The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Quarantine-discussion thread

i never get this thing with fishless cycling straight... i didnt add dechlorinator to the water because i thought that it would remove the ammonia in the water and then the bacteria wouldnt survive. Now, people are telling me that i should have added it to the water and that now my bacteria might have died because i DID NOT add the dechlorinator!!

i feel sick.... :(
 
You can dilute it with a 30% de-chlorinated water change and that should bring the levels to where you want them.
 
Okay, I clarified what I intended to after the initial round of questions. I hated to get too into QT of plants so much as I actually do use prophylactic treatments on mine and even without getting into that the article is fairly long, and I think that would carry it into a new direction that I honestly want to avoid. If someone wants to write an article on prophylaxis in aquaria, that would rock and be a good read, though I imagine a controversial one at that. I don't feel knowledgable (or brave) enough for that topic yet. ;) I also left the general topic of cycling alone, as I figure that is a different topic as well. I suggested how to keep QT media cycled and feel that is sufficient for a QT article.

So, any other suggestions, critiques or money-saving tips for QT that I might incorporate into the article?
 
I have few questions on how to set up a qt tank? Let's say I have a 10gallon qt tank. I got to my lfs and see a fish I like and buy it bring it home. Then set up my qt tank, do I just take the water out of my main tank and put it in there with some gravel a heater stick a powerfilter on there with a sponge media from my main tank? Or do I have to cycle it like I did with the main tank?

Ravi
 
There are different schools of thought on this one. Personally, I keep my Q-tank cycled with the addition of ammonia when there are no inhabitants. If I do have a problem w/ disease from a fish that i quarantine and a i need to break the tank down, I have enough colonized media on-hand that I can just add it to the tank after setting it up again to avoid toxin spikes.

I recommend setting up the Q-tank like any other tank w/ decorations and hiding spots as well as a substrate to make the fish feel at home in the 4-6 weeks that it will be spending there. I don't need to exacerbate the move by having a stressful Q-tank.

Definately have the tank setup and ready to go before you get the fish.


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What about using plants that are from your main tank. Would they have bacteria on them? I have some fast growing plants that I have to toss some about once a month, if I have lights on the qt can I use a few strands to float in the qt tank?
 
Yep--just treat the plants as disposable if you need to use the quarantine tank for treating a sick fish--those plants should not be transferred back into the main tank, since they may carry disease spores (like ich), or traces of medication that you don't want introduced to the main tank.
 
I do dispose of some about once a month and I am trying to find some slower growing alternatives, but I would keep some of it around for a qt tank if it would work.
 
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