What do you do to maintain a quarantine tank?

[Paula Blanca]

I'm setting up a 10 gallon quarantine tank. If you read my earlier post you'll know I've had problems. Anyway, in sorting those problems out it occurs to me that I never want to have to set up another quarantine tank and really just need to keep one running all the time.  What do you do to keep yours active?  Plop a solo betta in there? Keep a few fish compatible with your main tank and temporarily transfer them over to the big tank while you use the quarantine for sick fish or new additions? I am determined to not suffer MTS and only keep a 29 and now a 10 for quarantine. Both will be same temp, pH, etc. The 29 is heavily planted, the 10 will probably not be planted at all.

Thanks in advance for suggestions!

[Nav]

I have mine (10 gal) with a bare bottom and a sponge filter with snails, when its not being used I raise a daphnia culture in it so that I always have live foods (i have a backup culture as well) - when i need to quarantine fish they get live food straight away and generally motivates them to take on food. Seems to be working well so far i think!

[Fish Folk]

For me, I set up (a) sponge filter(s) in an established tank for awhile. Once we’ll-primed, I move over to the QT. I breed guppies, and throw my culls / rejects in QT to keep it cycled. I throw in Najas too. Now… I also feed these culls to my larger cichlids, so any time I need to move all fish out and treat new or sick fish, I just feed my Cichlids extra. I know that makes some people mad… but when you breed hundreds, maybe thousands of fish, you make choices like this sometimes.

[Patrick_G]

Theoretically I keep an extra sponge filter or two running in my  75g, then move that to the QT tank when needed. In reality I immediately filled the QT with fish. I bought another sponge filter and I have another empty tank. This time I’ll try and have self control! 

[B1gJ4k3]

I've got an army of ramshorn snails in mine. I keep the light on higher than I should so I grow plenty of algae/biofilm and I'll throw in some old sinking wafers maybe once a week just to make sure they're getting fed. I've also got a bunch floating hornwort that I keep in there to help mitigate any major parameter spikes. I hear you, though. It's nice to have a spare tank already going for some unexpected fry or sick fish that I pull out of my main display. Continually setting up and breaking down tanks, especially if it's just a quarantine, sucks.

Edited March 10, 2022 by B1gJ4k3
Clarification

[KML]

I keep a 5g going on the kitchen counter.  So far it has stayed occupied with growing out fry, quarantines, etc.  I had one nerite in there to clean up an algae start, and he went (gratefully, it seemed) back to the main tank when I had to medicate a fish.  The tank has a thin coat of gravel on the bottom, and one plant potted in a dollar store mini candle holder, as well as a  'hide' cave with some moss attached, and some floating plants. All of the plants can easily be removed as needed. Currently a male guppy who's HUGE tail fin split due to bullying by other guppy males is living in there.  I'm planning on buying some CPDs for my display tank, and they will quarantine in there for awhile.  It seems to stay pretty busy, actually.

[Odd Duck]

I run them as essentially plant holding tanks with snails.  If I need to put quite a few fish in (or a larger, heavy eater) that might push the biofiltration, I pull some snails out to help balance the bioload.  If I think the fish might come in actually sick, they go in a bare bottom tank with plants I can discard if necessary.  I always have extra sponge filters running somewhere.  If no one was sick in a tank, I don’t bother cleaning it other than a big water change (often near 100% just to be extra safe because I’m paranoid) after they come out.

[Streetwise]

I consider utility tanks as a superset that includes quarantine tanks. I use spare tanks and buckets more often to store extra wood, and stage new plants before planting.

Sometimes having extra wood can offer the side-effect of ready tannins that might be helpful for certain conditions. Spare plants can also be useful.

 

[TheChosenOne]

I personally don't have the room for anymore tanks. My tiny apartment is at critical mass lol.  When I need to setup a hospital tank quickly I just do my best with what I have.  I don't recommend anyone else to do it though. 

