Quarantine questions

[Chad c.]

Well, I've got a 20 gallon tank running as my qt. It housed my snowflake eel after I had a velvet outbreak. The eel did fine his appetite just decreased.

Thursday I bought a fu manchu lionfish and acclimated him to the qt. By Saturday he was dead. I did my water tests and found out I had a nitrite spike. I'm trying to figure out what caused this and if anyone has any input to what could've gone wrong.

 

[mcarroll]

What did you do to maintain the bio-filter between the eel and lionfish?

It's capacity would naturally dwindle down to little/nothing with nothing living in the tank.

In general, I'd recommend sterilizing the biofilter and re-starting it in the main display system AND keeping it running there until you need it in the QT tank.

That's one way to do it.

 

[jamie callard Verified Sponsor]

Describe your qt setup

 

[Chad c.]

Between the two I've added seed bacteria to it. It maintained the same bio wheel so I thought that it would be seeded enough to hold the tank running, that plus I use water from my dt.

I've wondered if I should add live rock to it to help keep the bio filter stable?

My problem is the filters from my dt are way bigger than the qt Filters so nowhere to put them.

 

[Chad c.]

Describe your qt setup

My qt is the bare hospital tank setup. Some pvc, a 20g marineland hob filter, and I use water from my dt

 

[melypr1985]

Using water from your DT wont transfer enough bacteria with it to maintain your bio filter in your QT, you would have needed to ghost feed the tank to keep the bacteria fed. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your lion. I would also suggest tearing it down, sterilizing it and starting over in between fish. Whether you leave it up full time or not, you'll have to monitor ammonia and do frequent water changes when a new fish in introduced especially if you forget to ghost feed.

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

Though you might be sad, take comfort in the fact I'm sure abunch of fishermen somewhere would love to hear that you killed a lionfish!

Best thing to do though is keep adding a small amount of food to the tank on a schedule to keep the bacterial content appropriate.

 

[Triggreef]

If you used seeded anything from your old tank that also could have introduced velvet. If you weren't already treating with something in the qt that could have also caused it. Nitrite alone is not that bad but it there is even a tiny bit of ammonia and nitrite together it's a bad problem real fast.

 

[Jakepen]

I stumbled upon a great thread, about setting up the best qt tank that you can. Incredibly informative, but I forgot to save it. Anybody have any idea what or where that thread could be?

 

[Triggreef]

Most likely in the disease forum stickies.

 

[Jakepen]

Most likely in the disease forum stickies.

Exactly, thank you.

 

[Chad c.]

I think instead of keeping my qt tank as a bare hospital tank I might just turn it into a minature version of my tank. Have some sand and live rock in it but keep one Fish at a time so I can keep an eye on him. I have another 10 gallon tank I can use as a quick set up for a hospital tank if needed.

 

[sbash]

I think instead of keeping my qt tank as a bare hospital tank I might just turn it into a minature version of my tank. Have some sand and live rock in it but keep one Fish at a time so I can keep an eye on him. I have another 10 gallon tank I can use as a quick set up for a hospital tank if needed.

+1, I tried to QT fish many times with very little success in a bare 20 gallon with an HOB filter. Most of the fish I bought died with this method.

Now, I keep and maintain a smaller tank than my display with live rock, a powerhead and a bubbler. I do water changes when I do my main system (with water from my main system). I also match the salinity to the store's and let evaporation take care of bringing it up to my main system's level. This takes a couple weeks depending on the source, then I top the water up manually. Now, I have not had any sicknesses, but if I did, I would treat the rock (which would kill everything on it), then reseed it and start over.

 

[Chad c.]

+1, I tried to QT fish many times with very little success in a bare 20 gallon with an HOB filter. Most of the fish I bought died with this method.

Now, I keep and maintain a smaller tank than my display with live rock, a powerhead and a bubbler. I do water changes when I do my main system (with water from my main system). I also match the salinity to the store's and let evaporation take care of bringing it up to my main system's level. This takes a couple weeks depending on the source, then I top the water up manually. Now, I have not had any sicknesses, but if I did, I would treat the rock (which would kill everything on it), then reseed it and start over.

That's exactly my plan

Glad to see I'm not alone in my quarantine loss. It's a live and learn experience but my wallet doesn't always agree lol.

 

[Duke4Life]

+1, I tried to QT fish many times with very little success in a bare 20 gallon with an HOB filter. Most of the fish I bought died with this method.

Now, I keep and maintain a smaller tank than my display with live rock, a powerhead and a bubbler. I do water changes when I do my main system (with water from my main system). I also match the salinity to the store's and let evaporation take care of bringing it up to my main system's level. This takes a couple weeks depending on the source, then I top the water up manually. Now, I have not had any sicknesses, but if I did, I would treat the rock (which would kill everything on it), then reseed it and start over.

+2 I use plastic bins for ttm and have a 10 if needed. I ttm and Prazipro once eating, hopefully by the 2nd transfer, then observe for 4 weeks.

 

[Chad c.]

I haven't been able to find prazipro yet. Don't know if my LFS just doesn't carry it.

I went out and bought some live rock though so that should help with the qt. And as an added bonus I bought a chocolate chip starfish for my dt.

 

[melypr1985]

That's not a chocolate chip star. I believe it's called a sergeant general star or knobby star (or something like that) and isn't reef safe. of course neither are the chocolate chip stars. Of course, if you have a fish only system, that wont matter, but figured you would want to know that it wasn't a chocolate chip.

 

[Chad c.]

That's not a chocolate chip star. I believe it's called a sergeant general star or knobby star (or something like that) and isn't reef safe. of course neither are the chocolate chip stars. Of course, if you have a fish only system, that wont matter, but figured you would want to know that it wasn't a chocolate chip.

Lol wow, ya that's what my LFS had it marked as when they sold it to me. Nope no reefs, and I don't think he'll be a problem with my snowflake eel.

 

[Aruna]

I have a regal tang in quarantine tank and eating well and no symptoms for any dieses. Should I give home copper treatment before I transfer him to DT.regal tang are prone to ich

 

[ReeferBob]

High nitrites wouldn't have hurt it all all. It had to be something else. Perhaps it was already sick. This is why we quarantine. Sadly, some animals do not make it through but at least whatever he had was contained to the quarantine tank.