Keeping empty tank healthy?

BcBerri

Luv my Timber
Aug 19, 2005
67
0
0
Nashville Area, USA
I will be moving my guys over to their new, bigger tank in about 2 weeks. What I would like to to is keep their current 5gal. as a quar. tank. However it will be empty once I move my fish out of it. How can I keep it healthy and running if it is empty? I know this is probably a dumb question. But any advice would be great. :) I will be gettingmore fish soon and would like to use this small tank for the transition into the new tank for the new fish. Does this make sense? Is it even needed? Am I making this to complicated?

AmyS

Current:
5gal acrylic
Whisper internal filter
25w heater
2 BlackSkirt Tetras
1 Zebra Danio
1 Algea Eater

Moving to:
20gal
AquaClear 50 power filter
2 50w heaters
 
just throwing a few flakes in the tank once a week will keep the bacteria going...
 
Or, get 2 sets of media for it. Keep one somewhere within the filter of the 55, and be able to pull out the filter, add water, and have an instantly cycled quarantine tank. Replace the removed media with the stored one, and then be able to sterilize the media when you tear down the quarantine. Then, you don't have to keep it up and running, won't be tempted to stock in between, etc.
 
OrionGirl said:
Or, get 2 sets of media for it. Keep one somewhere within the filter of the 55, and be able to pull out the filter, add water, and have an instantly cycled quarantine tank. Replace the removed media with the stored one, and then be able to sterilize the media when you tear down the quarantine. Then, you don't have to keep it up and running, won't be tempted to stock in between, etc.
Hehe...thats a good point.....MUST...FIGHT URGE..TO FILL....EVERY TANK!!! :sim:
 
I have a 10 g running with no fish, basically to experiment with my water parameters while i'm waiting for my bigger tank to arrive and to use as a future quarantine tank. I feed it ammonia everyday, enough to give me 2ppm.

But I'm going away for a week and I don't want all my pet bacteria to die, so I guess I'll try the flake food treatment, while I'm gone. (doing the ammonia was nice and precise, though!)
 
Thanks guys! I think I will do the flakes about once a week and see how that goes. Like I said I would like to be able to use this as a staging tank of sorts for the new fish I will be getting. And no worries about wanting to stock the 5gal. again. It's too small. I've got the bug. I want bigger! :)
 
Heres the link to the QT article from the article section. I personally think it is much easier to only put the tank up when you need it. If you QT new fish before you add them to your main tank you shouldn't really have many problems where you have to QT a fish for an illness

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46875
 
Thanks Holly! That was a great link. I am totally setting up a QT tank now. I think my 5 gal. will be perfect. You guys are such a big help. :dance:
 
AquariaCentral.com