I take a bunch of clippings from my main tank of my fast growing stem plants and put those in the newly setup tank, I then use water from the established tank to fill the smaller hospital tank and add fritz beneficial bacteria to help get things started. I also tank filter media from my main tank and toss that in the tank.  I test the water daily and do about a 30% water change every other day for about a week, adding beneficial bacteria after each water change.  Then I slow down with the water changes and continue to test the water. I wish I could keep an extra tank going.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:08 PM, TheChosenOne said:

I personally don't have the room for anymore tanks. My tiny apartment is at critical mass lol.  When I need to setup a hospital tank quickly I just do my best with what I have.  I don't recommend anyone else to do it though. 

I take a bunch of clippings from my main tank of my fast growing stem plants and put those in the newly setup tank, I then use water from the established tank to fill the smaller hospital tank and add fritz beneficial bacteria to help get things started. I also tank filter media from my main tank and toss that in the tank.  I test the water daily and do about a 30% water change every other day for about a week, adding beneficial bacteria after each water change.  Then I slow down with the water changes and continue to test the water. I wish I could keep an extra tank going.

If you just keep an extra sponge filter going, that’s really all you need.  I’m just addicted to plants and can’t stop buying them so I have to put them somewhere.  I went up like a skyscraper and bought a rack.  I put 8 x 10 G’s and 4 x 5 G’s along with a couple jars on it.  Only takes up the square footage of a 75 G but gives me options.  There are smaller racks you can get, just FYI.

No, I’m not an enabler.  What makes you say that?  😉 

[Widgets]

I finally picked up a 10g to use as a QT, and an extra sponge filter. I let the sponge filter seed in an established tank. My plan was to use water from the established tank and the sponge filter for an instant start. Then when I tear down the QT, I would sterilize the spong filter and seed it again to be ready for the next need.

I just started my first use of the QT with some wild caught killifish. It worked like a charm, except... I noticed some unexpected fry in my shrimp tank. So, now my QT will be home to the least killifish while I grow out and rehome these unknown fry. It looks like I actually have two different fry in the shrimp tank. Some are free swimming and some are clinging to the glass.

[Andy's Fish Den]

I keeep a 10 gallon QT running all the time. It has a very thin layer of sand in it, along with sponge filter and some floating guppy grass. I throw in a pinch of food a few times a week to keep the cycle going in it. I also have a 20 high tank that isn't set up all the time, just for when I get in a large group of fish or a fish or two that are too big for the 10 gallon. For that, I will fill with a 50/50 mix of tap and water from an established tank. I also keep a couple of extra sponge filters running in various tanks that I will grab one and throw in to basically have an instant cycle. 

[jasper5150]

I have a 20 gallon high and want to add a second sponge filter so it can be ready for a quarantine tank. Are the ACO sponge filters able to be stacked? Seems they should be. Should the air stone still be as close to the bullseye as possible or move it down a bit so both sponges are getting flow?

[Widgets]

On 3/15/2022 at 11:12 AM, jasper5150 said:

I have a 20 gallon high and want to add a second sponge filter so it can be ready for a quarantine tank. Are the ACO sponge filters able to be stacked? Seems they should be. Should the air stone still be as close to the bullseye as possible or move it down a bit so both sponges are getting flow?

When you stack sponge filters, you would still want the airstone as close to the bullseye as possible. It is to help constrain the airflow through the uplift tube. The waterflow will be more in the upper sponge, but there will be some flow in the lower sponge too. As the upper sponge collects debris, the flow will transition towards the lower sponge.

[jasper5150]

Awesome, thanks! 

[Odd Duck]

On 3/15/2022 at 10:12 AM, jasper5150 said:

I have a 20 gallon high and want to add a second sponge filter so it can be ready for a quarantine tank. Are the ACO sponge filters able to be stacked? Seems they should be. Should the air stone still be as close to the bullseye as possible or move it down a bit so both sponges are getting flow?

Yes, they can be stacked.  Very easy to do.  Each can be stacked with their own size, smalls and mediums can be stacked with each other since they are the same diameter and internals, just a single for small, double height for mediums.  Nanos are different parts and larges are a different diameter sponge but the same internals as smalls and mediums.  Theoretically, they could be stacked with the smalls and mediums but they would definitely flow different.  Pic is 2 mediums stacked.