# Quarantine Tank - Help



## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

What are the basics required to have a QT tank for fish or corals (mostly fish)

Im ready to start purchasing fish and wanted to get this up and running...

Besides a 5G tank (is this big enough?, will only have small fish, biggest being a clown) *what else do i need?*


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## kolbaso (Mar 24, 2010)

I use a 5g for clowns, damsels, six line ect it shoudl be big enough for anything you should put in your tank. All i have is a heater and a cycled foam filter that i keep in my sump.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

You dont need to worry about providing water flow/movement?


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## kolbaso (Mar 24, 2010)

i have had up to 4 small fish in a 5g for over a month with no water movement and they were fine. just do water changes daily/bi-daily and test your water frequently. I have done both chemical and hyposalenity quarantine and no problems at all.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

Thanks K

What is the waterchange ammount?

Do you start with new salt-water or use tank water?


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## KeMo (Sep 3, 2010)

If you are going to set up a qt tank you are going to want to cycle that qt tank before you have Fish in it just like your main DT. (display Tank)
Take some sand from your DT tank to help seed the sand in the QT tank.
I run a bio wheel filter on my QT tank that is 5 gal. The bio-wheel was 20 bucks. The reason i say this is that with the bio-wheel you will be able to have a good amount of bacti on it living to eat waste. I dont put LR in my QT .
The reason is if I need to treat the tank with meds or something it will not kill the LR. Copper based medications will do that. I would advise on some sort of water current in the tank. What i get from the bio-wheel is good. Dont just put your fish in the tank with nothing. Remember that all fish have ich dormant in their gut and its stress most of the time that brings it out.
Hope that helps


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## kolbaso (Mar 24, 2010)

I start with water from my display and the sponge filter because that is already cycled. Then i do a 1g change with fresh salt water every day or so depending on the water parameters. I feed vitamin enriched food. other then that i have some pvc and a flower pot for them to hide in.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

Water change requirement for QT tank would be the same as any other tank.

You want to QT each (or a batch of) fish at a time. If you're not sure of parasites (ie. marine ich), you could just treat the fishes (ie. hyposalinity) to be sure.


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

One of my clowns has shown signs of white 'dots'.... 

Going to go to big als and buy a 2.5-5G tank... So all i need is a small hang-on-back filter system, a heater, and a sponge from the DT?

Planning on QT'ing them for 4-6weeks to remove ICH from them, AND remove it from my DT

Should i just buy some of the other fish i planned to get since ill be doing this QT for 6 weeks?


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Kweli said:


> One of my clowns has shown signs of white 'dots'....
> 
> Going to go to big als and buy a 2.5-5G tank... So all i need is a small hang-on-back filter system, a heater, and a sponge from the DT?
> 
> ...


5G is barelly big enough for a pair of clowns, so dont add more ...

how are you going to fight marine ich ? Copper ?

ID say treat these guys, get them back and then get next fish and treat it ..


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

I was just going to do Hypo, no copper..

Although that was going to be the first step until i started to research what I might need to do next


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

well that could work, bUT I personally think, with good water quality, and ALOT of good food, every fish will survive ICH. Oceans have ICH, yet fish dont ! or only the unhealthy ones do !

I can say almost all my fish have gotten marine ICH before, all tangs included, and I got through it via feeding alot, and keeping water Optimal. and IMO, there is no way to keep optimal water in a QT tank, and Hypo salinity will just be extra shock on the fish, (which can or cant kill ich ) with copper at least, you know ICH is dead, now lets make the fish pull through. 


good luck


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## Kweli (Jun 2, 2010)

I am under the impression that once a tank has ich it will constantly cycle through its life cycles and re-infect the fish over and over.... ANd any new fish that are added to the tank?


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Kweli said:


> I am under the impression that once a tank has ich it will constantly cycle through its life cycles and re-infect the fish over and over.... ANd any new fish that are added to the tank?


that is True.

just like Cold virus is around, and those of us who take vitamins dont catch it all the time 

All my fish have had ICH, no deaths, no sign of ich now, I never removed a fish from the tank to medicate. and never medicated my tank, so perfect water + alot of food = enough energy to fight ICH or any bacteria other than that, which can harm fish, or seahorses .

JMHO though .

removing the fish, leaving DT fish less, treating all fish, and all new fish is the way to go for sure. I personally dont have the time for it, lol so tried the other method, the do nothing method  and if the fish has ICH for a while and is not doing well, most likely it wont make it out of hypo salinity, although if ICH isjust breaking out, then there is a better chance.


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## aquanutt (Aug 27, 2010)

Big Ray said:


> that is True.
> 
> just like Cold virus is around, and those of us who take vitamins dont catch it all the time
> 
> ...


too bad on the seahorses. I was planning to keep one in my tank. I guess seahorses are very sensitive to ich...?

cheers


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