# Setting up a quarantine tank



## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi everyone,

I would like to avoid having another experience like the recent loss of my tang to paravortex turbellarian flatworms. 

I have often read people insist on the use of a quarantine tank when bringing home new fish. I'd always thought to myself, "who can afford to setup another aquarium just for this purpose?" I believe I've reached the point where I can't afford not to. 

Do you use a quarantine tank when bringing home new saltwater fish? Why or why not?

I have a number of questions that I'd appreciate your input on.

1) First and foremost, what is the function of a quarantine tank, specifically? I understand that quarantining a fish keeps anything bad it may be carrying from entering the display tank and affecting other fish, but how does quarantining a fish alone rid that fish of anything bad it may be carrying? Or is it assumed that the quarantine tank will be treated with medication, which leads to my second question,

2) What should be done to the fish/quarantine tank during quarantine? Does quarantining a fish necessarily entail adding ich medication, worm medication, etc. to the quarantine tank and/or making the water hyposalinic at a specify gravity of 1.009 regardless of what you do or don't see wrong with the fish as a precautionary measure?

3) What is the smallest size a quarantine tank can be that will allow it to do its job but not stress a fish? Obviously bigger is better, but I've got limited space and setting up "_another_ tank???" isn't exactly a non-issue around here. :? Would an average sized saltwater fish of, say, 4 - 5 inches be alright in a 10 gallon tank for the quarantine period?

4) How long should the quarantine period last? 

5) Can the quarantine tank be set up as needed when a new fish is brought home by taking it out of the closet, filling it with aquarium water, adding a heater, a hang-on-back filter, and a piece of filter sponge that was in our wet/dry (which should be seeded with bacteria beneficial to the nitrogen cycle)?

6) Should a quarantine tank have substrate?

Please feel free to share any other thoughts you may have about the virtue or setup of quarantine tanks.

Thanks, everyone!


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

my answer is :

the QT tank is to let the fish get used to the parameters and bacteria in your main tank and to let it settle down after being moved around (stressed).if it has any disease it will show signs of it and you can medicate it in the qt tank without your other fishes being introduced or harmed by what ever it's having.a qt period of a week or 2 is normal depending on the fish.whether it's healthy or not.
the tank isn't dossed with medication and is only filled with some water from your main tank an clean cycled water and it need not be a large tank.the tank size is normally 11 gallons and above depending on what size fish you have.a tank that's bare or has a bit of substrate,no live plants or coral ( a small silk will do) a clean halved plastic flower pot for the fish to rest and really clean water that already cycled and a heater and thermometer ( if you own one ) will suffice.do not set up the qt tank overnight.let it cycle and mature like any other aquarium as you don't want to add chemical shock to an already stressed fish.keep the tester nearby and test the parameters before adding the fish in the qt tank to make sure it's the same as the main tank.

and good luck ^.^


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

Administrator said:


> 1) First and foremost, what is the function of a quarantine tank, specifically? I understand that quarantining a fish keeps anything bad it may be carrying from entering the display tank and affecting other fish, but how does quarantining a fish alone rid that fish of anything bad it may be carrying? Or is it assumed that the quarantine tank will be treated with medication, which leads to my second question,
> 
> QT is so if you must medicate its only one fish and you arre able to use meds that may be harmful for your other inhabitants (copper VS inverts for example) but med may not be required at all and that is good also!!!
> 
> ...



i put my answers in Blue for you good sir and as we have spoken about before it seems like a lot at first glance but simpler is better


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i agree with bear. ill also add a QT is perfect for observation of fish behavior, feeding habbits, and health. while the fish is seperate you can watch what it eats and how much. very few fish shouldnt be QT'd because of eating habbits ( like mandarins for example )
a QT is important because most saltwater fish are ripped from the ocean and not bred by breeders.


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks so much for answering my questions, guys. I have another related question. 

If I understand you guys correctly, the purpose of the quarantine tank is to observe new fish you bring home and ensure they are safe to add to the display tank. Medication is not added unless symptoms of some kind manifest over the 2 - 4 weeks you keep the fish quarantined. My question is, how much ich warrants adding medication to a quarantine tank? That is, if you notice a single small white spec on a fish's fin would you treat the quarantine tank with ich medication?

Thanks!


