Setting up a QT

[RWhitt907]

I've got Ich/Clownfish Disease in my DT, I was wanting to pull all my fish and go fallow/QT. WOULD A 40 breeder be too small for this stock list. The fish are all on the small side.
I do have an extra 10g I could reseal as well.

Diamond Goby
Green Chromis
Oscellaris Clownfish
snowflake Clownfish
Purple Firefish
Linespot Flasher Wrasse
Algae Blenny
Bangaii Cardinal
Melanurus Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I've got Ich/Clownfish Disease in my DT, I was wanting to pull all my fish and go fallow/QT. WOULD A 40 breeder be too small for this stock list. The fish are all on the small side.
I do have an extra 10g I could reseal as well.

Diamond Goby
Green Chromis
Oscellaris Clownfish
snowflake Clownfish
Purple Firefish
Linespot Flasher Wrasse
Algae Blenny
Bangaii Cardinal
Melanurus Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse

The tank itself would be large enough, however, the real issue is the biological filtration system - if you don't have enough beneficial bacteria in the tank, the ammonia will shoot up and the fish will die. Can you move filter media (non-calcareous) from your DT? Filter sponges work well if you have them.

Jay

 

[Cycleguy0623]

I think the tank is large enough but I to worry about filtration. I have a 40gallon qt as well and use matrix media in it. Hubble fish confirmed it dose not absorb copper. I seeded the media with some turbo start and it works very well. I also have a 44gallon brute I use for qt water and mix up a large batch of copper treated water then change out a gallon a day for the duration of ct.

 

[RWhitt907]

The tank itself would be large enough, however, the real issue is the biological filtration system - if you don't have enough beneficial bacteria in the tank, the ammonia will shoot up and the fish will die. Can you move filter media (non-calcareous) from your DT? Filter sponges work well if you have them.

Jay

I haven't got any media in my sump, just running filter socks and some carbon, and a skimmer of course. I'm pretty new to saltwater still so the QT process feels like rocket science

 

[RWhitt907]

I think the tank is large enough but I to worry about filtration. I have a 40gallon qt as well and use matrix media in it. Hubble fish confirmed it dose not absorb copper. I seeded the media with some turbo start and it works very well. I also have a 44gallon brute I use for qt water and mix up a large batch of copper treated water then change out a gallon a day for the duration of ct.

Could I put some of this in a Aquaclear HOB and run it that way. And would a Hanna checker be good for testing the copper level?

 

[RWhitt907]

This tank has been up for about a year though so I think the beneficial bacteria should be okay

 

[Cycleguy0623]

Could I put some of this in a Aquaclear HOB and run it that way. And would a Hanna checker be good for testing the copper level?

If your dosing copper i don't see the Hannah as being optional. I was worried about it all my first time as well but copper power and the Hannah checker made it super simple. I am now maintaining a full time QT tank set up just incase I ever want to bring anything home. It's been an almost non event after the initial set up jitters.

 

[RWhitt907]

If your dosing copper i don't see the Hannah as being optional. I was worried about it all my first time as well but copper power and the Hannah checker made it super simple. I am now maintaining a full time QT tank set up just incase I ever want to bring anything home. It's been an almost non event after the initial set up jitters.

Would you recommend partially filling the QT with old tank water as a kickstart so it wouldn't have to cycle or should I start with fresh saltwater?

 

[JayM]

Would you recommend partially filling the QT with old tank water as a kickstart so it wouldn't have to cycle or should I start with fresh saltwater?

Water has very little, if any beneficial bacteria in it. You need rocks or sponges, etc. that have been "seeded" from an existing system (don't put anything back in the display after using copper). I used Fritz Turbo Start to get my QT set up hastily and it worked well. I just used a simple HOB with a sponge filter and a bunch of Fluval BioMax ceramic filter media.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

This tank has been up for about a year though so I think the beneficial bacteria should be okay

I thought it was a tank you were setting up for this use, if it’s been set up for a year, you’ll have enough bacteria in there.

 

[RWhitt907]

I thought it was a tank you were setting up for this use, if it’s been set up for a year, you’ll have enough bacteria in there.

Yeah I bought some new biomax, gonna put it in my sump for a few days and transfer it to my HOB on the QT

 

[Spare time]

Get several oversized bottles of biospira and it should be fine.

 

[RWhitt907]

Get several oversized bottles of biospira and it should be fine.

Think a bottle of microbacter for 200g would do it?

 

[Spare time]

Think a bottle of microbacter for 200g would do it?

Ehhhh not sure. Microbacter 7 or microbacter xlm?

 

[RWhitt907]

Ehhhh not sure. Microbacter 7 or microbacter xlm?

Xlm

 

[Spare time]

Xlm

Probably? That wasn't tested on the forum here comparing bacterial products. Microbacter 7 didn't do anything for ammonia.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Think a bottle of microbacter for 200g would do it?

MicroBacterXLM is best and would do well for a 200g

 

[RWhitt907]

MicroBacterXLM is best and would do well for a 200g

Yeah I'm thinking of just dumping the whole thing into a 40 lol

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yeah I'm thinking of just dumping the whole thing into a 40 lol

Do it in bits to allow culture to settle and start the detrifying process then add more. Daily is acceptable

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Yeah I bought some new biomax, gonna put it in my sump for a few days and transfer it to my HOB on the QT

It will need to be in the other tank for a few weeks minimum, I generally run media for at least two months before moving it to a new tank. You’ll need to rely on “bacteria in a bottle” like Dr. Tim’s. I used Microbacter years ago, I don’t recall that the results were all that stellar, but maybe my memory is faulty.