Quarantene Tank

[alexdallimore]

I have a 4 ft 220 ltr aquarium as my main aquarium and have just purchased a small tank to use as a quarantene/sick tank. What I need advise on is how best to set it up. I thought about running the filter media in my external pump for a week and the adding large tank aquarium water to small tank and then running it. I'm just after making it as close to my other tank conditions as possible and up and running as soon as possible as I don't want to purchase any more fish without quasrantening them first. Any idea's or advise would be great.

The second idea I had for it was to use it as a live food tank when not being used as hospital tank. Is this a practical idea or not. If it is then hows best to do that? I was thinking of this to give me permanant food souce and alternative to flake and frozen.

Cheers

Alex

 

[Tolak]

Keep the spare filter running on your main tank until you need it, and leave the quar tank empty. When you have a new purchase, fill the quar tank with half water from the established tank, and half new. Set up the filter & heater, and it's good to go.

 

[yvez9]

Which live foods are you planning to keep in it?

If you go that route, you'll end up needing a new tank otherwise you'll need to get rid of your food culture when you have a new fish in it.

I'd go the tolak way and just keep it empty or use it to store your fish supplies then strat it up like he said when you need to use it

 

[TammyLiz]

Like Tolak I leave mine empty and set it up when needed. I had an extra 10 gallon and filter just sitting around, and could add filter media from main tank when I set it up.

Funny story, though. Last weekend we were moving some things out of the attic and temporarily had a mirror sitting in the foyer near one of my 10 gallon setups. The mirror got knocked over and broke the tank! Fortunately it was a 10 gallon tank--we just used the "quarantine" tank as a replacement for it. Didn't even have to run out to the store. Not that it wasn't a pain in the butt to have to clean up the HUGE mess it created and set up the tank all over again in the middle of our attic-cleaning project before we could get back to work. So now I don't have a quarantine tank anymore.

Thank goodness for extra tanks. The problem with them, though, is the constant temptation to just go ahead and set them up for that ____ you've been wanting. Then you have to buy another tank for an extra, and then that one is calling to be setup permanently too.

Sorry...a little off topic. But still about extra tanks.

 

[alexdallimore]

I have put my filter media in the external filter and will add water from main tank when needed. How long should I leave the filter media in the external filter before concidering using as an issolation tank. I am after new fish and want to quarantene them first. Would a week be long enough for the filter media or does it need to be longer

 

[scubadoo]

I'd leave it about 2 weeks to be on the safer side.

But if you're only getting one or two fish, and the bio load is minimal, then you may get away with a week.