Help With Setting Up Hospital Tank

[donna123]

hi
i got a small 25ltr tank for any sick fish,
its a rena,ive put the filter sponge from it in to my main tank to get some bacteria on,
how long should i leave it there?. im going to put some gravel and rocks from my main tank to. .
thanks for any help.

 

[donna123]

i take it ya all lovin the footie?
any info would be really greatful .

 

[WILDER]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=128869

Wouldn't bother with the gravel, don't need it in a hospital tank.

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. You can clone the hospital tank with filter material from your main tank except that after you move the filter over to the hospital tank, if there are no fish kept in it the bacteria will die off eventually because there is no ammonia for them to eat (for lack of a better word). So it would be better to move the filter material over once you need to put the sick or new fish in and then test daily for ammonia and nitrite and do appropriate water changes if they test positive.

 

[donna123]

Hi. You can clone the hospital tank with filter material from your main tank except that after you move the filter over to the hospital tank, if there are no fish kept in it the bacteria will die off eventually because there is no ammonia for them to eat (for lack of a better word). So it would be better to move the filter material over once you need to put the sick or new fish in and then test daily for ammonia and nitrite and do appropriate water changes if they test positive.

thanks cujoho,
any idea how long for good bacteria to form on the new sponge i put in my main tank?.

 

[cujoho78]

Well i have some differing views on how long it takes the bacteria to grow, but the main concensus i think around here is that you would need at least a week or two, but the longer the better. The main thing to remember is to always test the water in the hospital tank daily when you add fish into it just in case there is ammonia or nitrite and to do the water changes if they are there.

 

[Jules H-T]

Is this a general question, or a specific one because you have a sick fish?

If it's the former, you should as a rule leave the media in the main filter until it is required, or the bacteria will die off.

Then, move it over as you move the sick fish. Once you've cured your fish of whatever ailment it had, I'd boil the media and leave it out of the water a week or so to kill off anything related to the illness/parasite that might still be resident on it, before putting it back in the main tank to prepare for the next time. Or chuck it and get another sponge. You don't want to infect the main tank. Strip the tank completely too, don't leave it standing around to fester on a general basis.

This is also a handy way to have media ready for setting up a quarantine tank for new purchases (in the same tank).

If you have a sick fish right now, get that media in the main tank immediately for a day (I wouldn't just chuck it in the filter, I'd rub/wring the main and second media together to encourage cross pollenation so to speak- also ensuring the water flow goes FROM the main media TO the secondary not the other way round to also encourage migration) and the fish in the second tank with no filtration now, then on day 2 50% water change the hosptal tank and move the media over to it- the bioload should be low, and the media should be seeded at least. Keep an eye on water chemistry and fix with water changes as required.

But that's just what I'd do!

 

[donna123]

thank you so much for this,JULES H-T. .
all the best DONNA.