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

no sir IMO.IME just using garlic enhanced foods does a wonderful job with that. i made my own blend and it worked very well!!!!
1 part blood worms
1part chopped Krill
1 part marine flake
i clove of garlic finely minced
mixed together and run through a hand chopper to ensure distribution
keeps in the fridge and i feed 2x daily after 5 days what little was on my fish went away and i just continue to feed this mix for now ... its been close to a month with no re-occurrences...

when ever you can avoid meds by using other methods, it is best to do so.... if the garlic does not work treating with temperature may...


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks, Brett. I just treated my display tank with PraziPro again (I treated it initially last Thursday) to ensure the parasite my late tang had is eradicated from the tank. I was going to wait 7 days from now, do a water change, and then treat the display tank with Kick-Ich to remove the ich it appears my remaining fish have, but your post reminded me to try a course of garlic enhanced food instead.

As for temperature, what temperature do you recommend raising or lowering the water to to combat ich while staying safe for fish, hermit crabs, and emerald crabs?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

no overly sure about inverts so i would recommend a bit more research on those.. as for fish however i have used this method with great success
days 1-5 raise temp 1-2 degrees each day untill you reach 89 degrees F
remember to go slow as to allow the fish to acclimate
leave it for 7 days
after the 7 days lower the temp 1-2 degrees each day untill back to your normal temp range
24 hours after reaching normal temp perform a 25% W/C vacuuming substrate very well
24 hours after that perform 25 % W/C

thats it

again i would research temperature tolerances for your inverts before attempting this to ensure thier safety


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks, Brett. Does anyone use a similar temperature regimen to combact ich? I am going to start a thread in the Coral and Reef Creatures forum regarding inverts' temperature tolerance.


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

I just wanted to update this thread and report that tonight I am picking up a 10 gallon tank, stand, filter, heater, hood, and light for $50 from somebody I found on Craigslist. I tried a local chain store initially and they wanted $65 for the aquarium stand alone, so I feel like I'm getting an awesome deal (fingers crossed that it works out). 

My plan is to run the quarantine tank at hypo salinity (a specific gravity of 1.009) with copper and PraziPro as preventative measures at a temperature of around 83 degrees, possibly walking it up to 89 like Brett recommended. I will leave new fish in it for 4 - 6 weeks. I may freshwater dip new fish before they even go in it to get rid of anything on them that I can from the outset.

I figure that by the time a fish reaches my display tank it should be just about bomb proof after that.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

good deal *sniff snmiff* i so proud LOL


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Once I brought home and began washing out the 10 gallon tank I purchased from the person I found on Craigslist, I realized that the silicone connecting the glass panes was coming off. I went out and bought a new ten gallon tank from my LFS. Fortunately the stand, HOB filter, heater, hood, and light I purchased in addition to the 10 gallon for the same $50 was all in good shape. :mrgreen:

I picked up a tap water deionizer at the LFS but unfortunately it didn't fit any of my faucets even with the included adapters so I had to settle for tap. I added 1 cup of instant ocean sea salt to each of the 5 gallons of water I added to the tank to bring my specific gravity to ~1.009 according to my hydrometer. I know, I need a refractomemter. I added 10 ml of Stress Coat and 1/2 teaspoon of Seachem Marine Buffer to the first 5 gallons. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of PraziPro as a preventative measure. I probably should have slowly lowered the specific gravity in the tank over the course of a few days, but it's day #2 and the 4 yellow tail damsels I bought seem fine. 

I think I recall reading that it's only when increasing the salinity that it's important to do it gradually. Is that true or does it need to be done gradually both ways?

Anyhow, after years of resisting, here is my quarantine tank. 









It wasn't pretty, but I even managed to convince my wife to let me put it beside our display tank so that I could see them from our living room. 









Only 5 weeks and six days to go... :-?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

nice work sir!!!!!!!!!!!! it will pay off in the long run even with it not being what you are looking for esthetically


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi guys,

I have some dry rock left over from a recent purchase I made for my display tank. Can I put the left over dry rock in the quarantine tank (it's currently cycling with no fish as I explain in this thread), or is the quarantine tank not supposed to have any live rock in it for some reason?

Thanks!


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I personally like to keep rock in my quarantine. I rarely use medications, so having the rock is a bonus.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

the QT isnt supposed to have rock because of meds being used AND/OR any diseases on the fish coming in that can and will find their way into the rock. i personally use a few pieces of PVC pipe in a QT because its an easy thing to clean. the PVC provides a good source of security for the new fish too.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> the QT isnt supposed to have rock because of meds being used AND/OR any diseases on the fish coming in that can and will find their way into the rock.


