quarantine tanks...should they be cycled first?

[ADCISCO]

Ok got the quarantine take set up now......Should it be cycled before I go by new fish or should I just plop them in and let them do the job??? I have 2 danios I just put in there for the heck just to have something in it!

 

[madasafish]

Yup, pretty much. You're going to want to let your fish sit in the QT tank for at least a week to observe signs of sickness/to treat any sickness, so they might as well (in other words, should) have a safe environment to live in (albeit temporarily). If you put a few fish in there for a week and the water isn't old and cycled, your going to lose some of them.

Use the danios to cycle the tank... Though you might need a couple more if it's a tank over 5 gallons to get the bioload up...

Also, refer to any of Allivymar's great posts on cycling if you need some advice on it. Or personal message her for more indepth advice. She's very personable, and she knows her stuff!

 

[ADCISCO]

I have a male betta. I wonder if it would be safe to put him in the tank with the danios?

 

[madasafish]

Ooh... they're pretty darn tolerant fish, for sure. Though I've never heard of cycling with bettas--sounds a little unorthodox. One would assume, though, from their ability to survive in tiny spaces that they are able to deal with a fair amount of waste, ammonia etc.

There's also a thread on cycling tanks with other fish than danios if you'd like to check it out... http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=7631

 

[ADCISCO]

Well just had him sitting in this little vase and thought it might be nice for him to strut his stuff....didnt know if he would try and eat the danios or they would try and nip at him.....I dont want him to die....he's gorgous!

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Betta's are generally the ones who are aggressive...but only towards fish they perceive as a threat (ie, those with big fins like their own). I understand they do quite well in a community tank if everyone feels safe!

 

[Allivymar]

Heh, ya'll are gonna give me a swelled head here. I'm flattered (and again embarrassed) madasa thanx.

As for cycling a QT tank, you certainly can. I have 2 QT atm, one is fully cycled (and I keep snails in it for the loaches); the other is completely torn down.

The thing to keep in mind with QT tanks, is you do not have to keep em up and running. You can keep extra filter media in your main tank, and pop that into the QT filter when you need it. Means you don't have to have an extra tank taking up space.

Another thing to consider is if you have fish in the QT, unless you remove them when you QT new fish, they become canaries in a coal mine, and if the new fish are sick, chances are they will become ill as well. I'll have to can the snails if I wind up putting a sick fish in that tank (I HATE snails so it wouldn't be a great loss to me LOL I just keep em right now cause the angels n loaches love em so much).

Lastly, if you DO wind up treating new fish for disease, you'll most likely kill off the bacteria colonies anyway. So you may wind up doing all the extra work cycling the tank for naught.

You can go with a completely uncycled tank. Means a lot of diligence making sure the water is free of nitrogenous wastes. It can be done tho.

 

[Cherry Barb]

I hope you all don't mind, but could I add another question to this thread? I've been wondering about a QT tank myself, and I'm curious how big does a QT need to be? Or should I say what is the minimum size one needs to be?

Thanks!

 

[Allivymar]

I use a 10g to QT fish. I find it easier to keep on top of water parameters then a smaller tank, and I generally don't buy my fish adult size, so its not too small. Plus its easier for me to keep an eye on them in a smaller tank.

Heh that being said, I haven't torn down my 25g, and have just started a 2 weeks QT for some fishies I picked up today (cardinals, otos and a bamboo shrimp). Figured I might as well use that tank as the other has the snails...just in case of course.

 

[yellowjacket171]

For a quarentine tank, could you also use aquarium water from an existing healthy tank? When I first started my 29 gal in early May, I used 4 cups of gravel/water from a relatives healthy one year old tank.