Setting up emergency hospital tank

[Clown79]

What is the best method to start an emergency hospital tank? 

 

How do you avoid the cycle?

 

I think this info could be really helpful to newbies or even intermediates.

 

 

[fishfreak0114]

I just fill a tank with fresh saltwater, add an airstone, heater, thermometer, and a PVC elbow. To control ammonia, I dose seachem prime daily, do frequent water changes, and feed light. 

[Clown79]

Will the prime effect medications or vice versa?

[dandelion]

3 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Will the prime effect medications or vice versa?

It will affect cupramine. Cupramine + prime = dead fish.

 

Another way is to be proactive and leave say a non-running sponge filter in your DT or sump. Or you can leave rubbles or ceramic rings in a HOB filter and move them over into your QT filter.

[squamptonbc]

I keep a small amount of bio media in my media area, some fluval ceramic ring things they sell for aqua clears in the event I need to set up a tank in an emergency.

[xAyanex]

2 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I just fill a tank with fresh saltwater, add an airstone, heater, thermometer, and a PVC elbow. To control ammonia, I dose seachem prime daily, do frequent water changes, and feed light. 

+1, except I don't use Prime, I just do really frequent water changes and test ammonia often, like daily. Also I have a HOB with a filter in it, but no carbon.

[Clown79]

Great. Thats very helpful in the event anyone ever needs to set one up!

 

Thank you

[Guest]

Instead of making a whole another tank, you can get a piece of plexiglass that fits the width of your tank and seperate your tank in 2. Get another power head for oxygen and just use the tank,rocks,water,and corals that you already have.

 

Hope it helps,

Trevor=)

[lkoechle]

41 minutes ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

Instead of making a whole another tank, you can get a piece of plexiglass that fits the width of your tank and seperate your tank in 2. Get another power head for oxygen and just use the tank,rocks,water,and corals that you already have.

 

Hope it helps,

Trevor=)

That would only work if the issue was an unmedicated injury or fighting fish.  For any medication, obeservation before being released in the tank, etc you need a separate tank.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, lkoechle said:

That would only work if the issue was an unmedicated injury or fighting fish.  For any medication, obeservation before being released in the tank, etc you need a separate tank.

But if you do my plan correctly, that won't be necessary. 

[dandelion]

16 minutes ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

But if you do my plan correctly, that won't be necessary. 

Chances are the seal won't be perfect and you'll have leak from one compartment to another. 

[lkoechle]

1 hour ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

But if you do my plan correctly, that won't be necessary. 

You'd have to silicone it to ensure no leaks.  It seems like a lot of work with large risk. much easier to just build a separate tabk, plus you would be reducing territory for the other fish.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, dandelion said:

Chances are the seal won't be perfect and you'll have leak from one compartment to another. 

Yes, but there is underwater sealing glue that won't harm the fish.

1 hour ago, lkoechle said:

You'd have to silicone it to ensure no leaks.  It seems like a lot of work with large risk. much easier to just build a separate tabk, plus you would be reducing territory for the other fish.

It costs less though with my plan. Did you think of that?

[lkoechle]

4 minutes ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

Yes, but there is underwater sealing glue that won't harm the fish.

It costs less though with my plan. Did you think of that?

No it doesnt cost less because you are disrupting the display tank and under water sealing glue would permanently disrupt your display tank. At best youre saving $15 while damaging your display tabk and disrupting and stressing your residents which also can cause loss of fish and corals who werent sick to begin with.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, lkoechle said:

No it doesnt cost less because you are disrupting the display tank and under water sealing glue would permanently disrupt your display tank. At best youre saving $15 while damaging your display tabk and disrupting and stressing your residents which also can cause loss of fish and corals who werent sick to begin with.

I forgot that it would do that to the beauty of the tank. You make some solid points. We should talk later some time.

[Clown79]

Not just that but since you would be medicating one side of the tank, how do you ever use it as 1 full dt ever again?

 

Its much easier and safer long term to get a 5g-10g for a hospital tank and use it for that purpose only

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Not just that but since you would be medicating one side of the tank, how do you ever use it as 1 full dt ever again?

 

Its much easier and safer long term to get a 5g-10g for a hospital tank and use it for that purpose only

Yes, but if you were to use plexiglas, it wouldn't have to be long term because you could take it out once the fish(s) is better

[lkoechle]

3 minutes ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

Yes, but if you were to use plexiglas, it wouldn't have to be long term because you could take it out once the fish(s) is better

No, because you can't have medication in the DT.  It can kill the entire system. You cant remove it without draining it 100% and scrubbing.  Once again, the idea would only work in the event of fighting fish and even then, a breeder box or removal from the tank is a more practical solution. The plexiglass idea is neither good nor practical.

[Guest]

Valid point.

 

[braaap]

4 hours ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

But if you do my plan correctly, that won't be necessary. 

 

1 hour ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

Yes, but there is underwater sealing glue that won't harm the fish.

It costs less though with my plan. Did you think of that?

 

Haven't had many tanks have you? A medicated QT tank is absolutely necessary when introducing fish to a display tank.

 

 

OP - I keep a sheet of poly floss in my sump. It has tons of live bacteria and when necessary I can pull my QT out of storage and put the floss in a filter and have the tank up and running in 20 minutes.

[burtbollinger]

what I am using for temp quarantine tank for a single small fish:

• aqua clear filter with everything removed.  
• 10g tank from petco
• 3-4 PVC pipes
• heater + inkbird heater controller (you don't want a cooked fish)
• cheap digital thermometer
• marinepure chunk from display sump/fuval ceramic rings that sit in display sump
• ammonia alert badge
• no light needed
• separate syphon tubing, water containers, turkey baster (nothing from display tank touches this tank, ever)

I do a 3 gallon water change every 3 or so days.  I do a dose of Prazipro after a week, but that's all.  The fish I bring home will have been in a copper system for a month prior...and I keep them in this setup here for 6-7 weeks.

 

8 hours ago, Trevor Flahardy said:

Instead of making a whole another tank, you can get a piece of plexiglass that fits the width of your tank and seperate your tank in 2. Get another power head for oxygen and just use the tank,rocks,water,and corals that you already have.

 

Hope it helps,

Trevor=)

man, this is horrible advice.  full stop....horrible advice.  

Absolute comedy, except its somewhat terrifying that someone can just fire off this advice like its no big deal, then proceed to defend it... that some unfortunate soul might read this and think that its an acceptable solution, very sobering.

 

 

[PDR]

7 minutes ago, braaap said:

Haven't had many tanks have you? A medicated QT tank is absolutely necessary when introducing fish to a display tank.

 

A wise choice? Sure, but absolutely necessary may be stretching it. Especially given that the vast majority of reefers don't do it (not that they shouldn't, just that they don't). And that just goes for QT, preventative medicating is a whole other can of worms..

[braaap]

2 minutes ago, PDR said:

 

A wise choice? Sure, but absolutely necessary may be stretching it. Especially given that the vast majority of reefers don't do it (not that they shouldn't, just that they don't). And that just goes for QT, preventative medicating is a whole other can of worms..

 

Don't QT. I promise it will bite you sooner or later. So yes it is necessary.

[lkoechle]

Just now, braaap said:

 

Don't QT. I promise it will bite you sooner or later. So yes it is necessary.

true story.  especially tangs.  I hate tangs now. lol

[burtbollinger]

3 minutes ago, braaap said:

 

Don't QT. I promise it will bite you sooner or later. So yes it is necessary.

solid point, but you can just seal off the sick fish into their own little cubes with plexiglass and aquarium glue...did you think of that?