How to correctly maintain a hospital/quarantine tank

[jodilynn]

Hi all,

Any suggestions as to how to keep an extra aquarium running for fish I need to quarantine or medicate? Obviously the tank will not always have occupants.

If the tank sits empty for a long time, then the beneficial bacteria will break down, and I am looking at a dangerous situation should I add fish to it (ammonia spike, nitrites, etc., basically new tank syndrome). This will cause extra harm/stress to either new fish who could already be stressed from shipping or cause an ill fish to become even worse.

Any suggestions as to how others maintain these tanks (or any other tank that would be empty for extended periods of time) would be much appreciated.

Peace,

jlw

[Jools]

Two methods I've used over the years.

1) I use internal filters quite a bit and several tanks have two internals. I set-up the Q tank with an already running filter and water from an existing tank. I still use this method from time to time with big arrivals but I use a large cooler or plastic tub in the middle of the floor these days rather than a tank.

2) I have a tank with a load of guppies in it. When I need a Q tank, I move out the guppies. Once the fish is out of quarantine, I do a 100% water change and then re-introduce the guppies.

Jools

[Narwhal72]

I do similar to Jools. I take a sponge filter from one of my running tanks and put it into the QT tank.

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I always have a spare sponge filter running in the tanks, when I need a quarantine tank I can take one of these.

For the Q tank I use my "spare wood" tank. When I have spare Java fern, Anubias, Bolbitis and/or "Java" moss, I staple, or superglue them, to bits of wood (I collect any small dead bits of Oak, Alder etc that I find) and put them in this tank. I don't have any permanent planted plants, but I have a thin sand layer, and I add some Amazon Frogbit etc. when fish are present. Any receptacle that holds a reasonable volume of water will do, it doesn't have to be a glass tank, but it makes fish viewing more straight forward.

I add the new fish to the tank, and then I feed them mainly live food and ignore them. If I haven't seen them for a couple of days I can lift the wood out (carefully into a bucket if I have fish that are likely to hide in the wood). If I need to treat the fish I do it in the tank. After ~6 weeks I add them to the permanent tank.

Once the fish are out of the Q tank, I just strip off the Amazon Frogbit, take out sponge filter and usually the heater and leave it. I don't make any attempt to sterilize the tank etc. and it just goes back to being my "spare wood" tank until I need it again. Sometimes the tank has a light (in the winter), in the summer it gets ambient light.

Cheers Darrel