Using Seachem Stability to "seed" a QT

ltrace · Jan 25, 2017

I wanted to quarantine a hippo tang, black-barred convict goby and lamarck or a spotted breast angel. 3 fish total
Is the product "Stability" by Seachem good seed a sponge for QT?

Humblefish · Jan 25, 2017

I've used it many times and have been pretty happy with the results. However, it's important to use it for a few days in a row in order to "seed" your sponge before dosing copper/other medications.

jasonrusso · Apr 30, 2017

Can I add this after the fact? I have 2 Qt tanks. One has been up for a week and the other for 2 weeks. I can't get the ammonia down (using prime and water changes) below .1. I used Dr. Tims and a seeded sponge from my DT sump. One filter on the 55 is a penguin with the dual biowheels, and the other is an aqueon with the sponge on the outlet (where I assume the bacteria is supposed to live).

Humblefish · Apr 30, 2017

jasonrusso said:
Can I add this after the fact? I have 2 Qt tanks. One has been up for a week and the other for 2 weeks. I can't get the ammonia down (using prime and water changes) below .1. I used Dr. Tims and a seeded sponge from my DT sump. One filter on the 55 is a penguin with the dual biowheels, and the other is an aqueon with the sponge on the outlet (where I assume the bacteria is supposed to live).

After medications have been dosed into the water, they will likely zap most of the live bacteria before it ever makes its way to the sponge.

jasonrusso · Apr 30, 2017

Humblefish said:
After medications have been dosed into the water, they will likely zap most of the live bacteria before it ever makes its way to the sponge.

Even CP? I thought CP didn't affect the biofilter

melypr1985 · Apr 30, 2017

jasonrusso said:
Even CP? I thought CP didn't affect the biofilter

Most any medication can and will have an impact on bacteria. It's always best to err on the side of caution.

Humblefish · Apr 30, 2017

jasonrusso said:
Even CP? I thought CP didn't affect the biofilter

Just about all medications kill/damage free floating bacteria. It's not until they become entrenched in bio-media that they are protected. Many still die, but any survivors will adapt to the presence of the medication and quickly repropagate themselves. Bacteria are very resilient and are the hardest things to completely eradicate.

jasonrusso · May 1, 2017

So what are my options?

melypr1985 · May 1, 2017

jasonrusso said:
So what are my options?

Simply continue with your plan to seed the sponge using stability, but do this for several days before starting the copper treatment if possible. No matter if you start copper right away or wait a few days first, still be ready to do water changes daily if needed until the tank fully cycles.

jasonrusso · May 1, 2017

melypr1985 said:
Simply continue with your plan to seed the sponge using stability, but do this for several days before starting the copper treatment if possible. No matter if you start copper right away or wait a few days first, still be ready to do water changes daily if needed until the tank fully cycles.

I'm not using copper,. I'm using CP. I'll still try the same thing

melypr1985 · May 1, 2017

jasonrusso said:
I'm not using copper,. I'm using CP

The statement still applies.

Humblefish · May 1, 2017

melypr1985 said:
Simply continue with your plan to seed the sponge using stability, but do this for several days before starting the copper treatment if possible. No matter if you start copper right away or wait a few days first, still be ready to do water changes daily if needed until the tank fully cycles.

melypr1985 said:
The statement still applies.

+1 You can also take the sponge out, put it in a bucket with non-medicated SW, and seed it there for a week or so. And then put it back in your QT. The downside is you will have no working bio-filter during this time, so daily WCs might be required.

jasonrusso · May 1, 2017

Humblefish said:
+1 You can also take the sponge out, put it in a bucket with non-medicated SW, and seed it there for a week or so. And then put it back in your QT. The downside is you will have no working bio-filter during this time, so daily WCs might be required.

Do I need to heat it or anything? I have more filter pad material I can use

Humblefish · May 1, 2017

jasonrusso said:
Do I need to heat it or anything? I have more filter pad material I can use

Bacteria are pretty hardy, they'll easily survive 60-80F temperature range. I would add an airstone or small powerhead for circulation though.

jasonrusso · May 7, 2017

Can I use biomax rings in a QT? Will that absorb the CP mediaction?

Humblefish · May 7, 2017

jasonrusso said:
Can I use biomax rings in a QT? Will that absorb the CP mediaction?

Ceramic does absorb, but the impact is probably minimal.

jasonrusso · May 8, 2017

Humblefish said:
Ceramic does absorb, but the impact is probably minimal.

I bought some biomax at Petco (on sale $9 for 500g). Do I just throw it in loose in the filter? Throw it in the tank loose like rocks, or put it in a media bag and put it in the tank?

Coronus · May 8, 2017

I always experience amonia when setting up a qt with stability. I always follow the directions. Stuuf does not work very well.
For the future, place a sponge in your sump for a few weeks, that will seed the sponge, then move the sponge into the qt and now you have an instantly cycled QT. Just add an extra sponge in the sump so its always their when you need it. Just dont move it back to the sump from the qt. This can cause what ever disease exists in qt to move the the DT. So NEVER do this!
If it was me, I would hold off on the treatment and get the tank right first.

Swoody · May 8, 2017

Stability does take some time to work...BioSpira seemed to get busy immediately for me....

jasonrusso · May 8, 2017

Coronus said:
I always experience amonia when setting up a qt with stability. I always follow the directions. Stuuf does not work very well.
For the future, place a sponge in your sump for a few weeks, that will seed the sponge, then move the sponge into the qt and now you have an instantly cycled QT. Just add an extra sponge in the sump so its always their when you need it. Just dont move it back to the sump from the qt. This can cause what ever disease exists in qt to move the the DT. So NEVER do this!
If it was me, I would hold off on the treatment and get the tank right first.

Seeing how you didn't read anything I previously posted, I DID use a seeded sponge and I already started treatment. The seeded sponge didn't work for me. It must not have had enough bacteria to support a porcupine puffer