I was in need of an emergency quarantine tank, so I picked up one of the Aqueon 10g kits for $40. I probably could have done better, but what's done is done.
TL;DR - Need to set up a QT real fast. Is properly refrigerated Bio-Spira in addition to established tank media worth a shot to jump start the cycle? Or should I also heavily plant it as well to keep the water quality up since the residents will be going in there very soon?
My question is, is it worth it to try out Bio-Spira along with filter media from an old tank to get it rolling ASAP. One local store carries it and has it properly refrigerated, so I was thinking I might try it to get things rolling since this tank is going to have some short to medium term residents on short notice.
Or I could go the route of setting it up like a normal tank, and heavily planting it (I have fluorite gravel that was left over), and using the media from another tank to avoid killing things with an ammonia spike. With existing fixtures I could push the tank to 2-2.5 WPG without spending any money. Daily water changes are going to be a must either way.
Figured I'd hop on here and get some opinions before I pull the trigger. I'd like to keep it going after the fish are better, since it looks quite nice where it's sitting, but that's definitely a tertiary concern behind 1) getting the fish better and 2) making sure their move into the QT won't kill them.
Thanks in advance!
TL;DR - Need to set up a QT real fast. Is properly refrigerated Bio-Spira in addition to established tank media worth a shot to jump start the cycle? Or should I also heavily plant it as well to keep the water quality up since the residents will be going in there very soon?
My question is, is it worth it to try out Bio-Spira along with filter media from an old tank to get it rolling ASAP. One local store carries it and has it properly refrigerated, so I was thinking I might try it to get things rolling since this tank is going to have some short to medium term residents on short notice.
Or I could go the route of setting it up like a normal tank, and heavily planting it (I have fluorite gravel that was left over), and using the media from another tank to avoid killing things with an ammonia spike. With existing fixtures I could push the tank to 2-2.5 WPG without spending any money. Daily water changes are going to be a must either way.
Figured I'd hop on here and get some opinions before I pull the trigger. I'd like to keep it going after the fish are better, since it looks quite nice where it's sitting, but that's definitely a tertiary concern behind 1) getting the fish better and 2) making sure their move into the QT won't kill them.
Thanks in advance!