QT tank cycle

[RMPD109]

Well as some of you may know from prev. thread I lost two clowns. My tank has been fishless for 2 weeks or so and I want to get some new friends but plan to QT them. I think ick was the problem so a 4 week QT will be just about right for the main tank to be ready.

I want to get a sponge and put it in the main to build some beneficial bacteria for transfer to the QT. Will this bring the ick into my QT from the main? I really want something thereb by way of bio filtration but the loss of the clowns has me scared of the ick.

 

[midiman]

You could treat the QT tank and/or lower its salinity if there are no inverts.

Or, at least in theory, if you wait long enough, any parasites in the QT will die of starvation ("host deprivation") if you leave them for a couple of weeks.


Never done it myself ... read about it many times!

 

[RMPD109]

The fish going into the qt will be new fish from the LFS. I dont need or want to treat them at this point. My concern is if I put a filter sponge into the main to get bacteria built up on it will it transfer the ick along with the bacteria to the QT? I want some beneficial bacteria in there when my new fish arrive.

 

[midiman]

I meant dealing with the ich BEFORE adding any LFS fish. Even if ich is transferred, it can be killed there before any LFS fish go in. Lower salinity has been suggested, along with starvation (absence of host fish for a period of time) and of course the traditional ich killers (but obviously not copper if inverts are to go in there).

It seems that you'd still need an ammonia source to keep the bacteria going - shrimp?

 

[RMPD109]

So you are saying that the ick will be transferred to the QT with the sponge? Just trying to figure this out- thanks

 

[midiman]

If some of the cysts happen to land there, it is at least theoretically possible. Once they hatch, the little swimmers need to find a fish host pronto. If not, lights out for them.

 

[RMPD109]

thanks midiman- I know how to deal with the ick just wasnt sure about the transfer in the sponge

If some of the cysts happen to land there, it is at least theoretically possible

That is good enough for me to not attempt it this way. I will just do many many many water changes until it is going well on its own bacteria.

 

[midiman]

Since your tank has been w/o fish for a while, if I had to do it myself, I probably would go ahead and make the transfer if time was of the essence. If, however, I had the time to run a cycle on my QT, I guess I would rather do it that way.

Right now, my main tank is cycling for the first time, and I have a bio medium bag on top of the pump intake in my sump (downwind of Stinky the Shrimp on my sump's DSB.) That bag will go into my QT tank, where I will keep my first fish addition for a few weeks while my LR sets up in the main tank. I'll keep that cycle active even in the absence of new fish.

In my house, dead shrimp will be present for the forseeable (forsmellable?) future....

 

[RMPD109]

For me its not worth the risk of transferring the ick to the QT. If there is any chance of transferring it I am going to stay away from that possibility. I will be setting up my qt shortly and starting with some fish soon after.