Is this HOB filter big enough for a quarantine tank???

thebulkhimself · 09-21-2007, 04:50 AM

Here is a pic of a cheap HOB filter I got off ebay for a quarantine tank which is going to comprise of -

*1 Coral beauty (3 inches long)
* 1 Blue tang (1.5 inches long)
* 1 Bi color blennie (2 inches long)
* 1 Cleaner wrasse (2 inches long)
* 1 perc clown (1 inch long)

it says it has a flow rate of 250 LPH (approx 60 Gph) and I'll be placing the fish in a container approx 50 litres (15 Gal)

is this going to be big enough to handle the bio load??

The filter material would only be 1x2 inches

should I get myself a bigger filter or will this suffice??

tims · 09-21-2007, 06:17 AM

hi andrew,
i dont see a picture??
but the size you say should be enough. hopefully you have a sponge filter or something in the main tank seeded to help the QT stablize.

Loverotties · 09-21-2007, 06:58 AM

No pic! But it should be ok!

thebulkhimself · 09-21-2007, 09:35 AM

haha i just realised no pic. (i'll shall attach it)

Here's one - im going to use the one off my AR-126 modified anyway. Should work a charm.

How long should I seed it for (the filter media) and is it guaranteed to seed if I put it in the sump or is there a way of testing it??

Hop · 09-21-2007, 09:43 AM

I put my HOB sponge in the sump of the display for about 1-2 weeks to seed it. That filter looks small for the bio-load. You will need to watch ammonia, no2 and no3 closely and may need to do water changes fairly frequently IMO.

Geoff · 09-21-2007, 09:47 AM

and what are you going to do about the ich i the tank itself? are you going to leave the fish in the QT tank for a month or two till the ich in the tank is hopefully dead? i can not remember the length of time for the entire ich life cycle.

you put the fish back in to soon, you will have to do the whole thing all over again.

G~

Harry_Y · 09-21-2007, 09:56 AM

For my QT Tank I picked up a 10 Gal setup at Wal-Mart for about $60.00. It came with a heater, HOB filter, Light , Tank etc.

I put in a cup of sand from my Main tank and some LR rubble and smaller rock pieces. If I have to ever treat the fish I can pull out the LR, and suck out the sand (I can re-cook the rock later, to get rid of any bad things). I put a snail and a crab in it that I can put back into the main tank when I QT Fish.

I have some PVC pipe cut as a hiding spot, and still need to pick up a couple of plastic plants for more hiding spots.

Simple cheap and since it is in my home office I wanted it to look a little less barren.

Good Luck.

Hop · 09-21-2007, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff

and what are you going to do about the ich i the tank itself? are you going to leave the fish in the QT tank for a month or two till the ich in the tank is hopefully dead? i can not remember the length of time for the entire ich life cycle.

you put the fish back in to soon, you will have to do the whole thing all over again.

G~

I believe it depends on a few factors such as the particular strain and temp of the tank etc... 6 weeks seems to be the consensus from what I have read to ensure an ich free home

thebulkhimself · 09-21-2007, 08:14 PM

yeah definately will have the fish out for 2 months which will give me a chance to re-aquascape and put sand in. I'm going to modify my AR126 filter to use - it has a much larger filter media surface.

My tang has been developing the Ich pretty bad (looks like he's been in a powder room) and obviously I can't put them in the QT tank without the media "seeded" but he is looking pretty bad - whats the least amount of time I can wait?? I'm willing to sacrifice live rock!!!!!

Please give me help

Hop · 09-21-2007, 08:24 PM

I would say if you are willing to sacrifice LR, then 1-2 days. But starting hypo will kill things in and on the rock which may cause a cycle. Be prepared for water changes.

thebulkhimself · 09-21-2007, 09:53 PM

hmm otherwise how long should I seed the filter material and is there a special way of doing it or should i just dump the wool in the sump??