Quratine Tank Questions

Mschmidt · Sep 2, 2022

AtomicFlounder said:
Unfortunately I do t have the space to keep a cycled tank running 24/7. It's a nuisance right now let alone indefinitely.

Keeping a cycled tank is just about keeping cycled media. above someone who I'm too lazy to find suggested using a cycled sponge filter and keeping a sponge backup in the display filter. that way you always have something cycled for when you pull the tank out of storage. I haven't run a medicated qt, but I play fast and loose. I usually will dip before going in the qt tank, then observe in a cycled tank till I get tired of waiting, usually 2-4 weeks, dip again and in the display they go. This is not the best method! But I haven't gotten burned yet

doubleshot00 · Sep 2, 2022

AtomicFlounder said:
First day just put them in the quarantine tank with no meds. Second day I introduced prazi pro, first dose. 4 days later I re-dosed prazi pro. That'll run for another 5 days but I don't plan on running copper. Once that dose is done I plan on doing 100% water change and watching the fish for another two weeks. Do I really need to run copper if after those two weeks the fish haven't developed anything?

Like i posted above IDK much about QT but i think your doing it a bit backwards. Copper for 30 days minimum then prazi for 8 days, then prazi for 8 days.

AtomicFlounder said:
Unfortunately I do t have the space to keep a cycled tank running 24/7. It's a nuisance right now let alone indefinitely.

You dont need to keep it cycled. Just keep some cycled media on hand.

TheReefDiary · Sep 2, 2022

doubleshot00 said:
Like i posted above IDK much about QT but i think your doing it a bit backwards. Copper for 30 days minimum then prazi for 8 days, then prazi for 8 days.

You dont need to keep it cycled. Just keep some cycled media on hand.

Is there really any difference between cycled media and just running it uncycled? I throw some beneficial bacteria in there and just let it run uncycled and just do water changes when I see amonia going up. Cycling just means less water changes?

TheReefDiary · Sep 2, 2022

Mschmidt said:
Keeping a cycled tank is just about keeping cycled media. above someone who I'm too lazy to find suggested using a cycled sponge filter and keeping a sponge backup in the display filter. that way you always have something cycled for when you pull the tank out of storage. I haven't run a medicated qt, but I play fast and loose. I usually will dip before going in the qt tank, then observe in a cycled tank till I get tired of waiting, usually 2-4 weeks, dip again and in the display they go. This is not the best method! But I haven't gotten burned yet

Got ya. Missed that part. But is there a major difference between cycled and uncycled for quarantine? Essentially just limits my amount of water changes?

Mschmidt · Sep 2, 2022

AtomicFlounder said:
Got ya. Missed that part. But is there a major difference between cycled and uncycled for quarantine? Essentially just limits my amount of water changes?

If you are medicating, those levels stay more consistent and reliable with a cycled. Ammonia will cause stress, so both the harm of ammonia itself and the stress caused is reduced. It's cheaper, you're not dumping 3-5 gallons of salt water every day, and meds if that is your qt procedure. And keeping cycled media is super easy. If your current display doesn't allow for added media then uncycled will work, but more attention must be paid.

I'm planning a large fish haul soon for both fresh and salt water. I am getting 3 tanks ready and have cycled media. those are for fish going in tanks with current stocking. I am setting one up from zero which will not have qt'd livestock but will get cycled media and bacteria added. If something there goes wrong, I can treat the whole tank as it will likely be a mbuna tank.

TheReefDiary · Sep 2, 2022

Mschmidt said:
If you are medicating, those levels stay more consistent and reliable with a cycled. Ammonia will cause stress, so both the harm of ammonia itself and the stress caused is reduced. It's cheaper, you're not dumping 3-5 gallons of salt water every day, and meds if that is your qt procedure. And keeping cycled media is super easy. If your current display doesn't allow for added media then uncycled will work, but more attention must be paid.

I'm planning a large fish haul soon for both fresh and salt water. I am getting 3 tanks ready and have cycled media. those are for fish going in tanks with current stocking. I am setting one up from zero which will not have qt'd livestock but will get cycled media and bacteria added. If something there goes wrong, I can treat the whole tank as it will likely be a mbuna tank.

Got ya. Luckily my dt is only 13.5 gallons. My qurantine is 5 gallons. Doing frequent water changes is one every 3 days, juat to be safe and usually ammonia isn't even seen by then on a test. Redosing meds is easy in such a small tank. And both fish came from tanks with copper at the lfs. Thus why I'm running prazipro right now and then going to watch for 2 weeks after thus next dose is done in 5 days.

I also don't plan on qurantining anymore fish after these 2 anyway as my tank will be full. It will be cleaned our dried and become a Frag tank months in the future to quarantine corals.

Jay Hemdal · Sep 2, 2022

davidcalgary29 said:
May I ask what your suggested course of prophylactic treatment would be if you had access to nothing but copper, Rally Pro, and hydrogen peroxide?

I would use a copper treatment to combat protozoans, then I would run a 35 day hyposalinity (at half salinity ) to treat for flukes. Hypo works better against Neobenedenia flukes than prazi does. The reason I don’t commonly suggest it is because it takes the whole process out to 60+ days.
Jay

davidcalgary29 · Sep 2, 2022

Jay Hemdal said:
I would use a copper treatment to combat protozoans, then I would run a 35 day hyposalinity (at half salinity ) to treat for flukes. Hypo works better against Neobenedenia flukes than prazi does. The reason I don’t commonly suggest it is because it takes the whole process out to 60+ days.
Jay

By half salinity, do you mean a target range of 1.013 for flukes instead of 1.009 for ich?