QT Setup

[Mr T]

Hi

I am setting up a QT.

I purchased a QT 2 weeks ago, it is 75 litres and has a small internal filter that came with it (it was a kit comprising of tank, filter, lights and heater)

The first action I did was to remove the filter media (some coarse foam) from the internal filter and placed it into the sump of my display tank it has been there for over a week.

The DT has been up and running for 6 weeks now and has loads of liverock, live sand etc and despite me throwing in dead shrimps to start the cycle the ammonia never moved off 0 and people on this site and LFS said the tank was most likely pre-cycled with the amount of rock and sand carrying the relevant bacteria already. I test the water every two days and for 6 weeks Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate is zero and PH is at 8.0, SG is 1.024.

I introduced some hermits and snails 4 days ago and they appear to be thriving, very active etc.

I plan on doing a water change at the weekend and removing 50 litres from my DT (300 L capacity) and placing it into the QT and topping up the levels with some new water from the LFS (this will be RO Saltwater)

The QT will be bare bottomed and only have a few offcuts of plastic pipe as hiding places.

My question is this, having filled 66% of the QT with used water and installing an internal foam filter with foam that has been sat in my sump for just under two weeks will I need to cycle this tank or is it ready to go?

Also, each week should I replace the foam with NEW foam or first cycle new foam through my sump for a couple of weeks and then into the QT tank?

Any comments assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

There is not going to be much beneficial bacteria in the water column to cycle the QT with water from the display. Much of the beneficial bacteria in your QT will come from the foam. That being said, the most important thing to do would be to keep a close eye on the water parameters in the QT, specifically ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I would make sure to have spare water on hand to do water changes. As far as replacing the foam, I would rinse them in the dirty water change water to get debris off. When it comes time to replace, I would replace them with foam that has been in the sump.

 

[Mr T]

Hi

Thanks for your response.

So, if I transfer the water into the QT and the foam into the filter etc then effectively I can start the quarantine process with some fish. However, this is on the basis that I check water parameters and always have some spare on hand should I need to effect an immediate water change?

 

[Jeff Kurtz]

Biofiltration in quarantine systems tends to be somewhat tentative, and the balance can easily tip in the wrong direction. Seahorsekeeper's suggestion of keeping ample replacement water on hand and testing regularly is an excellent one. You'll want to do frequent partial water changes (I usually do them daily or every other day as a hedge against ammonia spikes when I have specimens in quarantine) as well as have plenty of extra salt water on hand in case ammonia or nitrite is detected and you need to dilute it quickly. I like to keep a 20-gallon plastic storage tub nearly full of heated/aerated salt water close at hand throughout the process.

Also, when I'm in the planning stage of acquiring a new specimen that will require a quarantine period, I like to put a few hunks of porous rock in my display tank's sump several weeks ahead of time so they can become seeded with nitrifying bacteria. Then, I just transfer the rocks to the quarantine tank when I'm ready to introduce the specimen.

 

[Mr T]

Thanks guys really good info.

Once set up how long do you quarantine your fish for?

Do you keep the salinity the the same as your DT or reduce it to discourage parasites? Or,

Do you put copper in immediately regardless of the condition of the fish?, Or,

Do you simply run the tank no copper normal salinity and after "xx" weeks if no illness detected simply transfer to DT?

Cheers

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

This will answer many of your questions.

 

[Jeff Kurtz]

I try to quarantine all my fish for 4 weeks. Generally, I just do observational quarantine, holding off any medication unless disease becomes evident. With respect to salinity, I usually match the quarantine water to that of the shipping water (which is typically on the low side) and then gradually increase it to natural seawater level over the course of several days.

 

[Buckster]

My blue tang unfortunately stressed and got ick. I set up a 10 gl qt and will perform 50% water changes every 3-4 days. It has been 8 days and the tang is already looking better. I set up two 40gl tanks in my garage, one tank has ro and the other mixed @ 1.026