Hospital/Quarantine Tank Question

[Mike Arnold]

I have a 25 gallon acrylic sump that is not in use. I'm wondering if I can use it for a hospital/quarantine tank for new or sick fish?

Do I need a fully cycled tank for a hospital/quarantine tank, or can I use newly mixed saltwater for a short period of time when it is needed?

I'm not sure if the bacteria is needed in the tank if I'm only going to use it for a week or two at a time.

Maybe the terms hospital tank and quarantine tank can't necessarily be used interchangeably

Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[CodyRVA]

It varies, some people do run cycled systems for quarantine (hospital) tanks, however i've found many do not. My personal preference is a small tank, maybe 10 or 20 gallons, a little HOB filter with some mesh pads to remove some waste, couple pieces of large PVC for hiding places, bare bottom no sand. This approach requires more frequent water changes, but you don't need to leave the tank up 24/7, 365, you can setup as needed. I would absolutely steer clear of live rock, at the most some sand. While live rock will assist in cycling the tank (long term use), diseases can remain in your water column longer as they may leach into the rock, the same goes for treating with something like Cupramine. Copper can leach into the rock and if you dose another type of medication later in the same system, you're essentially mixing medications and thats never good unless clearly recommended. The only reason the bacteria is need is to process the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate blah blah blah. If you do water changes according to the bio load of the fish, you will remove the waste (ammonia) before it becomes too potent.

 

[Mike Arnold]

It varies, some people do run cycled systems for quarantine (hospital) tanks, however i've found many do not. My personal preference is a small tank, maybe 10 or 20 gallons, a little HOB filter with some mesh pads to remove some waste, couple pieces of large PVC for hiding places, bare bottom no sand. This approach requires more frequent water changes, but you don't need to leave the tank up 24/7, 365, you can setup as needed. I would absolutely steer clear of live rock, at the most some sand. While live rock will assist in cycling the tank (long term use), diseases can remain in your water column longer as they may leach into the rock, the same goes for treating with something like Cupramine. Copper can leach into the rock and if you dose another type of medication later in the same system, you're essentially mixing medications and thats never good unless clearly recommended. The only reason the bacteria is need is to process the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate blah blah blah. If you do water changes according to the bio load of the fish, you will remove the waste (ammonia) before it becomes too potent.

Awesome. Thanks

 

[CodyRVA]

The short answer is yes that acrylic sump would work fine. There's many ways to go about it as usual with this hobby. Some will run a filter, some wont. Many don't run carbon as it removes medication. Some run their QT systems year round, some don't. Different strokes for different folks!