Do I Need A Quarantine Tank?

[Miles_hot]

Whilst mooching around and reading the resource centre I have come across a few references to a Quarantine tank to put plants and fish that you have bought into for a few weeks prior to putting them into the "main" (read "only") tank. This seems sensible however
1) do I need one as it's another whole tank and kit set which I will need to buy and store
2) how does it work? By this I mean that presumably you have a tank which is unused most of the time (unless you're having a really bad time with fish mortality) so how do you keep the bacteria in the filter alive or assuming you switch it all off when you've got nothing in it how do you cycle the tank up to receive your new fish etc?

Many thanks

Miles

 

[hillmar77]

Usually a quarantine tank is going to be smaller then your main tank for ease of maintenance. All you need is a small tank (mine is a 5 gallon) , a heater, and a filter( I use a mini bio sponge). As for having good bacteria ready at all times, you can take some of your existing filter media and stick it in the quarantine one, or you can have your quarantine filter running in your main tank( I have my mini bio sponge running in my 10 gallon).

 

[Miles_hot]

Usually a quarantine tank is going to be smaller then your main tank for ease of maintenance. All you need is a small tank (mine is a 5 gallon) , a heater, and a filter( I use a mini bio sponge). As for having good bacteria ready at all times, you can take some of your existing filter media and stick it in the quarantine one, or you can have your quarantine filter running in your main tank( I have my mini bio sponge running in my 10 gallon).

Thanks for the rapid reply Hillmar. I note in you signature you also call it your hospital tank. Does this mean that you remove sick fish from the main tank to treat them for stuff? If so thus would probably answer one of my concerns in that I think I've picked up that some fish medication attacks/discolours try clear silicon that I has intending to use ion my tank...
Given that my talk will be about 50 gallons with external heater and filter the hospital tank filter should be some small external which is either running all the time in the main tank in pure bio mode (to minimise the cleaning routine) or is just capable of taking the same filter media are the main filter? I guess the heater can be internal or external. Does it need substrate or lights?
Thanks
Miles

 

[hillmar77]

Nope don't need lights, or substrate.... Even a hood or top isn't needed! As for the filter as long as there is media from your main tank it's good, so you can go either way! A quarantine tank and hospital tank are usually the same tank. Hope this helps

 

[iluvfsh]

Yes...please use a quarantine tank for a few weeks before introducing new fish. I didn't and purchased 3 zebra loaches...4 days later, my whole tank had ich. I treated, but ended up losing my whole stock...6 harlequin,5 platys, my beloved bristle nosed pleco, and the new zebra loaches. I now have a quarantine tank set up and is now the home of 3 cories and 2 kribs for a few weeks. I always thought of it as a pain, but I would take the bother instead of losing all my fish. I was crushed. I have a 10 gallon, because that's the old tank, but a 5 gallon would do.

 

[Rynofasho]

If you are using it for the purpose of controlling disease, I wouldn't advise moving media around back and forth between your main tank and the QT tank. Once it is cycled, you can keep it cycled by either adding ammonia which might get to be a pain over time, or instead maybe just keep a few small fish in there I am currently fishless cycling a 10 gallon for a QT tank and after it is cycled I am going to keep a Betta in there and maybe just a few other very small fish.

 

[Tolak]

Due to biological exclusion mature media has very little if any chance of transferring disease. Erring on the side of caution, I take media from a quar tank and either discard, rinse with a bleach/water mix, or just let it dry out really well before using again.

Transferring from your main tank to a quar tank won't pose an issue from my experiences.

 

[Rynofasho]

No I meant dont put any of the media from the QT tank back into the main tank for any reason

 

[ajs2294]

I usually don't even use filters on my Q/T tanks just daily water changes. Sometimes Ill use a sponge filter that I keep seeded inside my canister filter.

 

[hillmar77]

If you are using it for the purpose of controlling disease, I wouldn't advise moving media around back and forth between your main tank and the QT tank. Once it is cycled, you can keep it cycled by either adding ammonia which might get to be a pain over time, or instead maybe just keep a few small fish in there I am currently fishless cycling a 10 gallon for a QT tank and after it is cycled I am going to keep a Betta in there and maybe just a few other very small fish.

I actually don't like the Idea of keeping fish's in a quarantine tank on a regular basis, just because it could lead you to buying more fish's and treating it as a regular tank. Then there is the hassle of transporting all the fish's in the quarantine tank to the main tank, then vice versa. Hopefully those fish's in the quarantine tank get along with the main tanks inhabitants, and when its time to catch them and bring them over, they don't put up a long fight. Just alot of hassle, I say use a quarantine/hospital tank for what its only intended for, then bleach clean it after every application and store it away until its needed again.

 

[Miles_hot]

I can see the temptation to keep a fish or two in the QT tank but I suspect that I will not be allowed to go down that route as it's just more work for my wife and if we wanted to keep those fish we should have them in the main tank etc. It also seems a little harsh to be gambling with them. No criticism of you Rynofasho just my gut feeling


Assuming that I filter the QT tank and take some media from the main tank does this not expose the main tank to a spike as the bacteria colony has just been reduced and was in balance with the excretion rate of the current inhabitants - a load which then increases when we add the now clean fish - giving a double whammy? Or is the % change very small considering the main tank is 50-60 USG and the QT tank will be 5 USG?


I am probably going to be using an Eheim Pro 3 2075 on the main tank with Hydor external heater however I was wondering about using a HOB filter and in tank heater for the QT tank to make it more "self contained" - meaning I didn't need to find storage space for external filter etc. Does this seem sensible and if so do you have any suggestions for a good HOB filter which has some compatibility (if this is relevant) with the media which will come from the Ehiem?


Many thanks


Miles

 

[hillmar77]

I use to have a topfin 10 hob on my 10 gallon which I brought over to my quarantine/hospital tank whenever I needed to use it. I mean use any hob you want as long as it fits both tanks. Just use bio media only when setting it up.

 

[Miles_hot]

Hillmar
I don't want anything hanging on the main tank - all kit will be external (except the temp gauge). I just wonder if there is a clear set of "best" HOB filters and any which are intrinsically more compatable with the media within the Eheim (or conversly definatly not compatible with such media types)...
Thanks

 

[mislisa]

the aquaclear HOB filters are pretty good. you can put whatever media you want in the basket, you just have to cut it to size. they're pretty quiet too, from my experience.

 

[Miles_hot]

Thanks for the steer Mislisa.

Miles