Hospital/Quarantine Tank

[noonoo1]

I'm thinking i need to get a Hospital/quarantine tank but need some advice.

What would be the smallest tank i could use?

Do you keep it running all the time or just set it up a few days before you get new fish or on the day you notice the fish is unwell. In that case you would use the water already from your other tank, and remove a little of the filter material and put that in the hospital/Q tank?

Or can someone point me to an answer that has already covered these questions.

Many thanks

 

[Chasing Puck]

I have a couple of spare tanks that I can setup as hospital quarantine tanks--the smallest is a 5, the largest a 29. The size you will need should be based around the largest fish you have--a 10 won't work for an adult oscar, but a 40 would be overkill for neons. Of course, you don't have to use an actual aquarium--just any tub that will hold water, can be heated and sterilized will work--many people use Rubbermaid tubs.

For setting them up: I keep a spare sponge one of my tanks at all times. As needed, I pull the sponge out, attach it to a powerhead, add fresh water (the beneficial bacteria are not in the water column, so using old tank water just imports wastes), get it to temperature, add some chunks of PVC and plastic plants for cover, and add the fish. I replace the sponge in the main tank, as well. Once quarantine is over, I soak the sponge in oxyclean, let it dry, and put it back on the shelf as a backup. All the items from the quarantine setup are soaked in oxyclean, dried and put back in storage.

 

[littleme1969]

I would do as you would do with a preggers fish... Use the water from the tank the fish is comming from if its for a poorly fish you already have. But if its quarantine for incomming fish.. then mainly new water and replace with tank water from where the fish are going over about a week or so.. as long as the quality of the water in the tank is good that is