Cool idea for a quarantine tank

[ajmckay]

So for the past few months I've been contemplating a potential new addition to my tank. Finally decided on a Magenta/Purple/Strawberry Dottyback/Pseudochromis (Pictichromis porphyrea). Took a few weeks but found a pretty nice specimen at an LFS.

 

Probably just being lazy but my 10g QT has been left set up for the past year or so. Also out of laziness stuck a bunch of chaeto harvested from my main tank into the QT and put a light on it.

 

Originally I was planning to take the chaeto out but when I got the new fish home a friend came over so as soon as I matched the water parameters I released the fish into the QT with all the chaeto - I'm really surprised at how well it's doing! Obviously there are several variables at work here (type of fish, individual specimen, size, etc...) but the fish has been very active (in an alert, good way - not spastic) and is eating like a champ. He's already found all the tunnels through the algae and while it looks like it fills the tank I see it swimming all over the maze of algae!

 

In addition to the excellent behavior I'm seeing, another possible benefit of using chaeto in a QT tank is that it should also be able to be used as a biological filter (theoretically anyways - since there are likely nitrifying bacteria from the main tank on the considerable surface area of the algae). I can't really think of any drawbacks either - maybe if you need to use a medication that would kill the algae - but then you just remove it for the treatment time frame.

 

Has anyone else tried this? What kind of results did you experience?

 

 

[seabass]

I think that works pretty well. The only issue might be catching your fish, as it will likely hide in the chaeto when you try.

[Clown79]

Sounds good.

 

Maybe the chaeto being in there makes it more "home like", comforting in a way. The fish feels less threatened than in an empty glass box by itself.

 

Other thsn wgen medicating, I can't see a negative to this.

[fishfreak0114]

Sometimes I throw a clump of macro in my QT. The fish seem to feel safer and always hang out near it

[flatlandreefer]

If you need to medicate the qt would that have any effect on the cheato? Cool idea!

[cruiZe]

cool new fish bro! I just released a yellow coris and a blenny from QT after a grueling (on me) month wait. I used a bucket inside my regular sump with a tiny powerhead so I didnt need a heater but the coris was getting frustrated with the small space after a while. This is a great idea and nice place to grow out chaeto too.

 

How long has it been chaeto only? Seems like it grew right? (is it able to grow with only light and no nutrients from the tank?) I'd expect zero left there

[ajmckay]

Hahah I could possibly remove a big enough chunk of it that I catch the fish along with it! Haha. Can't count how many times I've removed a rock or something from my tank and then discover there was a fish hiding in it or something. This seems so obvious but it's really working well.

I think that works pretty well. The only issue might be catching your fish, as it will likely hide in the chaeto when you try.

 

I agree - may not be as much an issue with larger fish, but for our smaller skittish reef fish the importance of having tons of hiding spots can't be understated.

Sounds good.

Maybe the chaeto being in there makes it more "home like", comforting in a way. The fish feels less threatened than in an empty glass box by itself.

Other thsn wgen medicating, I can't see a negative to this.

 

I think it can be this simple.

Sometimes I throw a clump of macro in my QT. The fish seem to feel safer and always hang out near it

 

It depends on the medication. Many meds shouldn't affect it but generally it's best not to have too much stuff in a QT when medicating. For example some medications can be absorbed by some kinds of live rock and the algae could also absorb some of the medications (which may make it unsuitable to be used later on in another tank). For some meds like praziquantel I'm guessing that the impact would be minimal though.

If you need to medicate the qt would that have any effect on the cheato? Cool idea!

 

Kick ass dude - I still need to check out your tank sometime! Using a bucket inside the sump is a really cool idea! You can get away without a heater and also the round shape probably makes the space feel larger for the fish because there isn't a wall to run into. An added plus is it should be easy to keep the lighting low. I suppose the only downside is that it would be more difficult to observe the fish for any issues.

 

As for the chaeto, I've had it in there for probably a month? Just a regular CFL on it and it seems to be staying green but not really growing. A surprising amount of crap has accumulated at the bottom of the tank though, a sort of bacterial sludge if I had to guess because I'm not adding anything to the tank by way of food or anything. Last time I harvested the chaeto I threw most of it away but decided to toss some into this tank more as just an experiment and possibly to get some store credit or give it to someone or something.

cool new fish bro! I just released a yellow coris and a blenny from QT after a grueling (on me) month wait. I used a bucket inside my regular sump with a tiny powerhead so I didnt need a heater but the coris was getting frustrated with the small space after a while. This is a great idea and nice place to grow out chaeto too.

 

How long has it been chaeto only? Seems like it grew right? (is it able to grow with only light and no nutrients from the tank?) I'd expect zero left there

[dandelion]

I used to keep a ball of chaeto in my QT to reduce the need of water change. I had a CFL bulb shining over it to give it the needed light.