I have a hood cover on the tank.I break down this tank & clean after the Qt process is done after all the fish have gone through the process. How do you keep your QT cycled with no fish in it and if a fish gets sick during QT process what do you do? You say you keep it constantly running. I keep a filter sponge in my 36 gallon for my QT so when am ready it cycles quickly no need to keep it running constantly only when I need to. Thanks on the ID corydora melanistis is correct
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The tank pictured is just the QT for new arrivals, not the hospital for sick fish, just so that is clear. If the new fish do come down with something, I treat them in this QT (I don't move them). Rarely (luckily) has this occurred, in fact I have only ever seen ich once or twice to date, but I leave the new fish in this tank for no less than 3 weeks, sometimes 5-6, depending upon what species as some can be more difficult feeding, etc. The plants are just "extras" from my main tanks which are all fairly heavily planted. If I need to discard them, it is no loss. But with the plants, the tank remains "active" even with no fish; I have had it run for a year without fish, at other times it might be a week or two between new fish.
This is just the easiest method for me, as I have a fish room so I have the space for this 20g to run permanently. And I am convinced that it does make a big difference putting new acquisitions into a tank that is "established" and has some sort of cover--and by cover I mean decor (wood, rock, plants) that the fish can use to hide under/behind/among and ease their stress.
Byron.