Setting up a little quarantine/hospital tank

[Maroonostrich]

Hi, I'm hoping to set up a little spare tank to use in case of emergency for future.. the tank I have in mind is V. small, about 6 gallons I think- but it's better than not having one right?

I was wondering- can anyone direct me to a suitable heater and filter for installation in this tank, ideally that I can buy online..?

IF I run the filter I buy inside my established tank will it help the media mature and not harm the larger tank at all?

Could I then (tell me how long to wait!) transfer filter, sand from the current tank, a plant from the current tank, and water from the current tank to the new aquarium, turn on the heater- wait until the temp was right and then introduce some fish as maintainence? Would that be sensible? I was thinking of maintaining say five of my neons in there and they could be popped back in the main tank with the rest of their shoal if necessary to use the tank- but is it fair to them?

Is there another kind of fish that would be better suited to that job as it is such a small tank? Or is there a way to keep it without cycling for a while as empty?

Never tried this before so advise away please!!!

 

[GSD]

i wouldnt use a subsrate.It makes it easier to keep clean and wash after each fish has been in their.And no desise or parasite can hide in the sand/gravel and then transfer to the next tank.

i always put a small upturned plantpot(clean)in there so the fish have some sort of shelter when they are stressed and need some peace

you can get small filters but you can get small 5-8gallon tanks which come with everything included if you look around.

I would advise against using neons.For the simple reason they arnt very hardy!!and a tank of 6gallons is too small for them to live happily


i would go with afew shrimp or maybe something harder.Such as a pair of dwarf platies.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Why not have the hospital filter running constantly in your main tank until it is needed? I have also jsut left a spare spounge in my filter to take out when the need arises.

For a heater and filter, you are going to want the smallest ones you can find. I know walmart sells a heater for 5-15 gallon tanks (i'm forgetting how many watts it is right now) that seems to be pretty effective. Another option is I have seen entire 10 gal kits for $30, which will probably be cheaper than buying everything seperately.

For decorations, you want it very simple, with easy to clean decorations. Remeber, after an illness, you will be needing to steralize everything in the tank.

 

[playfulalliecat]

I agree with just running the filter on your other tank until you need to use it. A quarantine tank shouldn't be needed very often and you want to keep it very clean. I would not put substrate in it and would as suggested probably only put a flowerpot in for a hiding, resting spot.

If you're like most of us and stock it with a few fish and keep it running, it will just become another tank of fish down the road. LOL Fishkeeping in an addiction of the worst kind and you never have enough space for the fish you want!

Also remember, that with some illnesses you need to treat all your fish so moving them to a quarantine/hospital tank will be of no benefit.

 

[tigerbarb420]

Also remember, that with some illnesses you need to treat all your fish so moving them to a quarantine/hospital tank will be of no benefit.

[snapback]866006[/snapback]​

It would be nice to have a quarantine tank to place newly bought specimens in if you commonly shop at chain stores. Some of the chain stores around here commonly have sick/weaker fish. I find that smaller private stores usually have healthier fish.

 

[Def]

Buy 2 small identical filters. Fluval 2 work well for this. Put one in your main tank permanently, put one in your hospital tank. When you need to start up your hospital tank, take half the media out of the main tank and use that. Immediately replace it with fresh media. That way you'll have a constant supply of cycled media without needing to run 2 tanks.

 

[jollysue]

Thanks Maroonostrich for starting this.

I believe you can also switch bio wheels to seed a new tank. But I like the idea of having an extra filter running in an established tank to switch to an empty tank.

Should the empty tank be kept filtering and heated as it can take a few to stablize temperature?

How long does it take a seeded tank (say a tank with an active and established bio wheel filter) to stabalize for sick or new, stressed fish?

I'm really ignorant here.

 

[modernhamlet]

It would be nice to have a quarantine tank to place newly bought specimens in if you commonly shop at chain stores. Some of the chain stores around here commonly have sick/weaker fish. I find that smaller private stores usually have healthier fish.

[snapback]866106[/snapback]​

Speaking from experience, never buy fish from Walmart, Petsmart, or other big chains. In general, they are much weaker stock and much more prone to illness. That illness can and does spread to even quality stock and can wipe out a lot of hard work, not to mention the poor fish.

If you have to shop at a big chain, for whatever reason (i understand there are many), then a quarantine tank is an absolute must. 10g, small filter running in the main tank, no substrate, 50w heater, a pot, maybe some soft fake plants. All there is to it...

 

[jollysue]

sorry double post

 

[jollysue]

Thanks from me modernhamlet.

I don't usually get fish anyplace but my faithful community lfs; been in the community 2 generations at least. I have always gotten healthy fish there. Still I once fell with an adult orange oranda at PetSmart. I left and came back a week later. She has done well. But other than that I am turned off by the stock and the care level.

I've seen fish with large pieces hanging off from ich and no one had noticed.

Now do you wait and set up the tank with the seasoned filter when the need occurs or keep it full and heated and filtered in case (putting in a the seasoned filter from the other tank when needed). And the seed from the filter is enought to keep the tank with new fish healthy?

Sorry for my dense head.

 

[modernhamlet]

I personally don't think you need to keep the tank running when you're not using it, as long as the new water is clean, decholinated and the same temperature as your main tank, which isn't really hard to do. Some folks do keep it running though. Really depends on how often they need it.

I'd just keep the whole filter running on the main tank until you need to transfer it. Unless your main tank is really small relative to your quarantine tank or you're quarantining a lot of new fish, you shouldn't see a mini-cycle in either tank.

If you find you're using the quarantine tank often enough, keep it running all the time.

 

[jollysue]

Good of you to help