QT... keep up and running all the time, or only when needed?

[cr500_af]

Is it normal practice to only set up a QT when new livestock is about to come home, or do you leave them up and running all the time?

My first thought was to do the latter... and just fill it with water from the main tank on the spot if a fish needs to go into isolation.

Am I looking at it wrong?

 

[soarin']

There are people who do set them up "on demand" -- the recommendation is to have an aquaclear 20 running on the main tank that you can quickly transfer to the quarantine tank to have a "cycled" quarantine tank -- I think some people just leave the aquaclear filter bag in the sump so that they can run the quarantine tank on a moment's notice.

I have a 10g quarantine tank that I have set up pretty much all the time, but it's hidden in the cabinet under my 32g. I think it's kind of cool to have set up as a kind of remote refugium - I am thinking of trying to culture rotifers / phyto / macro algae in there (not in serious concentrations, just for fun)

 

[xyzpdq0121]

I use to have mine set up all the time for when people needed help or I was going o bring fish home. I was QTing so many fish for people that I really did not have time to take it down. Now I just set it up when I need it. I used to keep a pad in the tank, like suggested. But I took it out because I was QTing so little.

 

[cr500_af]

I think I'll keep a bag or sponge from my Aquaclear "seasoned" in the main tank and fill it with my existing water when I need it. Once I get my sump put together that'll make it more convenient. Cycled water, throw the sponge in the filter and turn it on with the heater, and I should be able to put a fish in it immediately. I plan on putting nothing in the tank but a couple of PVC "caves" and a small PH.

Sound good?

 

[dakota9]

dawgdude;314309 wrote: Nope, many people have them set up all the time. I have a 58g QT tank that is just rock and a fish or two that I dont want in the main tank for one reason or another.

Yeah, Charlie......... That's actually called, "A second tank".

 

[texhorns98]

dawgdude;314563 wrote: No no, if I counted QT tanks as "A second tank" I would have "A fifth tank" which is just excessive.

Classic...

 

[dakota9]

dawgdude;314563 wrote: No no, if I counted QT tanks as "A second tank" I would have "A fifth tank" which is just excessive.

LOL, this should be the quote of the day!

Someone should make it a sticky......

 

[linda lee]

I had a 29g that I kept for this purpose and if you're planning a fish-buying spree that spans a period of time (say, for several weeks while you're stocking a new tank), it's a good idea. But now that we're into the *occasional* fish purchase, I took it down to cut the maintenance.

I'm hoping that by not having a Q/T ready to dump a fish into, I can avoid those impulse purchases. (Yeah, right.)