Main tank and quarantine/hospital setup discussion

[powerin]

Hey guys / girls

I'm wrapping up my aquarium stand and once that's done, I'll be upgrading to a bigger tank.

The stand has enough space for my 15-gallon tank to fit underneath, so I've got options for the future.

For those with a main tank and a separate hospital/quarantine tank, I've got a question - how do you keep the beneficial bacteria going in the quarantine tank when it's empty?

Looking for some suggestions on this, any ideas?

Thanks.

[belleora]

I've found a simple way to keep beneficial bacteria thriving in my quarantine tank. I run a spare sponge filter as a secondary filter on one of my main tanks, so it's always cycled and ready to go. This sponge filter doubles as oxygenation, and I can easily sterilize it with bleach if disease breaks out in the QT. I only set up the quarantine tank when needed, and I rely on moving fast-growing stem plants like hornwort or elodea to handle fish waste. These plants do most of the heavy lifting, and they're easy to transfer back and forth between tanks.

[sSjey]

I personally set up my quarantine tank as needed, and to be honest, I've found that buying a bunch of inexpensive plants like elodea or anacharis at the same time as the fish works well for me. I just let them float - it's a simple approach. I did try using mature media from another tank once, but even after testing it with ammonia, I didn't see any drop in ammonia levels for about three weeks, and then nitrites showed up, so essentially I still had to do a fishless cycle. If you keep your spare tank planted and take care of the plants, I think that would be enough to maintain a healthy quarantine tank.

[TwinTankman]

You can maintain a cycled tank long-term by periodically adding ammonia, around 2 ppm every couple of days. Regular water changes, ideally every other week, are also essential to remove nitrates and replenish the necessary nutrients for the bacteria.

Personally, I avoid cycling a hospital tank, as many medications can harm the filter. Additionally, if I misdiagnose an issue and lose a fish, there's a risk of residual pathogens, requiring thorough sterilization of any reusable equipment. Instead, I perform daily or every-other-day water changes and replace removed medications.

A quarantine tank can be cycled, but it's crucial to be aware that if the fish show problems, the cycle may not be sustainable. In such cases, the quarantine tank effectively becomes a hospital tank.

I use fake plants and decorations that can be bleached after use in a hospital tank. Providing hiding places can help reduce stress in many fish. While I may have live plants in a quarantine tank, I'm mindful that they may need to be discarded under certain circumstances.

[boomer]

I've always found that running the QT as a regular tank, minus the fish, works best for me. This way, I avoid any potential cycling issues. I used to have a 20g tank, but now I've got a 10g setup with a sponge filter, heater, and light - it's been running smoothly with some floating plants. Having an established tank makes a huge difference when introducing new fish - it significantly reduces stress, allowing them to adjust much faster.

[elenalife]

I've always found that running the QT as a regular tank, minus the fish, works best for me. This way, I avoid any potential cycling issues. I used to have a 20g tank, but now I've got a 10g setup with a sponge filter, heater, and light - it's been running smoothly with some floating plants. Having an established tank makes a huge difference when introducing new fish - it significantly reduces stress, allowing them to adjust much faster.

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding - keeping the QT permanently running as a normal aquarium, how does that eliminate cycling issues? I'd have thought it would still need regular ammonia to stay cycled. I'm really struggling to wrap my head around QT tanks, but I'm eager to set one up.

[sSjey]

If you keep your QT running with live plants, especially floating ones, it doesn't need to be cycled. The plants will take care of any ammonia produced, so long as there's enough of them. In my case, I only set up the QT when I need it and get some cheap plants like elodea or anacharis at the same time as the fish. I also move some floating plants over from my main tank. I've never had any issues with ammonia or nitrite doing it this way.

That being said, I did try using mature media from my main tank once and it didn't work out as planned. I ended up having to do a 7-week fishless cycle because, as it turned out, the plants in my main tank kept the bacteria levels really low.

[boomer]

@sSjey pretty much nailed it. I had the luxury of a fish room, so space wasn't an issue with a constantly running 20g tank. I kept it well-planted with cuttings from other tanks and a variety of floating plants. There were times when the tank would run for over a year without any new fish being added. I noticed that the plants, especially the floaters, would really perk up when fish were introduced, thanks to the slight increase in ammonia. However, this never caused any issues. I used a comprehensive liquid fertilizer during the periods without fish, and the tank also had snails that contributed to decomposition, albeit at a minimal level.