Emergency Qt setup (help)

[reefofthenorth]

I am purchasing a fluval 13.5 gallon AIO tonight to act as a quarantine for my fish while my display tank goes fallow for 76 days. I am treating all of the fish for ich, and letting the ich in the display die off. I have a few questions.

How do I instantly cycle this tank so that I can safely keep my fish quarantined in it for 8 weeks?
What filtration will I use? I thought live rock and sand was the filtration so how does that work in a Qt tank?
How do I go about treating them with cupramine?

I am going to have a heater, PVC pipes, probably a sponge filter and might transfer over some of the pond matrix from my display tank.


Looking for a list of stuff I am going to need and then how to setup the Qt.

I will never make this mistake again, only going to Qt from here on out.

 

[Spare time]

Get a big bottle of nitrifying bacteria, some sort of biomedia (a decent amount to be safe), and some seachem prime. Prime will make the ammonia non toxic for 48 hours. As for cupramine jsut follow the instructions

 

[Spare time]

Keep in mind that prime can reduce the effectiveness of cupramine so you don't want to dose prime continuously (unless you get a different medication)

 

[kput]

It will be hard to instantly cycle that tank without moving over rock / media from your previous tank.

A typical QT tank will be bare bottom (no sand or rock, as it can affect the meds), with a sponge or HOB filter. Sponges are the filter media of choice.
Getting a bottle of Bacter7 can help seed some nitrifying bacteria, but might not give you a full cycle quickly, you'll still need to monitor ammonia and dose prime / water changes when it spikes.

Personally, I prefer TTM over copper/cupramine as it's easier than worrying about maintaining the proper dosages. Pick up two 10g tanks from Petwhatever for cheap and do a 14 day TTM. It should take care of your ich infestation, and give you time to cycle the 13g where they can live out the rest of your 76 day fallow in peace.

 

[Big G]

Get a big bottle of nitrifying bacteria, some sort of biomedia (a decent amount to be safe), and some seachem prime. Prime will make the ammonia non toxic for 48 hours. As for cupramine jsut follow the instructions

Prime is only safe when used with a chelated copper like Copper Power or Coppersafe. Do not use Prime with Cupramine. It will cause the copper in Cupramine to become very toxic. Note disclaimer #2 in the thread below:

PSA: PRIME safe to use with COPPER POWER

7/13/2023 Note: There is still some question in my mind about using any of the three copper products (Cupramine, Copper Power and Coppersafe) with an EXCESS of any reducing agents. These can include formalin, sodium thiosulfate, Prime or possibly even Amquel. Anything that can break the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Big G]

I am purchasing a fluval 13.5 gallon AIO tonight to act as a quarantine for my fish while my display tank goes fallow for 76 days. I am treating all of the fish for ich, and letting the ich in the display die off. I have a few questions.

How do I instantly cycle this tank so that I can safely keep my fish quarantined in it for 8 weeks?
What filtration will I use? I thought live rock and sand was the filtration so how does that work in a Qt tank?
How do I go about treating them with cupramine?

I am going to have a heater, PVC pipes, probably a sponge filter and might transfer over some of the pond matrix from my display tank.


Looking for a list of stuff I am going to need and then how to setup the Qt.

I will never make this mistake again, only going to Qt from here on out.

HOB filter with an added mesh bag of ceramic media like Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax. In a bowl, soak the foam pad and the ceramic media in something like Bio Spira, Seachem Stability, etc. for 24 hours, then pour the liquid into the tank.
Also use a sponge bubble filter. Soak the foam pad same as above.
Heater
Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge. Best to view the colors by shinning a flashlight at the rear of the badge.
PVC pipe fittings are great and consider adding a couple of plastic aquarium plants.
I paint the outside back wall and the two end walls with blue or black paint to give the fish a "cave like" comfort zone.
Food. Highly recommend mixing your food with Beta Glucan. It helps the fish's immune system to fight infection. Food + Focus (binder) + Beta Glucan. Info on BG below.

Feature Article: Beta Glucan As A Biological Defense Modulator: Helping Fish To Help Themselves

Wouldn’t it be great if there were one thing that we could give any sick fish that could help it? Aquarists dream of a “magic bullet” that could be used as a treatment for a plethora of problems.

www.advancedaquarist.com

 

[Spare time]

Prime is only safe when used with a chelated copper like Copper Power or Coppersafe. Do not use Prime with Cupramine. It will cause the copper in Cupramine to become very toxic. Note disclaimer #2 in the thread below:

PSA: PRIME safe to use with COPPER POWER

7/13/2023 Note: There is still some question in my mind about using any of the three copper products (Cupramine, Copper Power and Coppersafe) with an EXCESS of any reducing agents. These can include formalin, sodium thiosulfate, Prime or possibly even Amquel. Anything that can break the...

www.reef2reef.com

I readon seachem's forums that it makes the cupramine less effective but they didn't mention it making it toxic. Thank you!

 

[hans4811]

HOB filter with an added mesh bag of ceramic media like Seachem Matrix or Fluval BioMax. In a bowl, soak the foam pad and the ceramic media in something like Bio Spira, Seachem Stability, etc. for 24 hours, then pour the liquid into the tank.
Also use a sponge bubble filter. Soak the foam pad same as above.
Heater
Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge. Best to view the colors by shinning a flashlight at the rear of the badge.
PVC pipe fittings are great and consider adding a couple of plastic aquarium plants.
I paint the outside back wall and the two end walls with blue or black paint to give the fish a "cave like" comfort zone.
Food. Highly recommend mixing your food with Beta Glucan. It helps the fish's immune system to fight infection. Food + Focus (binder) + Beta Glucan. Info on BG below.

Feature Article: Beta Glucan As A Biological Defense Modulator: Helping Fish To Help Themselves

Wouldn’t it be great if there were one thing that we could give any sick fish that could help it? Aquarists dream of a “magic bullet” that could be used as a treatment for a plethora of problems.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Gary,
That Beta Glucan sounds interesting....what type are you using and where are you getting it at ? I always prefer to use more holistic types of rememdies, and this being basically brewers yeast sounds perfect.

Thx..Ken

 

[Big G]

Gary,
That Beta Glucan sounds interesting....what type are you using and where are you getting it at ? I always prefer to use more holistic types of rememdies, and this being basically brewers yeast sounds perfect.

Thx..Ken

I use the type of Beta Glucan derived from algae. I get it from Amazon. Lots of different brands, purity, etc. This is the one I like:

 

[hans4811]

I use the type of Beta Glucan derived from algae. I get it from Amazon. Lots of different brands, purity, etc. This is the one I like:

Thank you sir, you're a gentleman and a scholar !