Can I keep the QT empty?

I've have a qt tank that contains only a few ferns in it and no fish. After a bad attack of itch I learnt the hard way the importance of keeping another small tank on the go. I dose with a small amount of plant food every couple of weeks and once a month I take out approx 10/15% of the water and refill with the water I have taken from the main tank.

The paremeters are spot on and haven't had any fish in it for over 8 months now. I recently bought 4 gold rams and they certainly were happy in there for a couple of weeks before going into the main tank.
 
typically you can keep a extra sponge available.
you can also run a hob running on the main tank.
after the qt you should clean / sterilize the hob/filter media..then set it up on the main tank to re-establish bacteria.

I use sponge filters (air driven type) I just float the sponges in the sump of my main tank.
 
Like chicken2, I plan to keep a planted tank that will double as a QT. Why not let your QT tank be a nice planted display tank? Keep a couple of hardy, low maintenance plants and you won't have to worry about maintaining the bacteria.
 
i bought a couple of white clouds that i can easily move into another tank, should i need my QT tank. This way, the QT tank gets cycled as well, and they can stay in it when it isn't needed.
 
I was told that unless you keep feeding the bacteria they will eventually dissappear as there is no food source for them. Is this correct... and if so should you not keep at least something alive in there to keep it cycled?
 
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