Budget quarantine setup help

[carguy4471]

Just as the title reads I'd love some input on a budget QT/Hospital tank setup. My primary display is a 20 gallon so my QT doesn't need to be any more than 10, maybe less.

What I do have.... A quality saltwater production setup. 30 gallons on hand almost all the time.

I'd like to be able to setup the tank and tear down as needed with minimal work. I'd like to be able to use it as fish qt/coral qt/treatment tank, not at the same time.

With that said, I'd be delighted to get some input on a bare bones setup. What equipment (with links) would you use to keep the cost down while still creating a usable tank. If it's petco available stuff and budget friendly I'll likely pull my head from my **** and pick the stuff up tomorrow or later this week.

Additionally, I've tried to find but haven't found definitive answers, on how to pull off an "immediate" setup for when a treatment tank is needed. How does one cycle a tank quick enough to have it usable as a treatment tank if it wasn't already setup. A guide on this would be awesome!!

Just to throw it out there, I think a sticky guide of the above would be swell. I looked but didn't see one.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Hallowhead]

10 gallon tank from Petco a 10 dollar heater a 25 dollar HOB aquaclear an ammonia badge from seachem and that's it.

Make sure you have sponges or heavy media seeding in your DT at all times

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

You just need a heater and a sponge filter. If you have a sump for your DT, then just keep a sponge in the sump and pull it out and use it. Setup the sponge filter and put the heater in the QT and soon as the water and salinity are correct you are good to go.

 

[carguy4471]

10 gallon tank from Petco a 10 dollar heater a 25 dollar HOB aquaclear an ammonia badge from seachem and that's it.

Make sure you have sponges or heavy media seeding in your DT at all times

How many watt heater would be appropriate?

What sort of media are you talking about??

 

[bevo5]

Just don’t put the sponge back in the dt.

 

[piranhaman00]

A 10 gallon is that absolute minimum I would do for a QT. I would use (and am currently using) the following equipment, im not gonna link everything you can find it

10 gallon petco tank with metal stand and glass hood
Air pump, air hose, sponge filter
Aquaclear AC30
Heater and inkbird controller
Cheapo LED light
PVC pipe and random fittings for caves
Seachem ammonia badge
Biospira

I keep powerheads in the QT to mix the new water quickly when adding high sg salt water to bring up the sg.

Biospira will cycle a tank overnight. I use a 29 and a 20H for my QT tanks, I keep them running at all times, will take down when I get my 180 how I want it.

 

[Hallowhead]

How many watt heater would be appropriate?

What sort of media are you talking about??

I think in my 10 gallon I used a 50 watt.

I use heavier filter floss it's more of a coarse media. You can also use sponges or even rubble rock. You should still use a bacteria supplement such as biospira

 

[carguy4471]

You just need a heater and a sponge filter. If you have a sump for your DT, then just keep a sponge in the sump and pull it out and use it. Setup the sponge filter and put the heater in the QT and soon as the water and salinity are correct you are good to go.

I have a filter floss filter in my tank. Is that what's referred to as a sponge?

 

[piranhaman00]

I have a filter floss filter in my tank. Is that what's referred to as a sponge?

See my image, there are two sponge filters in there. 50 watt heater would be sufficient.

 

[Big G]

Just as the title reads I'd love some input on a budget QT/Hospital tank setup. My primary display is a 20 gallon so my QT doesn't need to be any more than 10, maybe less.

What I do have.... A quality saltwater production setup. 30 gallons on hand almost all the time.

I'd like to be able to setup the tank and tear down as needed with minimal work. I'd like to be able to use it as fish qt/coral qt/treatment tank, not at the same time.

With that said, I'd be delighted to get some input on a bare bones setup. What equipment (with links) would you use to keep the cost down while still creating a usable tank. If it's petco available stuff and budget friendly I'll likely pull my head from my **** and pick the stuff up tomorrow or later this week.

Additionally, I've tried to find but haven't found definitive answers, on how to pull off an "immediate" setup for when a treatment tank is needed. How does one cycle a tank quick enough to have it usable as a treatment tank if it wasn't already setup. A guide on this would be awesome!!

Just to throw it out there, I think a sticky guide of the above would be swell. I looked but didn't see one.

Thanks for all the help!

How to Quarantine

How to Setup a Quarantine Tank The following are the bare essentials: Aquarium (10-30 gallons seems to work for most people. Bigger QT lets you house more fish and gives you more wiggle room when it comes to ammonia. Smaller QT is cheaper, easier to maintain and can be setup/broke down...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[carguy4471]

Do I need both a HOB and a sponge filter?

 

[Hallowhead]

Do I need both a HOB and a sponge filter?

One or the other

 

[Hallowhead]

One or the other

I personally use / prefer HOB with an airstone

 

[carguy4471]

So I can just take the media that comes in the HOB and plop it in my sump area to get it seeded until I fire up the QT? Once I fill up the QT with water and get it heated up, swap in the media from my DT into the HOB, drop in some bio spira and I'm off to the races?

 

[piranhaman00]

Do I need both a HOB and a sponge filter?

I highly recommend both. When dosing meds you are going to want a lot of surface agitation and using an air stone without the sponge filter is silly imo, the sponge filter is like 5$ and is amazing for biofiltration!

 

[piranhaman00]

So I can just take the media that comes in the HOB and plop it in my sump area to get it seeded until I fire up the QT? Once I fill up the QT with water and get it heated up, swap in the media from my DT into the HOB, drop in some bio spira and I'm off to the races?

Yes this will work great.

 

[Mhart032]

I use these with an air pump. I actually keep the sponges in my sump in the bubble trap just in case i need to QT something. also use the petco 10gal tank. I think i have 30 bucks in the whole setup, maybe 80.00 with the meds for just in case scenarios.

 

[W1ngz]

I do this with a Walmart 10 gallon kit, and use marinepure spheres that I keep in the bottom of my refugium in my sump. Take 4 or 5 spheres from the sump into the QT tank when I need it and supplement with a bit of bottled bacteria. Once I get to the point of sterilizing or shutting down the QT, I throw away the spheres.

Get some carbon pouches, like the ones for an aquaclear 20 so you can easily remove and replace the carbon between treatments, instead of using any HOB filter pads that have carbon inside them.

 

[Cwentz758]

i took a used filter sock from my sump and tossed it in my HOB then added around 5-10 gallons of used water from DT water change and added some biospira

 

[carguy4471]

DT water isn't a cross contamination concern?