Interesting thought process. Point for discussion here. How does disease infect rock? The only risk that comes to mind is that rock, when moved from one tank to the next, will also move a small amount of water from one tank to the next... possibly moving pathogens, etc that are in the water. But in terms of parasites or other disease that host/infect fish... are you saying that some of these same diseases are capable of infecting microfauna that might live within the rock?

Or are you saying that substrate is a risk because it can become a breeding ground for parasites and disease? Which I am included to support.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i feel both substrate AND rock can be a place parasite/disease cling onto hitching into the next tank. i would say esp with things like ich that have a life cycle. after a period without fish, i would say alot of things would die off without the presence of a host fish. 

if you put rock into a QT i would not put it anywhere else afterwards. i would also be afraid of passing things on from fish to fish. 
i set up a QT when planning a fish purchase, and when its done serving its purpose break it down, clean it, and store it until another fish purchase is planned. i do not continueously have it set up and running, this is something that can help prevent impulse buys.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> i feel both substrate AND rock can be a place parasite/disease cling onto hitching into the next tank. i would say esp with things like ich that have a life cycle. after a period without fish, i would say alot of things would die off without the presence of a host fish.
> 
> if you put rock into a QT i would not put it anywhere else afterwards. i would also be afraid of passing things on from fish to fish.
> i set up a QT when planning a fish purchase, and when its done serving its purpose break it down, clean it, and store it until another fish purchase is planned. i do not continueously have it set up and running, this is something that can help prevent impulse buys.


Again, this just shows that there are multiple ways to be successful. To me a Q tank is not about medication and treatment. It is about comfort, relaxation, and prevention. I attempt to create a very natural environment, with the exception of a low salinity. I typically us a UV on my Q tank and take great care to select fish which I have observed for multiple visits to the LFS and believe to be disease free. 

I will say, that I frequently recommend the type of Q tank being suggested here by OF2F. And I have used them in the past with equal success. Bare bottom, sponge filter, PVC for hiding. But over the last couple of years I have changed to a more natural approach.

Bottom line, Mike, if you decide to add the live rock then be prepared to move the live rock out of the tank if you need to medicate.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i dont medicate but observe during q. if i see or feel the need to then use something, thats when ill make the choice. i wont argue theres more then one way of doing things, there is no exception with this hobby.


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks, guys.



onefish2fish said:


> i set up a QT when planning a fish purchase, and when its done serving its purpose break it down, clean it, and store it until another fish purchase is planned. i do not continueously have it set up and running, this is something that can help prevent impulse buys.


Do you not allow your quarantine tank to cycle before adding a fish to it then, Jon? Or do you set it up, wait 3 weeks for the tank to cycle, add a fish and wait 4 - 6 weeks, and then break it down afterward?

If you don't allow it to cycle, how do you handle ammonia, etc.? I had started my quarantine tank without allowing it to cycle and found ammonia present even after two 50% water changes two days apart...


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i can not speak for john but i also assemble and disassemble mine.... i keep a sponge hiddenin my rock work for use inthe QT and runn the spong filter on one sise the the Q and a HOB with carbon on the other end.... after adding stock to it i do w/c every two days for the first 2 weeks (only about 1-3 gallons) after that the seeding from sponge seems to do quite well... i used to run it just empty but i like the idea of putting a PVC pipe or two in there and will from here forward... but as Pasfer has pointed out time and again their are many many ways to get good resaults this is just one example of what i have used.....


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i to "seed" something before setting up the qt and seems to work well for me to. just put a peice of floss in your sump for about a week or two, then set up your QT with it with atleast a month advance a fish purchase pending params.. the qt isnt out often, because fish purchases are rare, but when one is planned, its set up to go.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

bearwithfish said:


> i can not speak for john but i also assemble and disassemble mine.... i keep a sponge hiddenin my rock work for use inthe QT and runn the spong filter on one sise the the Q and a HOB with carbon on the other end.... after adding stock to it i do w/c every two days for the first 2 weeks (only about 1-3 gallons) after that the seeding from sponge seems to do quite well... i used to run it just empty but i like the idea of putting a PVC pipe or two in there and will from here forward... but as Pasfer has pointed out time and again their are many many ways to get good resaults this is just one example of what i have used.....


This is word for word how I ran my Q tanks for many years. Very effective.


