How to keep a fishless QT tank ready for when you need it?

[KevPool]

Evening Folks

So as I am sitting here figuring out where I am going to put all these extra tanks in my tiny sump room. I find myself wondering how you keep a QT tank fresh and ready to go for when you need it. Currently I have one hospital tank cycled and ready to go once I catch my poor Gramma and I am filling up my 30 to start cycling so I can use that tank as an observation tank for when I get new fish. my question is how do I keep the bacteria active while the tank has nobody living in it? Do I ghost feed it here and there or add bottled bacteria every now and then to keep things active? I love this hobby but I'm still quite new and am always looking for answers on the seemingly endless questions that float around my brain lol. it just seems such a waste of time and money to tear it down and set it up again each time you need it. the hosp tank yeah I have no probs ripping that thing down when I need to as it will be medicated at times so it would need a good start each time.

once again Thank ya kindly.

 

[virtual reality]

You could keep a sponge in your main display. It would build bacteria you need. Then if you set up another tank you just add that sponge to it.

 

[Timfish]

I keep some "dither" fish in mine.

 

[radav88]

Tagging along. I am about to setup a new tank and would like to hear other people's thoughts.

 

[Sam816]

ghost feeding or acclimate a couple of black mollies & put them in there.
if you are ghost feeding you will need to do a major water change before you put a fish in for QT

 

[KevPool]

I keep some "dither" fish in mine.

dither?

 

[mindme]

You could keep a sponge in your main display. It would build bacteria you need. Then if you set up another tank you just add that sponge to it.

This is my plan.

 

[kenchilada]

Mollies

 

[ca1ore]

Unless you plan to constantly be quarantining fish, I see no particularly compelling reason to run one constantly. Plus, inevitably disease will happen and you’ll have to empty and sterilize it anyhow.

Keep a couple of bags of biomedia in your sump. Fill your QT from your display (= water change) and plop one of the bags into a HOB filter. Presto, cycled tank.

 

[Tamberav]

I don't do anything to keep it cycled. I have an observation tank and it goes months without fish at times. It has live rock, snails and macro and some mushrooms. It doesn't need fish or food... the bacteria don't die without fish. The worms and snails and pods grow and eat and poop and a tank can be fine without fish.

I guess it depends what you mean by observation tank but I would assume you would have rock and life in it so the fish feels comfortable.

 

[KevPool]

I don't do anything to keep it cycled. I have an observation tank and it goes months without fish at times. It has live rock, snails and macro and some mushrooms. It doesn't need fish or food... the bacteria don't die without fish. The worms and snails and pods grow and eat and poop and a tank can be fine without fish.

I guess it depends what you mean by observation tank but I would assume you would have rock and life in it so the fish feels comfortable.

Yeah I didn't even think about inverts and what not the tank will be just for observation the other tank is for meds and what not so that is awesome thanks man.

 

[Sam816]

Yeah I didn't even think about inverts and what not the tank will be just for observation the other tank is for meds and what not so that is awesome thanks man.

Bacteria don't die without fish but their population adjusts to food availability. That's why it is not advisable to add too many fish in a short span.
Keeping bags of media in the sump is a better idea. just don't bring back these bags from QT to sump if you use medicines in your QT.

 

[Kaiser]

I use bottled ammonia to keep it going. I've had good experiences with the brightwell bottled ammonia.

 

[Doctorgori]

ditto guppies and/or mollies

 

[olonmv]

New as well. I’ve recently had to copper treat (in a plastic tote) my fish and wanted to set up an observation tank for when the treatment was up and my tank was in fallow.....used turbo start 900 for hospital/observation tank with a HOB filter by seachem and the included bio-media. All I have to say is wow. On day 2, 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and still holding steady. with that said......I think I’ll just tear down the hospital tank when not needed. It’s just too easy n quick to get a hospital up n running with turbo start when it’s time to qt new fish. I have a nano tank so keeping a qt tank running doesn’t seem necessary for me. I feel you on the million new questions per day thing in this hobby. Building and bashing RC cars was a wayyyyyyyyyyy easier learning curve and tons cheaper hobby lol.