Budget quarantine setup help

[piranhaman00]

DT water isn't a cross contamination concern?

No, adding DT seeded filtration is not either.

 

[carguy4471]

adding DT seeded filtration is not either

Super good to know. I would not have guessed that.

Any thoughts on a light?? Since my fish qt days will be short lived seeing as I have a 20 gallon DT, I'm hoping I can turn this into a coral QT once I'm reasonably certain I won't be acquiring more fish. I don't need to grow sps or anything, just keep some softies and lps alive and happy during qt. Any petco lights on the cheap that can pull that off?

 

[Cell]

I use aqueon 50w preset heaters in my QT. On sale for $8 on amazon right now. Go go go!

 

[bevo5]

DT water isn't a cross contamination concern?

I'm definitely no expert - but I guess there are two factors I can think of here. You're going to be putting that fish in the DT eventually anyway, and in theory you've QT'd everything so the DT should be good. And two - you're probably treating the new fish with prazi and maybe copper anyway.

My question is - what do people do with all the used bio media? Throw it away?

Also - what's the point of sterilizing the QT between fish if you've deemed the fish healthy enough for the DT? Wouldn't anything that's in that QT now also be in that fish? If you've treated/watched/whatever the QT then why nuke it?

 

[Cwentz758]

Well hoping your DT is clean to begin with. but i believe parasites dont just live floating in the water they are on the rock and in the sand.

 

[Cwentz758]

I'm definitely no expert - but I guess there are two factors I can think of here. You're going to be putting that fish in the DT eventually anyway, and in theory you've QT'd everything so the DT should be good. And two - you're probably treating the new fish with prazi and maybe copper anyway.

My question is - what do people do with all the used bio media? Throw it away?

Also - what's the point of sterilizing the QT between fish if you've deemed the fish healthy enough for the DT? Wouldn't anything that's in that QT now also be in that fish? If you've treated/watched/whatever the QT then why nuke it?

id assume its to clean off any copper contaminates or disease that fell off

 

[carguy4471]

If one has run copper in a QT tank, can that tank later be used as maybe a frag tank if the tank is cleaned properly?

 

[dwest]

If one has run copper in a QT tank, can that tank later be used as maybe a frag tank if the tank is cleaned properly?

Yep.

 

[carguy4471]

Yep.

Perfect. That helps me a ton. Then the tank can really be multipurpose and perpetual.

 

[Cwentz758]

Ya then you don’t have a QT for later

the wife is always like “why do you have/need all this extra stuff or old stuff”

I always say it’s just how reefing is, $&!T happens...or I break something

 

[carguy4471]

I was mostly thinking that since my DT is only a 20 gallon that after it's fully stocked (which shouldn't take too long compared to larger tanks), then my QT tank could double as a frag QT tank for the corals being added. When my DT hits max capacity I could use the tank as a frag tank if I got bored or something.

If push came to shove in an emergency, I could run to petco and get another since I'd know what I'm looking for... or I could take the few frags that are in there and temp toss them into my DT and make it a hospital tank.

With such a small DT the long term needs for a QT are so much less. I would think with tanks 90+ gallons you could be adding fish and coral for years and the need for a QT would be much more long term.

 

[Cwentz758]

True.
I also have some fish that are becoming jaggoffs that I may remove and replace from when I first started so maybe there’s where my head is.

 

[piranhaman00]

Yep.

Perfect. That helps me a ton. Then the tank can really be multipurpose and perpetual.

There is definitely different thoughts on this. I would never put inverts in a tank that ever had copper. Copper is known to soak into material and leech out over time. I think cupramine is better at not doing this? Not sure on that.

If you are going to do that I would let the tank sit with water for a good month and test for Cu and see if anything is still leeching out.

 

[carguy4471]

There is definitely different thoughts on this. I would never put inverts in a tank that ever had copper. Copper is known to soak into material and leech out over time. I think cupramine is better at not doing this? Not sure on that.

If you are going to do that I would let the tank sit with water for a good month and test for Cu and see if anything is still leeching out.

That's some good advice. Is there any data on this anywhere? Would be stellar if someone tested this in order to change a theory into fact. I could see it being an issue with rock or other media, maybe even pvc. I wonder if a bare tank could leech any previous copper.

 

[piranhaman00]

That's some good advice. Is there any data on this anywhere? Would be stellar if someone tested this in order to change a theory into fact. I could see it being an issue with rock or other media, maybe even pvc. I wonder if a bare tank could leech any previous copper.

It is a fact. It soaks into the silicone and plastic. But like I said, certain copper is way more prone then the other.

 

[carguy4471]

Good to know. I'm glad I don't have to discover this one the hard way.

 

[piranhaman00]

Good to know. I'm glad I don't have to discover this one the hard way.

I need to clarify. It wont soak into but stick to the surface. Different but same outcome

 

[dwest]

Good to know. I'm glad I don't have to discover this one the hard way.

I’ll retract some here. I believe you can use the tank itself. That’s what I thought you meant. I wouldn’t transfer anything else like filter media, etc. from a quarantine tank with copper into a frag tank later.