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi guys,

This is the second time my attempt to use a quarantine tank has failed. The previous time, the ammonia got so high in my quarantine tank despite the water changes I performed that all of the fish in it died. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-aquariums/i-done-bad-thing-george-51294/ The quarantine tank was empty from 9/10 until this past Sunday, 10/17, at which time I tested the water in the quarantine tank and decided to purchase new fish after finding 0 ammonia. I picked up 5 tiny blue/green chromis.

Sure enough, I tested the water Wednesday and there was ammonia present, somewhere in the neighborhood of .25 - .50 ppm (I couldn't really tell based on the API test results). I changed 1/3 of the water, but this morning I found one of the chromis I purchased on Sunday dead. I tested the water again this morning and the ammonia looked like it was at .25 ppm. Not wanting to lose the rest of the chromis despite additional water changes like last time, I drip acclimated the remaining chromis and added them to the display tank.

So far, my investment in a quarantine tank setup has been a frustrating, expensive waste. What am I doing wrong?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ok lets refresh the situation a little just to be 100% clear.... what is the QT set up? every goffy detail would help. size filtration heater etc etc .. i read back over everything and it all looks good but i just feel we are missing some minor detail .. sorry to be such a pain in asking all of this again....
ok and include any media you may be running and how... i have an idea but i want to see what you got going...


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Hi Brett,

It's really a simple setup. A 10 gallon tank, an AquaClear 10 heater, and an Aqueon hang on back filter. I don't know the Aqueon's model number, but it looks like it's sized for a 10 gallon tank. It came with a filter pad with carbon in it which I removed since I dosed the quarantine tank with PraziPro when I initially set it up, so there hasn't been any filter media in it. Thanks for your help!


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ok so i have an idea that may sound a bit off.. unless you are changing water daily you may want to consider tossing a bag of carbon in there... now i know we dont want bacteria building up and what have you so no other media (floss and what have you) unless you want to change that out every other day. (not entirely a bad idea but requires a bit more work on your part to make that process less expensive let me know if you want to hear how) 

so any how drop a sac of carbon in there and that should help a ton .. after the QT period dump out the carbon and wash the sack.. next time around refill with new carbon and start fresh...


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks for the idea, Brett. These fish are already in the display tank and having a tough time, but I'll try using the quarantine tank with a bag of carbon the next time I add fish, which will be in a few weeks if these chromis manage to stay alive in the display tank. 

Does anyone have any additional thoughts?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

it may take a little bit for them to get comfy.... you said hard time what is their behavior? or are they just gong through the usual acclimation period?


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

They looked like they were having a very difficult time swimming against the current. I linked to the thread I started asking whether I have too much flow. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/saltwater-aquariums/do-i-have-too-much-flow-54029/


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I run a permanent biological filter in my quarantine. Given that you have no live rock in the Q tank, you need a biofilter to break down the ammonia and nitrite. Am I missing something? I would add a sponge filter into the hang on, or a bag of biomedia.


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks, Mark. By "sponge filter", do you mean a piece of sponge? What type/brand of biomedia would everyone recommend if I went that route? 

If my two chromis last another week in the display tank then I am going to buy some more fish. I'd like to be able to use the quarantine setup this time without it killing the fish. :-?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i have read grate things about chemi-pure elite... most hobbyist running nano tanks use this and claim its amazing...

as for sponge yeah a piece of sponge is fine (read the package a lot of them are not aquarium safe) what i like to use is a piece of filter pad or batting cut to the size i need and i seed it in the DT for use in the QT when needed... along with some carbon...


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I like a classic sponge filter like you see used in freshwater fry tanks. Just a simple air driven uplift tube coming from a sponge filter. 

Air driven:
Hydro Sponge Filters | Sponge Aquarium Filters | Filters | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com
Dual-Action Foam Filter - Square - Up to 35 Gallon | Sponge Aquarium Filters | Filters | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com
Power head driven:
Filter Max III Sponge Pre-Filters | Sponge Aquarium Filters | Filters | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com


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## Mike (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks, guys. The Chemi Pure Elite says it reduces phosphates as well. This sounds like something I might like to add to the display tank.

Would the sponge prefilter you suggested go right over the intake tube of the quarantine tank's HOB filter, Mark?











Wouldn't I lose all of the beneficial bacteria when I rinse it off periodically to clean off the gunk?

If our chromis is still doing fine by next weekend then it's time to get fish! :-D


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