Quarantine / Hospital Tank Setup

[pscl227]

Looking at setting up a quarantine / hopital tank. Rather new to all this stuff, so what size tank should i be looking at?
Filter setup?
substrate / no substrate?

any othe things i should think about?

thanks for the help, Paul

 

[minxfishy]

Hi, the size tank kinda depends on the species of fish you keep? But a 60L is usually a reasonable size to go for IMO.

It doesnt need to be anything fancy, you can get a cheap sponge filter to use on it and keep it running in your main tank to cycle it/keep it cycled ready for use when you need it. Alternatively you can keep the media in your existing filter ready to take out when you need it.

You dont need any substrate - it helps to keep it cleaner without, but if you so wish you obviously can. You will obviously need a heater for it though too

 

[pscl227]

Im only going to be keeping small fish nothing bigger than 3-4 inchs, and given my main tank is only 65 Litre i think 60 Litre may be overkill, i was thinking/hoping something more along the lines of 15-20 litres weould be sufficent?

 

[8inary]

Normally, if it is a hospital tank, as long as the fish has room to move around without being restricted too much, then I would say anything (almost anything) is fine. However if you have more than one ill fish, then your in trouble.

I have a large main tank, and under it a hospital tank. I do not use substrate and having everything plugged in ready to go (heater, filter, airpump) I would suggest getting a gravel vac or something similar, to get water from your main tank, into your hospital tank. That way, your fish will be used to the water that is mature and has passed through you main filters.

 

[minxfishy]

Im only going to be keeping small fish nothing bigger than 3-4 inchs, and given my main tank is only 65 Litre i think 60 Litre may be overkill, i was thinking/hoping something more along the lines of 15-20 litres weould be sufficent?

Yeah something in the region of 20-30L should be fine, obviously if you only have small fish then its ok to have a small QT although a reasonable enough size for swimming space so as not to stress them further

 

[Honeythorn]

If you want a cheap and easy tank to set up then go and buy a big plastic storage bin from Wilkinsons or anywhere else that sells them . Fit it with a basic sponge filter ( like the sort used in fry tanks ) which you need to mature in your main tank beforehand , a small heater, and plenty of false plants ( easy to clean and need no light ) and caves for the fish to hide if they like. When you aren't using the filter in the quarantine/hospital tank, keep it in your main tank so it's always cycled and ready to quickly set up in the other tank. That way you won't have to keep "feeding" the other tank with ammonia to keep it cycled. That's just more work.

Most people don't bother with any substrate, it traps waste and if you need to see that the fish is passing waste normally, substrate may make it hard to see. Having none make the tank bottom easier to keep clean. You could add a couple of smooth rocks or a few large smooth river pebbles though.