quarantine tank question

[mark]

Amazing how fast ammonia can built up so test for, but easily handled by frequent water changes and again you don't need LR.

[fishytime]

IMO a 10g is way to small to quarantine much of anything.....and even a 20 is too small to quarantine tangs.....I briefly used a 33g as a q-tank and even that was too small for tangs...........the fish were extremely nervous and stressed and with nothing but a single piece of rock the fish never felt secure enough to start eating....I then stopped using a q-tank as I felt that the extra added stress of a) the size of the tank and lack of hiding places and b) having to chase/net/move the fish another time was not worth it.... JME

[ponokareefer]

You should look at a quarantine tank that is 25% of the size of your tank that the fish will end up in. A 10 gallon tank should be good enough for a main tank that is 40 gallons or smaller. I have a 29 gallon for my 125 gallon main tank. It is just under the 25% rule. Larger fish should be kept in larger tanks, so the size of the quarantine tank should go up with it. What is the size of your main tank? If you are putting in smaller fish to start with (least aggressive/smaller fish should be added first to a new setup), the 10 gallon should be fine.

[Baldy]

The main tank is a 75
gal. Unfortunately with everything that I have bought to switch my tank over to saltwater, a new tank that will be used intermittently just for quarantine purposes is not in the budget. I have an unused 10 gal with everything I need. As well, I don't have space for another setup. it is only going to be used for a couple of clowns.

This thread is getting off topic though. My original question was regarding whether I needed live rock to maintain the tank through the initial quarantine.

[ponokareefer]

A couple of clowns should be fine in a 10 gallon. Just make sure you do regular water changes, test for ammonia and don't overfeed. If there is food floating around after 5 minutes, you've overfed and cut back next time.

[VFX]

Originally Posted by TheNewGuy

My original question was regarding whether I needed live rock to maintain the tank through the initial quarantine.

No you don't need live rock as long as you follow the advice given regarding water changes, siphoning out uneaten food & fish waste and a few hiding places for the fish.

In fact you will kill or contaminate your live rock if you medicate your QT tank.

/

[ponokareefer]

I have a few smaller pieces of live rock in my quarantine that is there permanently. If I ever treat anything in quarantine, the rock would be removed and completed dried out for months to ensure whatever disease that was in the system dies on the rock as well. Otherwise the rock is no good for another system ever again.

As VFX pointed out though, it is not a necessity. I just had extra rock rubble that I used.

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by ponokareefer

I have a few smaller pieces of live rock in my quarantine that is there permanently. If I ever treat anything in quarantine, the rock would be removed and completed dried out for months to ensure whatever disease that was in the system dies on the rock as well. Otherwise the rock is no good for another system ever again.

Or if possible you can boil your live rock thereby killing it. Then stick it back in your system for a few months to make it "live" again.

[daniella3d]

Yes you do if you want to avoid ammonia. As you just said, it can raise really fast and without liverock, you would need to change water up to twice a day or more, depending on the size of the aquarium and the bioload. I never change the water in my QT...never have to. I just fill up the water evaporation and check the KH to make sure the PH is stable.

You don,t need liverock but without it you really risk losing your fish from ammonia poisoning. your choice.

Originally Posted by mark

Amazing how fast ammonia can built up so test for, but easily handled by frequent water changes and again you don't need LR.