Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I've come to realize that a quarantine tank needs to be cycled just like any tank, I guess i should have just realized that, but sometimes I'm a little slow on the up take. Anyway my question is not about how to cycle a tank, but rather how do I keep a quarantine tank cycled? I'm setting up a new quarantine tank however I will not have any immediate need to use it. How do I maintain a health culture of good bacteria in a quarantine tank when I wont have any bio mass being put into said tank? Wont the bacteria just die off if it doesn't have any ammonia or nitrites to consume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 This is the easiest way to have a QT at the ready IMO: Keep a sponge filter running in an occupied tank. Pull it for a QT and have a replacement at the ready to run in the occupied tank again. My QT tanks are just holding tanks and are empty when I have nothing to put in them. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Thanks, that's sounds doable. As I am a beginner, I don't have any spare filters atm. My initial plan to inoculate my new QT is to pull stones from an established tank, but the filter idea sounds promising. Maybe it's time to put in a new order to Aquarium Co op. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 Yes adding a rock, decorations and/or plant from an established tank can help that QT for sure. Sponge filter/filter best/easiest way- sponge filters aren't expensive (you can buy a cheaper one if you're on a budget, I get it)- should always have a back up because well, you never know! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Thanks! That is actually a very good point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Keeper Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 well, I have pond snails in my qt to keep some bacteria alive, but I'd recommend just putting in small amounts of fish food and letting the bacteria eat that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 HydraSlayer thanks for the info. both the snail and the food angle have crossed my mind, but I did't know if that would be problematic or not. Have you personally done the fish food tactic? I'm a little worried that it might encourage too much hetrotropic bacteria and cause a bacteria bloom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) I have ghost fed tanks. Yes it works and use a very small amount of food once or twice a week. And do water changes occasionally. As long as your nitrates continue to rise it remains cycled. Bacterial blooms in an empty tank are harmless and go away on their own. In an inhabited tank add air stones. Edited January 21, 2022 by Guppysnail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 It's always a good idea just to keep extra media/sponges tucked away in your main tanks. That way whenever you need an instant cycle, you have a ready to go filter on hand. Anyways here's my QT. I break it down when not in use. The sponges for the filter are kept seeded in my 75 gal, tucked away out of sight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Hey, thanks everyone! I'm loving all the great info! I'm soaking it up. You make being a new fish keeper so much easier. It's nice not having to fail so hard for that learning curve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David W Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I have a few of these on hand because they are inexpensive and make things pretty easy to seed a new tank. I have one running in a display tank. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XZZ2BXY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 When I set up a new breeding tank or need to QT some thing I will set up one in the new tank. I will pull one cycled sponge out of the established tank and move it to the new tank. I will replace it with one of the new sponges. They slide on and off the filter easily. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 David, This is a very cool idea. I will def. look in to this as an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannon Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I keep my quarentine tank stocked with a few endlers I didn't have a place for after separating males and females. I haven't had to quarantine anything since this started, but I assume the few small fish will keep things cycled enough. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 Hey Gannon thanks for the post, I had kinda thought about that also. I suppose that as long as the few little fish you kept in a QT were known to be healthy, it could be a good option. In my mind it would just be a matter of choosing a hardy, relatively "tidy" species to put in the tank. I already feel a lot more confident about this project with all the great input I've been getting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannon Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 2:31 PM, Scott Stevenson said: Hey Gannon thanks for the post, I had kinda thought about that also. I suppose that as long as the few little fish you kept in a QT were known to be healthy, it could be a good option. In my mind it would just be a matter of choosing a hardy, relatively "tidy" species to put in the tank. I already feel a lot more confident about this project with all the great input I've been getting. Any hardier livebearer like endlers are a good pick for this role in my opinion. Additionally they are easy to catch if you need to get them out for any reason right before you put a fish in quarantine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 For sure and yeah I suppose getting them out easily is a good thing to remember. I was kinda thinking maybe a few dwarf chain loaches, but they're kinda speedy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gannon Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 2:38 PM, Scott Stevenson said: For sure and yeah I suppose getting them out easily is a good thing to remember. I was kinda thinking maybe a few dwarf chain loaches, but they're kinda speedy. Any loach is a tricky catch! I do confidently believe that the hardest fish ive ever had to catch were Denison barbs and especially archer fish. Both are smart and will do ANYTHING to escape the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I haven't used my quarantine tank for it's original purpose in quite some time. I have been using it for plant grow out and holding tank while I don't need it. Lately I have been dumping in some tetras that are being evicted from another tank. As soon as I can catch the rest of them I'll take them to the LFS. Come to think of it, I no longer have a quarantine tank.😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 2:43 PM, Gannon said: Any loach is a tricky catch! I do confidently believe that the hardest fish ive ever had to catch were Denison barbs and especially archer fish. Both are smart and will do ANYTHING to escape the net. LOL yeah and I'm not very practiced at netting fish out of a tank regardless. 😃 On 1/21/2022 at 2:49 PM, DaveO said: I haven't used my quarantine tank for it's original purpose in quite some time. I have been using it for plant grow out and holding tank while I don't need it. Lately I have been dumping in some tetras that are being evicted from another tank. As soon as I can catch the rest of them I'll take them to the LFS. Come to think of it, I no longer have a quarantine tank.😄 Now you have a great excuse to start up a new tank in the name of quarantining. 😄 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I guess I could try to convince my wife that a 75 gallon is a great quarantine tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 @DaveO@David W @Guppysnail@H.K.Luterman @Gannon @xXInkedPhoenixX Follow up question; Thus far I have only kept cold water fish that didn't need hardness. How do prepare a QT for fish that need hardness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 On 1/21/2022 at 7:48 PM, Scott Stevenson said: @DaveO@David W @Guppysnail@H.K.Luterman @Gannon @xXInkedPhoenixX Follow up question; Thus far I have only kept cold water fish that didn't need hardness. How do prepare a QT for fish that need hardness? Keep the water in the qt the same as you keep it and prep it in the tank. You want it to be as close parameters to the tank as possible. Hope that helps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Easy answer (again, and I like them) Crushed Coral and/or Wondershell. @Guppysnail is right though, you want your QT similar to your ultimate home for the fish. If you get hardwater fish, both tanks will need to be similar in hardness. You can accomplish this by the 2 things above- this is the easiest way, there are other ways. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Stevenson Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 Makes sense, but does that mean just wholesale adding crushed coral right on to the bare bottom? ...of the QT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 You can add crushed coral that way, use it as part of the substrate, it deteriorates over time. Some people use it in theirr HOB or filters (obviously not in a sponge filter). Some people put it in mesh bags and hide it in decorations or behind plants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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