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Setting up QT tank


Canadianeh

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How do you set up your QT tank? Permanently (running 24/7) or only in emergency?

 

If I set it up permanently and runs 24/7, do I need to put some kind of livestock or plant in there? Or, do I just leave it empty but only saltwater? I figure if it is empty, then who will be producing the ammonia and etc. What do you guys do?

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I keep some biological media ready to be taken out in my main tank, then keep the QT in storage and set it up when needed. Then I play the ammonia-blocking game with Seachem Prime, Microbacter 7 or Stability, water changes, etc.

 

If you keep it long term, you can dose something like Dr Tim's ammonium chloride to keep a cycle going. You may also want to invest in an ATO for that tank in case you forget, so salinity doesn't vary too much. My concern with keeping biological media in that tank is that I may have to medicate with something that'll wipe out the bacterial filter anyway, and that's a lot of effort for something I'm going to kill later on.

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I keep some biological media ready to be taken out in my main tank, then keep the QT in storage and set it up when needed. Then I play the ammonia-blocking game with Seachem Prime, Microbacter 7 or Stability, water changes, etc.

 

If you keep it long term, you can dose something like Dr Tim's ammonium chloride to keep a cycle going. You may also want to invest in an ATO for that tank in case you forget, so salinity doesn't vary too much. My concern with keeping biological media in that tank is that I may have to medicate with something that'll wipe out the bacterial filter anyway, and that's a lot of effort for something I'm going to kill later on.

Thank you and it make sense. I think I will go with emergency only QT

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fishfreak0114

My QT isn't a 24/7, but I've never thought to establish biomedia in my display and use it in the QT before. That's a good idea, otherwise you're stuck like me, doing water changes every two days and dosing prime to keep the ammonia at bay. This time, my QT has been set up for roughly 2.5 months, but not empty. When I'm done QTing fish it will be broken down again.

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Thank you and it make sense. I think I will go with emergency only QT

 

 

Wait, you've only heard my personal opinion! Let others chime in :P

 

I can think of tons of great reasons to keep a 24/7 QT tank. Can you imagine? You can fatten up your fish by isolating them, you can observe new coral additions (assuming tank is med-free) for weeks after dipping before tossing them in your main tank, you can test all sorts of stuff you may not want to throw into your main tank right away...

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how do I establish biomedia in the main tank?

 

 

Take some space in your filtration to put something removable, with lots of surface area. For me, that was filter floss (the structured, bonded kind). It transferred LOTS of pods and things over to the QT tank, which was great. For some it's live rock rubble, or a piece of Marine Pure or other high-porosity ceramic media, etc etc.

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I like mariaface pull out live rock from my sump and set my QT as needed. Before I had seahorses I would just leave a sponge from a sponge filter in the sump.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am planning to set up QT tank while my DT is cycling.

I read that I can use the water from WC from my DT to set up a QT tank if I don't want to set up a permanent one and just set it up only when I need it.

My question is:
If I use the water and filter floss from my DT water change, does not it mean that I am using "dirty" water and "dirty" filter floss (from detritus) to QT my livestock? I mean when all the Nitrates are in the water.

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Its a common practice to use waterchange water and existing floss in a qt tank.

Right. how do you lower the nitrate then?,I assume it comes from the DT

 

Also, is 5 gallons enough for QT tank? My DT is 40 gallons.

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For 1 fish suitable for nano environment 5G is probably fine. If you have room, get 10G. That way if you have to move all fish into it as a hospital tank it is a bit more manageable. Still cramped but better than nothing.

 

I was lazy so I never took down my QT. I have a glass cover that almost covers the tank entirely so evaporation was minimal. I only added water into it once or twice for like a half year. I keep my internal filter and heater running. When my clownfish went missing and I went to get another clown, I put the new clown in the QT and I never saw any ammonia so the biological filter must have been fine.

 

Right. how do you lower the ammonia then?,I assume it comes from the DT

 

Also, is 5 gallons enough for QT tank? My DT is 40 gallons.

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I don't have a qt. I have never qt'd so i only know what I have learned from others.

 

once your dt water is cycled the ammonia level will be 0 so when you transfer the water from the dt to the qt there should be no ammonia. Its why most use the filter floss or rock from their dt as well, its the bio source.

 

If you are setting up a qt at the same time as the dt, the qt needs to be cycled.

 

As for dirty water from water changes. Its not always necessarily dirty, we do waterchanges to replenish elements in the tank as well.

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I don't have a qt. I have never qt'd so i only know what I have learned from others.

 

once your dt water is cycled the ammonia level will be 0 so when you transfer the water from the dt to the qt there should be no ammonia. Its why most use the filter floss or rock from their dt as well, its the bio source.

 

If you are setting up a qt at the same time as the dt, the qt needs to be cycled.

 

As for dirty water from water changes. Its not always necessarily dirty, we do waterchanges to replenish elements in the tank as well.

 

Sorry...I meant Nitrate. How do you lower the Nitrate?

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Waterchanges. Once the ammonia has processed to 0 and stays at 0, you can do a waterchange which lowers nitrates.

 

I usually wait till theres no nitrite but its not necessary.

 

Then i normally test to ensure there are no spikes in the cycle. Then i add a small cuc once nitrates are below 20, wait, then add a fish. Some do it differently but this has always worked for me.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Is 10 gallon tank enough to QT a yellow clown goby, a purple firefish, and a tailspot blenny at the same time?

 

I have 2 clowns that I added few weeks ago, 8 snails, 3 LPS frags, 1 xenia frag, and 1 anemone.

 

Is adding those 3 new fish at the same time too much?

 

Tank is 2 months old

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