Can I instant cycle a QT tank

[TXaggie]

Hi, I have a dwarf Honey Gourami that I believe got attacked by one of the platies in my tank. I'd like to set up a hospital tank for him but I have nothing else besides my main tank cycled. If I get a cheap 10 or 5 gal aquarium and an AC 20 would it be possible to cycle my QT tank by just moving some of the established media from my AC70 on my main tank into the new filter? We're talking about a pretty small bioload for the QT, one little Honey Gourami. : (

Also, is a bare tank with a filter and heater good enough?

 

[Mcor]

Sounds like you've got a good idea. Move whatever you can into your qt tank. When I got mine, I put the sponge from the filter into my main tank filter. That way it was ready to go when I needed to get someone out for treatment, just popped the sponge back into the little filter the tank came with and filled it with water from the main tank. Instant cycled tank! Bare bottom is good for a qt, means you can keep it really clean (added bonus is you can see just how much food is not eaten and how much poo your fish has done - all important things when looking after poorly fish!)

 

[meegosh]

You got it.. Just be sure to toss the media when you are done with the QT. Bare bottom is what I do in mine. Sponge filter and a heater is all that's in it.

 

[Mcor]

Oooh yeah good point. Throwing out the used media is definitely good advice. Filter sponges are cheap and cheerful so maybe buy a few bits and always have some in your main tank so that its ready to use at a moments notice. (I have a trickle filter and one of my 4 compartments is empty so plenty of space in there for spare sponges.

 

[Ian086]

Hey. If you swap some media over, you should be fine. You might experience a mini-cycle but if you keep an eye on the water(test it) and be prepared to do some water changes, you'll be fine. With it only being one fish, you might not even have a mini-cycle......

 

[Ian086]

Sorry, I didn't see the other replies!!!. I guess you got your answer already

 

[Darkseid76]

This is what I'm using in my 5.5 g. I'm using filter floss and some old media from my AC 50. Works perfect.

 

[TXaggie]

Thanks for all the replies! The picture is helpful too, darkside. I'll see if I ant get something little set up, sounds like an AC 20 might be overkill, which is good because I'm sure a little sponge filter will be cheaper!!

I'm hoping I can save my little gourami, he looks bad though. Just laying on the bottom most of the time. My params are good, amm/Ites at 0 and only 5 ppm Ates. I'm almost certain I know which fish did it too, I'm just not sure how soon ill e able to get back to the LFS where I got him.