Jump to content
Top Shelf Aquatics

Help me set up a quarentine tank!


HarryPotter

Recommended Posts

HarryPotter

Hi NR- I'm setting out to have a fish/coral quarentine tank (one or the other at a time, not mixed).

 

My display is 45g, and I was hoping to have a 5-10g quarentine.

 

What setup would be easiest to run year round?

 

I already have:

 

Aqua illumination Nano w. Mount

ATO

 

I have a (now empty) nanocube, but that's a bit big for a quarentine. What do you think? Is a simple $10 10 gallon tank w. overflow & 5g sump good? Or just a 10g with a HOB skimmer?

 

If you were setting up a 10g quarentine/hospital tank, what would you put in?

Link to comment

I would just go with a AC70 HOB instead of a sump. Just run some rock in it and keep it simple, no need for a skimmer because you won't keep live stock in it all the time

Link to comment
HarryPotter

I would just go with a AC70 HOB instead of a sump. Just run some rock in it and keep it simple, no need for a skimmer because you won't keep live stock in it all the time

So in this case, would a AIO tank be easier? I am looking at the IM fusion 10. Built in filteration, mesh cover, nice glass, etc. I already have the light and ATO so it would be ready to go for $100.

Link to comment

tank, heater, HOB filter, basic light (only really needed for coral). No sand. No rock. eggcrate shelves for coral, PVC sections for fish to hide. Done.

 

Your QT tank is meant to be quick to assemble and disassemble because you may have diseases and stuff. The less complicated, the better.

Link to comment

I have a pretty simple setup for fish right now. Now, this would have to be altered to keep coral, obviously.

 

Standard 10 gallon

50 watt heater

Manual topoffs, although ATO would be nice if you already have a spare one laying around

AC20 with FF(the first batch of FF came out of my DT to bring over some bacteria)

I am using good quality, fully cured LR, but would pull it if I needed to dose medication

I am using the standard light hood with 2 50/50 bulbs, but this would need to be altered for a coral QT. Looks like you already have a light, so you would be good to go.

Bare bottom, no sand needed

For coral, you should probably add a power head, but its not necessary for fish only QT

Link to comment
HarryPotter

I think I am trying to describe a "hospital tank". Something that would be up 24/7 365 days a year to put in new corals and/or fish to watch for 30 days prior to the display.

Link to comment

I think I am trying to describe a "hospital tank". Something that would be up 24/7 365 days a year to put in new corals and/or fish to watch for 30 days prior to the display.

Again - the tank set up I listed is what you want for a hospital tank. Easy to see and treat animals that need it. Easy to dismantle and sanitize if you have to. Not hard to clean, no tiny areas. Good places for fish to hide. Egg crate allows for corals to be raised or lowered to adjust to light.

 

Melev's reef has a great write up on these and why you want them bare-bones. http://melevsreef.com/tanks/quarantine-tank

Link to comment

read this: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/blog/quarantining-marine-fish-made-simple

 

I keep my QT set up all the time, but it could just as easily be an on-demand set up if you keep a sponge or something in your main tank that can be utilized as a biofilter for the QT (obviously use a new sponge each time).

 

I do use rock in my QT tank, but its just some rock from the back yard (non aragonite as apparently aragonite rock can reduce the effectiveness of some meds) and it stays in the QT.

Link to comment

Again - the tank set up I listed is what you want for a hospital tank. Easy to see and treat animals that need it. Easy to dismantle and sanitize if you have to. Not hard to clean, no tiny areas. Good places for fish to hide. Egg crate allows for corals to be raised or lowered to adjust to light.

 

Melev's reef has a great write up on these and why you want them bare-bones. http://melevsreef.com/tanks/quarantine-tank

I agree, but the only thing I would add is you may want to use live rock if you feel like you have a good chance that you will not need to dose any meds. The LR will provide a lot of extra stability, which is something that you def want in a hospital tank/QT. The last thing you want is to add extra stress on fish/coral due to ammonia/nitrite. It will alleviate you from having to do a water change every 2-3 days, as without proper biological filtration, the ammonia with rise quite quickly, even if you only have 1 or 2 fish residing in it.

 

Now, if you do end up needing to dose meds, you just pull out the LR and store it in a bucket of saltwater while dosing the meds. Then, you will need to start with frequent water changes, but you would be doing that anyways when dosing meds.

Link to comment

tank, heater, HOB filter, basic light (only really needed for coral). No sand. No rock. eggcrate shelves for coral, PVC sections for fish to hide. Done.

 

Your QT tank is meant to be quick to assemble and disassemble because you may have diseases and stuff. The less complicated, the better.

Exactly. Keep it simple.

Link to comment
HarryPotter

Read through all the replies (sorry, busy day!) and get what everyone is suggesting. A small, bare bones tank that can be sterilized post-inhabitants, easily cleaned, etc.

 

My plan (to begin as a fish-only quarantine)

 

  • 7.5-10g aquarium
    • Not sure what model yet.
    • Would like mesh/ plastic top
    • Eyes on craigslist :)
    • Possibly one of the LFS 10g combos
  • 50w Neo-therm Heater
  • ATO
  • AI Nano
  • Aquaclear 30
  • Single aquarium ornament (Plastic) that can be cleaned easily

 

Much simpler, and I have most of this already. I only need the actual tank and the heater. I will wait until something "pops up" to me, as I am hoping to spend less than $30 on the tank. Maybe craigslist, or a petsmart combo.

Link to comment

Been thinking about a QT/Hospital tank myself. Was thinking of running a AC 70. Or smaller with live rock in my sump of my main tank. and when needed move it and 10 gallons of tank water over to a 10g tank. This way my live rock in the AC70 is good and active without having to keep another tank running all the time. Drop a heater in and pop a top with lights on and instant QT/hospital tank. Sound like a good idea?

Link to comment
HarryPotter

How about this? Local on craigslist for $19.99. A new 10g tank with basic filter (Probably will replace with my aquaclear), hood, etc.

 

Nice and simple, so can be set up and/or sterilized at will.

 

IMG_0771_zpsgcke0aba.jpg

Link to comment
HarryPotter

Looks good to me! A tank is a tank.. you could even use a 5 gallon bucket as a QT

 

Yeah IK but don't want it to be ugly! No eye-sores allowed says the boss

Link to comment

I have a Fusion 10 running right now as a quarantine tank.

 

I would also recommend a bottle of Prime and dose the recommended dosage into the tank every couple days and with water changes. I've been using Stability too, but I'm not sure how well it's working (likely because I'm using Prime).

Link to comment

Thats pretty much the same setup I have for my QT tank - though be warned if it's the same lid I got the lights won't last very long at all because the lights aren't sealed, just a splash guard... Mine corroded out very quickly and became an electrical hazard so I run the tank open top now!

 

Note that at Wal-Mart or petsmart you can buy a 10g for $10 not on sale too - so if you have an extra HOB filter you can just use that and save the cash - it's not like you need anything special.

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...