Quarantine Tank with substrate

[xeanliao]

Recently, I watched a youtub:
He uses substrates and cuprimine in this QT and he stated: the QT is fully cycled thus no frequent water change required.

My QT setup is almost the same as his except bare bottom, and I do need to change water frequent that is not fun at all. So adding substrate sounds very attractive to me. but do you think it is too good to be true? He seems very reputable, perhaps there are some catches I did not get from the video?

What is your take? Or if I want to give it a try, what would you recommend to have close eyes on?

 

[flsalty]

For me, it's just easier to maintain a BB QT. I find the HOB filter does a good job as long as it is fully cycled. No need for 50% water changes. If you think about it, people maintain entire systems with no substrate. I can see if the fish ate all the food. I just remove the uneaten food while I'm there observing the fish. Also, I feel that the substrate absorbs some copper so it makes the dosage inconsistent. I have never tested that theory though.

It's not a bad idea, I just think it would be more for looks than anything.

 

[Humblefish]

The main issue with using substrate & rock is both will absorb medications, notably copper. This can make it difficult to maintain a stable Cu level. However, rock is more of concern than substrate so the latter can be used in QT so long as you test your copper level daily.

From the looks of things (I'm not someplace where I can listen to the video), he is using an Aquaclear HOB and some other type of filter to keep his QT fully cycled. Which is great, so long as he only needs to use copper in there. But Chloroquine, antibiotics, metronidazole, praziquantel (Prazipro) and other "true medications" will be biodegraded by biofilm after 2-3 months in such a setup: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/

 

[xeanliao]

The main issue with using substrate & rock is both will absorb medications, notably copper. This can make it difficult to maintain a stable Cu level. However, rock is more of concern than substrate so the latter can be used in QT so long as you test your copper level daily.

From the looks of things (I'm not someplace where I can listen to the video), he is using an Aquaclear HOB and some other type of filter to keep his QT fully cycled. Which is great, so long as he only needs to use copper in there. But Chloroquine, antibiotics, metronidazole, praziquantel (Prazipro) and other "true medications" will be biodegraded by biofilm after 2-3 months in such a setup: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/qt-and-biofilm.292878/

ic ... the catch is, this particular QT is a copper-only system, where copper is not the "true medications".
And since he has run it for years, the substrate may already absorb enough copper that could help maintain constant copper level that he claimed the substrate does not make enough difference for his QT. (not claiming any fact, just my guess)

 

[Humblefish]

ic ... the catch is, this particular QT is a copper-only system, where copper is not the "true medications".
And since he has run it for years, the substrate may already absorb enough copper that could help maintain constant copper level that he claimed the substrate does not make enough difference for his QT. (not claiming any fact, just my guess)

You are probably correct about the substrate already being fully saturated with copper.

But I wonder... where does he deworm his fish (using Prazipro)? Or use antibiotics if a bacterial infection pops up?