30 Litre Quarantine Tank

[Dyln]

Hi all

I am new to the hobby. I would like to know if I could use a 30l QT to quarantine two small clownfish. Bare bottom QT will have a sponge filter, heater, a lid with LED bulbs, PVC pipe fittings as hiding places, and a Seachem ammonia alert. If I do daily water changes and dose Seachem Prime/Stability, can a 30l QT work?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi all

I am new to the hobby. I would like to know if I could use a 30l QT to quarantine two small clownfish. Bare bottom QT will have a sponge filter, heater, a lid with LED bulbs, PVC pipe fittings as hiding places, and a Seachem ammonia alert. If I do daily water changes and dose Seachem Prime/Stability, can a 30l QT work?

That will work, but your sponge filter should be "run in" in an established tanks for weeks prior to use, else you won't have any active bio filter, and the ammonia will probably go higher than is easily controlled with Prime. Also, don't use Prime with Cupramine and be careful using it with copper power or coppersafe.

Jay

 

[Dyln]

That will work, but your sponge filter should be "run in" in an established tanks for weeks prior to use, else you won't have any active bio filter, and the ammonia will probably go higher than is easily controlled with Prime. Also, don't use Prime with Cupramine and be careful using it with copper power or coppersafe.

Jay

Thank you so much for the quick response. How long do you suggest I keep my sponge filter (brand new) in the cycled tank before I add it to the QT?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you so much for the quick response. How long do you suggest I keep my sponge filter (brand new) in the cycled tank before I add it to the QT?

The longer the better really, anything less than two months is often not long enough.

Jay

 

[Dyln]

The longer the better really, anything less than two months is often not long enough.

Jay

Thank you again. However, I watched BRS videos and found this . Is this bad advice?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thank you again. However, I watched BRS videos and found this . Is this bad advice?

I don't use uncycled tanks for quarantine. They suggest water changes every three days or so to manage ammonia, but in some systems, especially small ones, the ammonia can build to toxic levels in a bit more than 24 hours. It is also a lot of work and cost to do that many water changes. I do understand why they went this route - their quarantine process times out at about 15 days I think. Our method is 62 days. With people always wanting the shortest possible quarantine, their method is a nod to that issue.

Better to have a well established quarantine tank with a more mature microbiome in it.


Jay

 

[Dyln]

I don't use uncycled tanks for quarantine. They suggest water changes every three days or so to manage ammonia, but in some systems, especially small ones, the ammonia can build to toxic levels in a bit more than 24 hours. It is also a lot of work and cost to do that many water changes. I do understand why they went this route - their quarantine process times out at about 15 days I think. Our method is 62 days. With people always wanting the shortest possible quarantine, their method is a nod to that issue.

Better to have a well established quarantine tank with a more mature microbiome in it.


Jay

That makes sense, thank you.