substrate in hospital tank?

[105man]

I have read that a bare bottom is best for a hospital tank, but was wondering whether it's viable to keep live sand, live rock, and maybe some type of livestock in a hospital tank while it is in regular use awaiting a temporary resident sick fish.

Or, do most medications wind up killing the live sand and live rock or any corals anyway?

If not live sand, is some other sand OK?

[Minnreefer]

I think that you can use some sand and such in a H tank, you want to make sure that you don't mix the sand with the main system. Also many people will clean out and store a hospital tank when not in use.

Jon

[thefatman]

personally i wouldnt put in any corals or live rock. for two reasons.

it defeats the purpose of isolating the infected/injured fish.

and it will make netting difficult when it's time to return to the display tank.

[Mrs Smith]

When we've needed to set one up (which thankfully hasn't been in a long time), we have a set of broken clay pots that we stick in there for the fish to hide in. They provide a sense of security, and they are cheap - unlike LR, which will just be killed by antobiotics.

Also, as Minnreefer mentioned, most of us just set them up when needed - so they aren't cycled. Thus, frequent water changes are a must. I find it's a lot easier to siphon out waste with a bare bottom.

Just my 2c,
Danielle