clear rubbermaid otherwise how woud you look to see if there ok? I have 2 cats in the house, do you cut wholes out in the lid and put the lid on?

So I just want to make sure I understand correctly, you have a cycled filter ready to go, and after QT you totally clean it as you described then add it back to your main tank ready for next time??

THanks

I just lay the heater across the bottom and suction cup it to the bottom. I don't think the heater would ever get hot enough to melt plastic.

It is a clear container. I usually don't keep a lid on it as I have no other pets. Sometimes I will drape a dark towel over it so it gives them some shade. You could cut holes in the lid for your filter and heater's power cord.

Yes, the way I actually do my QT's filter is this... I have three AquaClear filters which all use the same media. I run two filters on my 20g tank. When it comes time to set up my QT I just yank the filter off and put it on my rubbermaid container. After I am done with the QT I will toss the filter media out, clean the filter (in the bleach solution I mentioned in my previous post) and then put new media in and leave it hang on my 20g until the next time. That way I always have a seeded filter ready for my QT - or another tank if MTS kicks in!

 

[Loach23]

I have a 5.5g under my tank that use for a qt. Mostly use it if ibuy new fish I will keep them in their for 2 weeks just to be safe. Never bought a sick fish but you never know. Better to be safe than sorry IMO. And if you do get a sick fish it's alot easier to treat a small tank than a big tank not to mention all your fish

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[Josh]

I have a backup 5g and 10g. I have two aq20s running on my established 10gal. I simply pull one of those filters and use a little battery powered submersible heater for the QT.