Opinions On Hospital/quarantine Tank

[KCB]

This is my new hospital/quarantine tank and it is about 10 litres.

Based on a guide I found on another tropical fish forum I was planning on only setting up the tank when I need it and instead of cycling the tank I would do large (50%) daily water changes whilst treatment/quarantine was taking place.

Positives
1. Easy to store away
2. Saves on bills?

Negatives:
1. Water changes could stress the fish
2. Possible ammonia poisoning could occur which defeats the object of the tank.

I don't have anywhere permanent to keep this tank plus it's not my electricity bill so I don't want to keep the appliances running and costing money which is why I would like to be able to set it up on a temporary basis each time. Also, I can only keep it on the floor of my bedroom which isn't practical and so couldn't be there all the time.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

Also, the tank doesn't have a hood or light, just a plastic cover. Is a light necessary?

Thank you.

 

[Tizer]

thoughts about it? i'm not sure i have any, you pretty much said all that's needed...not sure what to add. Wouldnt worry about a light, less stress with no lights...

 

[KCB]

thoughts about it? i'm not sure i have any, you pretty much said all that's needed...not sure what to add. Wouldnt worry about a light, less stress with no lights...

Very fast reply . I guess what I want to know is; is it better than having no quarantine at all?

 

[Aquascaper]

Anything's better than nothing if the situation requires it.

 

[Ruskull]

Nice little QT/Hospital tank you have there. Light shouldn't really be necessary but small, inexpensive light fixture would be good just to give the fish the day/night time effect.

I don't think it pays to keep an extra tank running if it's not needed at the time. What I'd do is keep it all setup but not plugged in or filled with water. If it's needed you can take some donor media from your main tank & that should be enough to spike the QT tank's filter pretty quickly. Especially since your QT is so small & you'd probably only be putting a single fish in the tank anyway.

 

[Tizer]

thoughts about it? i'm not sure i have any, you pretty much said all that's needed...not sure what to add. Wouldnt worry about a light, less stress with no lights...

Very fast reply . I guess what I want to know is; is it better than having no quarantine at all?

depends on the fish for me really. I've got a group of 16 harlequins, if one of them developed something nasty, i'd probably just wack it on the head and get rid of it. However, if it was one of my clown loaches, i would do my best to treat it in a spare tank. Some fish, you just don't get attached to, while others can mean a lot.

But yes, it will make a nice little tank should you need it. As for light, room lighting will be enough to tell the different in night and day.

 

[Tuxyu3]

depends on the fish for me really. I've got a group of 16 harlequins, if one of them developed something nasty, i'd probably just wack it on the head and get rid of it. However, if it was one of my clown loaches, i would do my best to treat it in a spare tank. Some fish, you just don't get attached to, while others can mean a lot.

I would never get rid of fish if i thought it could be saved

As said before, it depends on the situation, if something parasitic you would of course treat the whole main tank but if it was a nasty torn fin or something you may decide to quarantine.

 

[Bugdozer]

That looks like the Pets @ Home tank with the free filter and Interpet 25w heater, right? I kept my dwarf gourami isolated in a very similar setup for about a month recently for possible ich. I was changing the water every other day at first as the filter hadn't been cycled: the ammonia never rose past 0.25ppm at its highest. I also fed him sparingly. He was right as rain and is now back in the main tank again.

 

[Tizer]

wont do any harm to run the filter in the main tank too, will mean you wont suffer from the above problem of it not being mature sponge.

 

[KCB]

That looks like the Pets @ Home tank with the free filter and Interpet 25w heater, right? I kept my dwarf gourami isolated in a very similar setup for about a month recently for possible ich. I was changing the water every other day at first as the filter hadn't been cycled: the ammonia never rose past 0.25ppm at its highest. I also fed him sparingly. He was right as rain and is now back in the main tank again.

Right on the money! The heater is a spare I found lying around and the tank was a kiddie one from Pets at Home that came with a sponge filter. I just threw away the stickers and gravel and voila! A decent hospital tank for £15, definitely worth having. Glad to know this sort of thing has worked already .

@Tizer: That's a good idea, I might see if I can work something out (it's a bit tricky with very limited plug sockets).

Thank you for all your input everyone .

 

[raptorrex]

wont do any harm to run the filter in the main tank too, will mean you wont suffer from the above problem of it not being mature sponge.

I'd have the tank, heater in a cupboard. and the filter running in my main tank.
then, if its needed, i fill the tank, get it up to temp, then place the filter in my "Q" tank.
there you go, instant cycled "Q" tank that's kept in a cupboard!

or, if you have a quality external, buy a Eheim biopower.
then all you need to do is transfer some of your external's media, to that, and you are off (my personal solution)

and YES, a "Q"/hospital tank is one of the best ideas in fishkeeping.

unfortunately too few of us use them, as witnessed by the "help my fish are sick" post that litter this forum.

 

[Aquascaper]

Would there be any issues with cross-contamination between the QT and main tank by putting the filter from the QT back in the main tank after use? Would it need sterilised or something?

Just wondering as I've never needed/used a dedicated QT but do have spare tanks lying around if I did.

 

[KCB]

unfortunately too few of us use them, as witnessed by the "help my fish are sick" post that litter this forum.

That's the main reason I bought it, this forum has made me paranoid .

 

[fluttermoth]

Would there be any issues with cross-contamination between the QT and main tank by putting the filter from the QT back in the main tank after use? Would it need sterilised or something?

Just wondering as I've never needed/used a dedicated QT but do have spare tanks lying around if I did.

If you'd had any disease in the QT, then yes, you would want to sterilise the filter before putting it back in the main tank; I use very, very hot, salty water, rinsed out well, and then let it dry out completely.

But if you're just quarantining new fish and they're all healthy, then the filter can just go back when you add the new fish to the main tank.

 

[Aquascaper]

Thought as much but good to have clarification, especially for others reading.