Quarantine - How?

[Schmill]

Hi, I've been reading a few of the threads on here and can see the sense in quarantining new fish, especially now that I have invested in a larger tank.

However, whats the 'cheapest' / 'most compact' way to do this? I don't have the room to have a tank running 'just' for quarantining purposes, but I image that a large container with no filter would not be good enough?
How long do the fish have to stay in quarantine? Would a large container with heater and airpump be suitable (but no filter ) ?
I'm not talking particularly large fish here, just neons, guppies, corys, bulldog pleco, that sort of thing.

Thanks

 

[Corleone]

You do need a filter - I run the quarantine filter on my main tank most of the time, and move it to the smaller tank when it's needed. The goal of quarantine is to catch and treat diseases before they hit your existing fish and to give fish a chance to recover from the stress of bagging and transport. With no filter, the water quality will deteriorate, which defeats both purposes.

It doesn't need to be a tank, per-se, a large bucket would work - I've used 5 gallon buckets as ghetto hospital tanks in a pinch.

The most compact way of doing it is probably about how mine is set up - I have a 5 gallon and a 10 gallon on the shelf below my main tank. They sit there most of the time, I actually keep food and stuff in breeding nets hanging in them when they're dry. When I need one, I fill it, run the heater overnight, and move the filter down from my main tank when I bring the new fish home.

Having the tanks down there makes for some complications - it's hard to get the siphon started sometimes, for example, and if you use buckets for water changes you might not have room to pour (just use a clean quart jug) - but it is convenient and it doesn't add any more floor space to your setup.

For the fish you're talking about, a 5 or 10 gallon quarantine should be sufficient.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well you're quite correct that you don't need to have it running all the time, also correct that just a tub with no filter would be no good!

The first problem to consider is the filter really, you need to keep it cycled all the time, you can't realistically expect to do a fishless cycle before every fish purchase so what you do is run a second filter on your main tank which then stays cycled, when you need to set up the Q tank you transfer it over and away you go. When you're done quarantining you throw away the media and sterilise the filter then set it up on the main tank again, after 2 weeks or so it'd be ready to use for quarantine again. Alternatively you can just take some media from the main tank and put it in the filter for the Q tank when you set it up.

You are correct in thinking that it doesn't need to be a full tank set up though, Q tanks are normally bare bottomed (no substrate) as this is easier to keep clean so you can just get a big plastic tub or something like that, get a lid a filter and a heater, you'll want some decor as fish need some cover but it can just be a few plastic plants and a flowerpot or something like that.

You need to quarantine fish for 1 month before adding them to the tank, this is because of the incubation period of some common diseases like ich, 1/2 weeks is not enough.

 

[Schmill]

Blimey... I can see I'm going to have to have a think about how to do this then!
I guess a small cheap ebay tank, and a small cheap filter frmo somewhere then. I like the idea of just having the second filter 'ticking over' in the main tank and then transferring it when needed too
Out of interest why do you (MW) say to throw away the media and steralise the filter after a quarentine period? I can understand it if the fish end up having something nasty, but if they sit in there for a month and all is well surely chucking it out is just wasteful?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

just to be on the safe side really, you don't want to risk cross contamination to the main tank. yes i take your point that after a month you could say it's clean and fine to go in the tank. personally i would not risk it for the price of a bit more media, but it's up to you.

remember you're only ever gonna have a small tank and filter and be lightly stocked, you can just have a small bit of sponge in the filter or something like that which is not expensive to replace. You can just buy a big sponge designed for a pond filter for a few pounds and cut it down to size so it's not going to be a big financial waste.

i do tend to err on the side of caution, but i think when you're dealing with the lives of a living creature you generally should do!

 

[Schmill]

Aha I see!

I guess it's because I was thinking that in the 'immediate' term I would use my existing in-tank Interpet PF2 filter, and that has 2 types of sponges, plus some bio media in it, and it would be pricey to replace all that each time I bought some fish. Your method sounds much better

 

[Schmill]

Would the following do as a quarantine tank?

I'm not going to be buying any big fish, and can put an old heater I have into it. Just looks like it would be a good little tank complete with filter etc for not too much £££

Themed Fish Tank Starter Kit

Or perhaps this one for some more litre-age ?
21 Ltr Tank

It seems small but it measures 47 x 40 x 26.5cm and my 60L tank only measures 60 x 35 x 30 so I think it would be fine for quarantining a few fish at a time?

 

[Corleone]

The first one, if it's what I'm thinking of, it miniscule. The second one could work, though, that's around 5 gallons. You can also check Craigslist or ebay for used tanks in the 5-10 gallon range, sometimes they can be had for next to free - I picked my first quarantine tank up on the side of the road for trash day.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah the spongebob one is a bit small, i agree with the above check out aquarist classifieds and ebay as well, you'll pick up a bog standard 5-10 gal tank second hand for next to nothing.

 

[Schmill]

Presumably it doesn't matter if it's glass or acrylic? Just thinking that a plastic / acrylic tank will be easier to shift around (when empty of course!), so can put put into storage and got out when needed.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yup doesn't matter at all, people use large tupperware type tubs sometimes! just anything that holds water and is fairly sturdy, preferably that you can see into!

 

[Schmill]

Looks like it might be the second one I linked to then, purely because then I get a new filter etc and everything I need with it, can pop in my old heater and Robert's your parents sibling!