qt tank

[Madmike]

I have recently started a 35 gallon hex reef tank and it is cycling right now. I also purchased a 10 gallon tank to be used as a QT tank for the tanks new fish. I understand a substrate should not be used, but should some LR be put in to cycle the tank, or does the tank not need to be cycled? I plan on using an old skilter filter with carbon/filter, a small light, a few pvc sections, and a small powerhead.

I have read some threads and i am not quite sure about whether the QT tank is broken down and cleaned after a fish is healthy and ready to enter the show tank. Should the live rock be thrown away?

thanks for the help
mike

[Madmike]

oh, and i forgot, my LFS told me that I should keep the salinity of the QT tank at about 1.017 to 1.018 because the fish can handle it but the parasites cannot, is this correct???
thanks
mike

[Madmike]

^

[aquaticsdeptleader]

low salinty will kill off most parisiteis with the exception of marine velvet and one other i dont rember now

jim

[foobuddha]

I wouldn't put LR in a qt. Some pieces of large diam pvc serve well as hiding places. If you need to dose copper based medication in the qt, the LR would be contaminated.

HTH

[Madmike]

so is the low salinity a good idea for newly aquired fish from the lfs? Or do you think it puts undo stress on an already stressed fish.
mike

[aquaticsdeptleader]

no i would imagine that the local fish store you bought the fish from keeps there salinity low in order to effectivly do what you plan on doing with your qt. so this fish should be used to low salinty. second the fish is fine at low salinty as long as salinty remains fairly constent it rapid changes or frequent changes that cause stress.

jim

[Mrs Smith]

There are as many opinions about Q tanks as there are reefers...

When we first started, we q-ed everything. The problem with that is that some fish cannot handle being in a 10g tank. Think tangs. These guys, who are most ich prone, will often fare worse when stressed in a small tank.

Since you only have a 35, I hope you will not be putting any tangs in there... that said, we don't quarantine any fish anymore. Personally, I think it stresses the fish too much. We would rather spend time observing it at the LFS, making sure it eats and minimizing stress. Ich is a hard thing to completely eliminate. The key is to maintain your fish such that they aren't subject to stress, and then their immune systems will fight it off. Keys to this is to have adequate space, minimize fish load, and be very careful about the order you add fish in (territoriality issues)

If we need a q-tank, we have a spare 10 lying around that is dedicated for it. (Haven't needed it in years, thought.) We have some broken clay pots that are added for hiding space and a simple sponge filter. Usually if something is quarantined, you are going to be dosing it with copper or antibiotics - you don't want LR in there. Also, you are going to have to do water changes - since these tanks have no LR, there is no way for waste to be broken down naturally.

Our philosophy is that if you buy healthy fish from a reputable source, you shouldn't need to q them. It works for us.

But that's just my 2 cents. I'm sure others have other methods.

Danielle

[Madmike]

i agree with not putting any tangs in my tank , the largest fish i plan on having is a pygmy or dwarf angel. I also would like a clown and anenome. How does one decide which fish to start with first? wont any fish be territorial towards new comers? should the smallest fish be added first, and then increase, or should the attitudes of the species be taken into account? The tank will house a maximum of three small fish at a time. As you can tell im new to all of this and information will ultimately be the key to my success.
thanks
later
mike

[Spanky]

Mike,

Here's how I would set up that q-tank.

First, paint the bottom, both long sides, and one end with black paint. Not only does this give the fish the illusion of being in a larger space, less chance of it being spooked. Keeping the tank as dark as you can also helps to disrupt the life cycle of the top three parasites you'll more than likely have to deal with but only if you keep it dark enough.

Lower salinity is actually less stressful for a fish in the sense that their bodies don't have to work as hard to osmoregulate. Salt water fish are constantly having to fight dehydration. However, if you trying to kill off a parasite you'll need to bring the specific gravity down to 1.009 and accurately hold it there for 3 weeks.

You'll need good circulation and a heater too. Temp is ever important, but the main thing with temp is keeping it steady and within the comfort range of the animal you're keeping. Temp can be manipulated to effect different things and deserves a lot more detail than what I'm giving you here.

Maintaining water quality can be done with sponge (biological) filters, water changes or a combination of both. I would use a series of sponge filters and cut PVC pipe pieces in the tank for the fish.

The biggest cause of q-tank failures is not the tank size stressing the fish out at all, but degrading water quality. People have no concept of how much waste fish can produce and how fast a small volume of water can degrade.

This is a quick overview. If you need more detail, let me know.

Jerel

[Madmike]

thanks everyone, i have been reading in the arcives and it looks like a sponge that is left in the sump to gain a biological load is the way to go.

In your experienced opinions, should a new storebought fish be quarentined to the extremes of lowering salinity to 1.009, no light for 3 weeks, and constant water quality. The two books i have read, Tullock and Fenner, cant stress enough the importance of a qt tank, but those are just two men, this board houses hundreds of "practical experts" and i appreciate your suggestions.

I guess my final question is, Should a new storebought fish be treated like a sick fish that has been removed from a show tank, or should they just be observed for any indication of sickness and then treated accordingly in the qt tank, or moved to its home in the show tank?
thanks

[Spanky]

Should a new storebought fish be treated like a sick fish that has been removed from a show tank

Nope, it should be treated like a highly stressed half starved fish that stands a good possibility of being exposed to every known world wide parasite and disease and treatment.

I'm a practicing Marine Pathobiologist Map.

[cyberchef]

Originally posted by Spanky
Nope, it should be treated like a highly stressed half starved fish that stands a good possibility of being exposed to every known world wide parasite and disease and treatment.

I'm a practicing Marine Pathobiologist Map.

So does this mean that everytime you want a new fish you should put it in someone elses tank???

Seriously tho, then quaranteen is a must, but should it be quaranteened at the lower salinity or at just slightly lower unless a problem arises?

[Spanky]

Don,

I guess it's up to you and how much you trust your sources. I know most of the collectors, wholesales, transshippers, etc that we work with around here are well versed on recognizing and treating different diseases. At least all of the ones you run into on a regular basis.

Let's face it. It only takes a couple of times for them to have to trash everything, flush their systems out with clorox and/or formalin, and start over - for them to start paying attention.

But then you also run the risk of something non-fish being introduced to either your LFS's system, or your system, that's a carrier too.

A lot of people can cruise along with no real problems until the day they get a wipe-out. Then they start paying attention too.

By and large, fish are a lot like people. Why did Tommy get a cold and Mikey didn't. But put them both in a glass box, mess with their health and air quality, and it's a bet they'll both get it - or something worse.

To answer your question. I suspect every fish has a multitude of problems until proven different. Just keep a close eye on them and be ready to treat immediately if you need to.

[galleon]

I'm a practicing Marine Pathobiologist Map.

Practicing on what, though?