Making A Hospital/quarantine Tank

[Rediahs]

So I always hear that you should have a hospital/quarantine tank for new fish or sick fish. However, I'm a bit confused as to how the cycling goes for a tank of this type. So it's not being used constantly, are we expected to keep it running and keep on adding ammonia all the time until it's needed?

I have two hob filters running in my tank (currently cycling) right now. If, once it's done cycling, I use it on the hospital/quarantine tank when needed, is the tank instantly cycled? Or is there more to it than the filter? What I mean is, does simply lifting the filter up out of the current tank and into a new full dechlorinated tank instantly cycle that tank?

Would it, in that case, be more accurate to call a "filter" cycled, and not a "tank" cycled? lol...

Just some musings... somewhat practical, somewhat impractical. I'm figuring eventually I may need an extra 10 gallon for quarantine/hospital but I'm not sure how most people do this and I certainly don't want to have it running all the time. My theory at the moment: keep two filters running in my main tank, and remove one filter to the hospital/quarantine as needed? Is this good? Will it cause a "mini-cycle" even if the filter that I'm leaving behind is FAR overpowered for my tank? (AquaClear 70 on a 29 gallon) I figure it might or it might not. It might, because, even if the filter is overpowered, the bacteria will always even out to a point where they have maxed out the food. Suddenly remove one filter and you don't have enough bacteria to eat the ammonia anymore because you removed some.

Or, since it's overpowered, it quickly catches up?

I hope this post isn't too confusing!!! lol!!!

 

[Tolak]

The filter media is what cycles, the tank is a glass box. The filter doesn't know what tank it is running on, and by doing what you are suggesting you are cloning a tank. It is for all practical purposes cycled and will sustain a bio load according to the percentage of cycled media used and the bio load from the tank it was taken from.

Imaginary tank time. You have a 20 gallon tank, a pair of AC 20's and 20 guppys. Each filter will sustain the bio load of 10 guppys, half the media from one filter will sustain the bio load of 5 guppys. A mature colony of nitrifying bacteria is capable of doubling in 24 hours.

Imaginary fish time. You just purchased 5 more beautiful guppys. You have a third AC20, and a 10 gallon tank in the closet. Knowing all of this, you fill the tank, take half the media from one of the running AC 20's, set up the third filter, and add the new fish. The nitrifying bacteria in the 20 gallon grows to accommodate what it perceives as an increased bio load, the bacteria in the filter on the 10 gallon can't tell one guppy from another, and you wait a few weeks to make sure the new stock is healthy.

I've done this countless times, on a smaller basis with fry, and on a much larger basis getting in fish. It helps to feed the donor tank & new tank lightly for a few days after cloning, less food means less waste. This helps to adjust for any slight error in calculation, as most tanks are not as easily divisible as our imaginary situation. It's usually more of a guesstimate, which generally works out well if you take into account the species involved & the waste they produce.

 

[Rediahs]

Hm... so you're saying it's best to move some filter media instead of an entire filter.

It's kinda complicated to make any media work properly in the Whisper Ex30 that I have which is the one that I would transfer to the new tank. I think in this case it's easier to leave them running side-by-side since it's the type with the cartridge... not very easily replacable.... it only likes the cartridges. I kinda wanna chuck it out and buy ANOTHER AquaClear lol... gosh... you'd think that I was made of money, I'm really not, I'm a poor college student The aquaclear filter just makes me so happy.

But effectively it's the same thing.... 50% cycled tank when you move half the media, which, within 24 hours, becomes 100% cycled due to doubling of the bacteria?

I think I understand a bit better.

 

[Tolak]

Move the filter & media, just the media, whatever works out best. If it is a cartridge design, move the filter & media if that's easier. Though the mature nitrifying bacteria colony is capable of doubling in 24 hours, I like to leave a little room for error & not take more than 1/3 of the media.

 

[Rediahs]

Thanks!

 

[OldMan47]

I keep a couple of extra filters running on my tanks all the time. Last night I had a bit of a problem with one of my filters not priming properly and while I was working to get it going again, it was reassuring to know that if all else failed, I could move a filter over and my fish would be safe. As it turned out, I got the suction tube properly sealed and all is well so I still have a spare large filter that can move if I need it. A spare cycled filter is always a good thing to have ready at the drop of a hat.