Hospital / Quarantine Tank

[Notsofab]

I have just bought a small plastic tank with filter and heater to setup specifically now as a treatment tank as I have a sick fish with what looks like Swim Bladder.

Firstly, my main tank is also still cycling. We currently are getting a reading with 0 Ammonia, but the Nitrite levels are going off our chart despite daily 50% water changes. With the sick fish currently just in an emergency bowl, what is the best way to get this treatment tank running? I figure that my Molly will be better in an uncycled heated tank with some filtration than in an unheated bowl? The LFS where I bought the Swim Bladder treatment meds said to take some water from my existing tank. But I'm concerned about it because of the high Nitrite levels.

My plan was to dechlorinate new water and temperature match it to the old tank before getting it running in the treatment tank? Is it going to make much difference how I fill the tank - afterall it will still be uncycled? Help Please!!!!!!!!!

Secondly once the treatment tank is up and running, how do you prevent it from needing to cycle when it isn't in use. Assuming that you don't have sick fish all the time and are not using it as a quarantine, this tank will remain empty. With no source of ammonia going into the tank, how do you keep it ready for when its needed?

 

[kimbowee]

I'll give you my suggestion, someone may disagree with me here. Instead of using tank water from your other tank I would fill with clean dechlorinated water and get to temp. The high nitrites in the main tank would only give you an elevated nitrite level in the hopsital tank which will do more harm than good IMO. Then I would tank the filter from your old tank and squeeze out some water into your new filter as this is where most bacteria live. As your new tank also won't be cycled you will need to test the water daily and perform water changes if there is any ammonia or nitrites.

Once your older tank is finished cycling you can could place the filter from the hospital tank into your regular tank to keep it cycled. When you need it, move it back to the hospital tank. This way it will keep all of the neccessary bacteria alive.

HTH and good luck!

Edit: Guess I can't spell very well today!

 

[Notsofab]

I'll give you my suggestion, someone may disagree with me here. Instead of using tank water from your other tank I would fill with clean dechlorinated water and get to temp. The high nitrites in the main tank would only give you an elevated nitrite level in the hopsital tank which will do more harm than good IMO. Then I would tank the filter from your old tank and squeeze out some water into your new filter as this is where most bacteria live. As your new tank also won't be cycled you will need to test the water daily and perform water changes if there is any ammonia or nitrites.

Once your older tank is finished cycling you can could place the filter from the hospital tank into your regular tank to keep it cycled. When you need it moce it back to the hospital tank. This way it will keep all of the neccessary bacteria alive.

HTH and good luck!

Thanks for your reply. I like the sound of your idea. My only concern is if I squeeze some water from the older filter into the new one, will this cause a setback in the first tanks cycle?

Thanks also for clearing up how to keep a quarantine filter in a cycled state.

 

[modernhamlet]

I'll give you my suggestion, someone may disagree with me here. Instead of using tank water from your other tank I would fill with clean dechlorinated water and get to temp. The high nitrites in the main tank would only give you an elevated nitrite level in the hopsital tank which will do more harm than good IMO. Then I would tank the filter from your old tank and squeeze out some water into your new filter as this is where most bacteria live. As your new tank also won't be cycled you will need to test the water daily and perform water changes if there is any ammonia or nitrites.

Once your older tank is finished cycling you can could place the filter from the hospital tank into your regular tank to keep it cycled. When you need it moce it back to the hospital tank. This way it will keep all of the neccessary bacteria alive.

HTH and good luck!

Makes sense to me.

For the time being you're really just going to have to do plenty of water changes on both tanks. Sick fish just won't get better with ammonia or nitrites around.

 

[kimbowee]

I don't believe that squeezing your old filter will set back the cycle on your main tank. You are basically squeezing out dirty water that will contain some bacteria. The majority of the bacteria will still remain in the actual media.

 

[Notsofab]

Thank you both for your replies.

Boy I wished I had realised how important cycling was before we'd began. Unfortunately we were impatiant and now our fish and us are paying the price. It's even got to the point were both my wife and I are seriously thinking about giving up and we've only been trying to get started for 6 weeks.

Again thank you both.