so i understand the basics on qt but the one thing i dont is, how can you start up a qt if needed immediately(like you see ich and havent set up a tank prior)? Also how do you get enough bacteria pop in the qt if you haven't seeded any other media?
how do i setup an instant qt?
- Thread starter PegasisR
- Start date
- Tagged users None
George81
Active Member
Bio spira rapidly gives you a biological filter, the Seachem matrix is surface area for the bacteria. If you want you can cycle the tank by feeding the bacteria some ammonia you can get from a hardware store. Make sure it’s pure ammonia no additives. Then do a stress test by seeing if the bacteria can process ammonia @ 1-2ppm in 18-24h.
Bio. Spira, says you can add fish right away, the ammonia produced by the fish will help feed the bacteria, keep an eye on your levels by using a Seachem ammonia alert and do a water change if ammonia is detected
There are other bacteria in a bottle, I prefer using bio-spira and recently added Seachem matrix and seeded it with another bottle of bio spira, I was having a hard time keeping ammonia down with a tang in qt. The sponges and ceramic rings that come with a hob filter weren’t cutting it. I added 3 additional sponges and still had issues keeping ammonia down for more than 2 days.
I added 1L of matrix which I think is good for 200 gallons. So far ammonia has stayed at zero for 4 days.
Bio. Spira, says you can add fish right away, the ammonia produced by the fish will help feed the bacteria, keep an eye on your levels by using a Seachem ammonia alert and do a water change if ammonia is detected
There are other bacteria in a bottle, I prefer using bio-spira and recently added Seachem matrix and seeded it with another bottle of bio spira, I was having a hard time keeping ammonia down with a tang in qt. The sponges and ceramic rings that come with a hob filter weren’t cutting it. I added 3 additional sponges and still had issues keeping ammonia down for more than 2 days.
I added 1L of matrix which I think is good for 200 gallons. So far ammonia has stayed at zero for 4 days.
bluprntguy
Well-Known Member
I have bags of matrix in my sump. If I need to, I can pull one out and put it in the quarantine tank so that it instantly has some bacteria.
jd371
Valuable Member
The HOB filter for my QT has a holder to hold bio rings. When the QT is not set up the holder with the bio rings sits in the sump of my main tank so the rings always have a bacteria on them and can be moved to the QT when needed.
^^^This^^^
In addition, I just use water from my frag tank to both set up the QT and for it's frequent water changes. I see it as a win-win. The QT gets good water already at the correct temperature and salinity, the FT gets plenty of water changes.
If you are treating for ich you can start with tank transfer method. I start all my fish like this, so all I need is 8-10 gallons of saltwater to get going and the fish are not in the water long enough to start a cycle. If you are doing this it will also give you about 12 days to setup the observation tank they will go in after ttm. Keep in mind if you are removing fish to treat for ich you need to keep the tank fishless for 76 days.
jd371
Valuable Member
The QT hasn't been set up in quite a while due to the fact that my tank is already fully stocked with fish and I'm not adding more. The HOB filter was washed and put away except for the bracket that holds the bio rings, that is in my sump under the main tank so it will always have bacteria on it. If I need to set up a QT or Hospital tank quickly I have the bio rings ready to go.
The HOB filter I use has holders for bio rings and also has a pair of bio wheels. Marineland Emperor. It's going on 30 years old now and still works perfectly.
