[mustangdonley]

Alright hopefully this helps other people along with me because everywhere I read, I read something differnt and then my LFS says something different.
I have room for a 10gallon qt tank and the money to get it today, but there are many questions that have not been answered. This is what I have read and heard on how to set up a QT tank if something is wrong PLEASE say something. K Things I have heard or read.
Equipment
1. 10-20 Gallon Tank
2. Hang on Filter
3. little power head
4. Heater
5 PVC pipe for fish to hide in
Now this is what LFS said...
I should use some live rock also??But why put live rock in a tank that you are going to be medicating and possibly killing the rock?

My questions
1. Do I mix up a new batch of saltwater and let it cycle in the qt tank?
2. If i do mix up new saltwater how should I kick start cycle? dead shrimp?
3. Do I put a clean up crew in a qt tank?
4. Instead of cycling a new batch of saltwater should I just use the water out of my display tank when I do a water change. Cause I do 5 gallon water change every 2 weeks in my 55gallon. So I thought I could do a water change add that 5 gallons of water to the qt and mix another new batch of 5 gallon saltwater.

Well I hope someone can help me and others out here because Im lost I hear so many diffent things on how to build a cheap qt tank but no one answer. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

[glampka]

Lfs is trying to sell you rock. You are correct - depending on medication used you could kill the rock. May be saying rock as a place for fish to hide as well.
HOB filter is ok but another way to do it is to get an air driven filter. Stick it in your display tank for a few days & it'll populate with bacteria. You can use water from a water change to start the tank.
Simple strip light as well.

[mustangdonley]

So everything else I said is right then? So Do I keep this tank going all the time? If it is up all the time how does it stay clean with nothing in it besides water? One last question. If I do end up having to medicate in the qt tank what do I do after the fish is medicated? Do I have to completley start over again or will the medication be filtered out?

[glampka]

Medication will be filtered out over time if you're using carbon. If you medicate with copper containing medication, you'll only be able to use the tank as a QT. When returning the fish to the DT, be sure not to add any of the water from the QT to the DT. You can keep the tank going if there are no fish in it. It won't get dirty unless you have something in there.
No real need for a CUC. You won't have that much algae, etc since once you take the fish out you can leave the lights off. It'll be bare bottom so you can siphon off any dirt that may collect.

[mustangdonley]

Alright So I went out and got the 10gallon tank. A heater some pvc pipe and a hood. Talked to the LFS store again differnt person this time. She said I need to keep this qt tank up all the time??? And that I had to have live rock.. Your right I think they are trying to sell me live rock. So I have all the equipment for a QT except the air driven filter.
Will this work instead. I have to Hang on filters on my DT right now a Penguin 330 and another small one.. Could I just take the small one off the DT and throw it on the QT since the one on the DT has been going for about 2-3 weeks with the current filter? Also im going to be doing at water change out of my DT in about 2 days so I was going to take 5 gallons out of it and throw in my QT and add another 5 of fresh Saltwater and then throw on that small hang on filter. Do I have to wait before I go get a fish and observe or will the tank already be "Cycled" again PLEASE any comments are welcome I getting so confused right now on the whole QT thing.. Thanks so much

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by mustangdonley

Alright So I went out and got the 10gallon tank. A heater some pvc pipe and a hood. Talked to the LFS store again differnt person this time. She said I need to keep this qt tank up all the time??? And that I had to have live rock.. Your right I think they are trying to sell me live rock. So I have all the equipment for a QT except the air driven filter.
Will this work instead. I have to Hang on filters on my DT right now a Penguin 330 and another small one.. Could I just take the small one off the DT and throw it on the QT since the one on the DT has been going for about 2-3 weeks with the current filter? Also im going to be doing at water change out of my DT in about 2 days so I was going to take 5 gallons out of it and throw in my QT and add another 5 of fresh Saltwater and then throw on that small hang on filter. Do I have to wait before I go get a fish and observe or will the tank already be "Cycled" again PLEASE any comments are welcome I getting so confused right now on the whole QT thing.. Thanks so much

Your QT does not need to cycle. Water from your DT is fine. Go find a fish and make sure it looks good. MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GOOD! No signs of ich, popeye,fungus,good color and see it eat BEFORE you bring it home. Better yet buy it and leave it at the LFS for a week before picking it up. Sounds like a pain doesnt it. Deciding what fish to buy, purchasing and QT is a pain but its all part of the process and it too takes time. You might not see it now but its a big decision each time you put a fish in your tank.
Good luck and go pick out the best looking fish in the world!!!!!!!!!

[mustangdonley]

Can someone please answer just this one last question about my qt. Can I use a Hang On filter that has been on my DT instead of a sponge filter? Will the Hang On filter have enough benificial bacteria to keep my qt good? Again any comments are welcom

[pogodzib]

Yes, you can use that. The main thing is that you want to remove any filters with carbon media in it if you need to treat fish using chemicals since the carbon will pull the chemicals out of the water. If the fish in the q-tank are in their just to see if any diseases are going to pop up, you can and should leave the filter media installed.

[mustangdonley]

thanks brian that is what I was thinking i just keep hearing all this stuff about a sponge filter..But I dont have a sump so I really didnt want to go that route. So yeah I was just thinking as long as my Hang on Filter has been on my DT long enough it should have all the bateria it needs?

[rlcline76]

Hagen Biofoam Sponge Filter

My sponge filter is on the left. No sump necessary.