Quarantine Tanks

[Tuna Howard]

When setting up a quarantine tank how do you keep it in balance during periods of no fish to quarantine?

[Eric R]

What do you mean "in balance"? Do you mean cycled? I usually just keep extra filter sponge cycling in my filters all the time. I don't keep quarantine tanks setup if I'm not using them. However, you should be careful with the filter media for quarantine tanks - depending on what illnesses the fish may end up having or what medication you end up using, you made need to sterilize the filter media before using it again, or simply get rid of it.

[Brian]

I just keep either some filter floss or a sponge in a HOB 

[Mmiller2001]

Malaysian trumpet snails.

[Kirsten]

1 hour ago, Tuna Howard said:

When setting up a quarantine tank how do you keep it in balance during periods of no fish to quarantine?

I don't. I use it infrequently enough that I drain it and let it dry out between uses. The small sponge filter goes back into the tank where the previously quarantined fish are living (I figure they're either both clean or both sick), or I let it dry out as well if there isn't room for it (no reason to infect a second tank if there are still germs on it).

[Lifeisgood]

Mine’s a ten gallon and this time I kept it going with Java moss, hornwort some bladder snails and two bent guppies I didn’t have the heart to cull.

It was a bare bottom tank until the baby Bichers that are presently quarantined in there seemed to be distressed or confused with the reflection while looking for food so I put a thin layer of pool filter sand down for them.  Since it is white, I can see what debris needs to be vacuumed up.  (And it is cheap to throw away if I need to.)

If you have the room, it’s handy to have a small tank going with temperature and water parameters stable.  Especially if you need to quickly isolate a sick or injured fish. If not, just make sure you have a couple of extra sponge filters going. 

[Tuna Howard]

Thank you. I have the tank might as well use it and grow moss. 

[Dawn T]

To keep any tank cycled when it doesn't contain fish (or plants or snails), I drop food in it just as I would if there were a few fish in it. The food breaking down keeps the bacteria fed. Without that, the bacterial population dwindles. Keeping plants in there helps, too. I use my QT as a plant nursery, and I keep some pond snails in there. Then I feed it about every other day to be sure the bacteria in the sponge filter stay fed with ammonia and nitrite.

[b_ball34]

I keep pink Ramshorn and Malaysian trumpet snails in my QT tank and keep cranking them out all the time for the puffer. feed them everyday with the other tanks. The duckweed and other fast growing plants helps as well.