QT tank questions...

[Shannono]

Just got my QT tank set up on Friday, and have 2 Ocellaris Clowns and a Royal Gramma Basslet swimming around in there. The Clowns appear to be adjusting well , while the Royal Gramma is in hiding, either behind the sponge filter or anywhere else he can find a hiding place.

My QT tank setup:

• 15 gallon acrylic aquarium with black background
  Hydro-III Lustar Sponge Filter
  100Watt heater
  Maxi-Jet 400 Powerhead
  Several pieces of PVC pipe
  Bare bottom

I have some questions, if I may:

1. How often should I do water changes in this tank, and how much water should I change at one time?

2. When you do your water changes, are you using freshly made saltwater (after a 24 hour delay to ensure proper mixing), or are you using saltwater from the main tank for the water change?

3. These are my first "real" fish. The LFS clerk sold me some Formula One frozen pellets for the fish. I know you are supposed to thaw the pellet before feeding it to the fish. Are you also supposed to break up the pellet into small pieces and drop it into the tank? This stuff sinks directly to the bottom. I "attempted" to feed them this morning with about half of the thawed pellet (with a drop of Garlic Xtreme), and they did not appear to be too terribly interested in eating it. :? Any feeding suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[badfish]

1 - you should change the water when needed, you should test probably every day.
2 - i guess it would be alright to use water from your main, assuming that the levels of that water is good.
3 - I use Formula 1 frozen as well, i break mine into 4, i then hold one peice in the tank and smush it in my fingers until it all breaks apart. My fish love it. (yellow tang, 2 O. Clowns, yellow watchman, and firefish). They may not eat right away until they get used to there new home.

As far as the gramma goes, im pretty sure they are known for hiding, im sure his behavior is normal.

Hope this helps, i am also new to Saltwater, maybe others would have different suggetstions.

 

[Shannono]

... i break mine into 4, i then hold one peice in the tank and smush it in my fingers until it all breaks apart.

Badfish, are you saying you break a single pellet into fourths and only feed your 5 fish 1/4 of a pellet? Should I be feeding my 3 fish the entire pellet or just a portion of the pellet?

Does anyone else have any comments on water changes in the QT tank? Any QT tank cleaning suggestions at all? I've never had a QT tank before and I want to make sure I am doing everything correctly.

 

[badfish]

yes, thats all i feed, i feed a quarter of a pellet, and also some formula two Dry pellets. I also hang nori in my tank for my tang. All of my fish are small, and i try not to overfeed. I would say a portion of the pellet. I beleive you should only feed as much as they can eat in three minutes. You dont want uneaten food laying on the bottom, especially on a QT tank, this will cause your ammonia, and nitrites to rise, which can harm your fish. If you overfeed, this will also increase the amount of water changes that you have to do. I myself just set up my quarantine tank, your gonna want to syphon any debris, waste, or uneaten food off the bottom to help keep your levels right. Hope this helps.

- Jeff