Quarantine tank for discus

the people make good points. the less fish you QT every time, the less chance they will all get sick, and fewer healthy fish are exposed to medications in case one of them is sick.

plus, think about it - the cost of getting a 20 or 30g tank is not much compared to losing the discus because the tank is too small. and it's not like you won't use it later. a larger QT tank is not just important initially for multiple new fish, but later on you can use it for a breeding tank or as a hospital tank when they are larger. even if a 10g were suitable for 8 little babies, it is absolutely useless if you have a couple 4+ inchers with feeding trouble, bacterial infections, or torn fins.
 
In my 110 I have cardinal tetras, about 60, 3 clown loaches and 3 bristlenose plecos. The sponge is still in the established tank. I'm not taking it out until I get the discus. I bought the 10 gallon for a QT and I really don't want to get another one. What if I got 4 discus first, then got another 4 after the QT period was over?
 
What size are the ones you are getting? The split plan would be better I feel in the long run. Just size your second purchase appropriately.
 
I'm not sure what size........probably 3-4" each. So after I put the sponge in, while I'm waiting for the fish, do I put food in the water? That'll break down and feed the bacteria, right?
 
i think much more research needs to be done before the discus are bought. from what i know, an understanding of how cycling works is sort of, i dunno, essential to keeping these fish alive and healthy. not only do you have to know how the cycling process works, you need to know why it can fail, how it can harm the fish if it fails, and how to tell if it is working or not.

More. Research.
 
I understand the cycling process..............I have 2 tanks, but I usually get small amounts of fish to build up the bacteria. I've never had a QT tank before so I'm trying to get some information. And I'm pretty sure I know how ESSENTIAL it is, but thanks.
 
Diann62 said:
I bought a 10 gallon tank for quarantining my discus. I will be getting about 8 so I hope the small size doesn't stress them out. I put the white spongey filter in my established tank's filter to get the good bacteria on it. That will be about a month before I get my discus. I'll then take some fake plants from the established tank to help with the good bacteria. My question is........how do I know that the tank is cycled? It's not like I'll be adding them one at a time and checking the levels........I'm going to get them all at once. I'm also very nervous that they're not going to like such a small tank. I have a heavily planted 110 gallon tall tank that they're going into and I'm so tempted to just put them in. Although I learned my lesson when I recently got ich, which is why I bought a QT tank. This is my first time using it, and I wish it was on cheaper fish. These are very pricey discus and I'm so afraid of doing something wrong.
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Diann62 said:
I understand the cycling process..............I have 2 tanks, but I usually get small amounts of fish to build up the bacteria. I've never had a QT tank before so I'm trying to get some information. And I'm pretty sure I know how ESSENTIAL it is, but thanks.
Click to expand...

if you have to ask how you know it's cycled, then you don't understand it. you know it is cycled by testing the water. even adding them all at once you need to be checking the levels daily, if not twice daily.

fish food will break down, but it takes time which the bacteria may not want to wait for. plus, you can't measure it and say that 3 flakes equals the bioload of one discus, so i'll just add 24 flakes every day. this is why it would be best to actually do a complete fishless cycle - not only can you test it and be sure that the tank is cycled before you begin, you can also be sure that enough bacteria has been grown to handle the full load of the fish you put in there.
 
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