quarrentine tank setup

luigi

I have purchased a 2ft x 12inch x 12inch to be used as a quarrentine / hosptial tank. What equiquipment would I need to set it up?

Bob

Hi Luigi,

You need all the equipment necessary to maintain water conditions equal to your main tank. Use the filter to maintain water flow but when putting fish into your Q tank use some media from the filter in your maintank to ensure that your are not going to expose your sick "Q" fish to the stresses of a cycle.

Replace the media you have taken from you main filter with new media. This will mean that at the end of the Q period you are not putting the old media back in your main tank thereby increasing the possibility of cross/renewed contamination/disease outbreak.

I use small box filters driven by an airpump in my Q tank rather than internal or canister filters.

Regards,

Bob

Doug

What he said

luigi

Thanks for the info

Mooo

I applaud you for being prepared, starting a Q tank is a wise move =D> ..You'll find it comes in very handy at times..

luigi

Is it best to have a Q tank running all the time or just setting it up when required?

Luigi

Mooo

All the time ;;)

luigi

The tank I will be using for a Q tank is 2ft x 30cm x 30cm. I have a hang on filter running on one of my tanks. Would this filter be suffient? It is for tanks up to 200 litres and does 800 lph.

Luigi

Mooo

That and an air driven sponge for back up would be ok..

Bob

Hi Luigi,

Proposed size is good I think, you will have about 60 ltr in there.

Personally I would only set up a Q tank on an as needs basis. Your bio-filtration capacity is going to die off if you don't have a source of ammonia in the tank while it is running. You also don't know if the water conditions are the same or different from your main tank.

My process would be to syphon the 60 ltr required for the tank into it, put some of the media from you current filter into the Q filter system and set it running. Set the thermostat on the Q tank heater slightly above, about 1 degree, the main tank temp once all the water is in.

Make sure you replace the removed media with new media rather than returning Q media to your main.

Regards,

Bob

Mooo

Mines always ready..works better for me..a few plants Endlers and a coupla shrimp keep mine going ..IN saying that, I haven't had to use it for a sickness for a few years, I have used it for overnight holding if a buyer is coming. or it's always ready, could be a fry tank at any time..has many uses..

luigi

Hi Mooo

I haven't setup my Q tank yet. So would you recommend that I set the tank up and put shrimp for example so it will be ready to be used as a Q tank or maybe breeding tank if I wanted to start breeding fish?

Mooo

Being a new tank...It will need to cycle...No shrimp for a coupla months after it has cycled.....They are sensitive to NitAtes..
But basically, Yes..keep a few fish in it at first..a guppy or three..I keep mine running with some endlers ..

luigi

What substrate would be good for shrimps? I know of only one which is Fluval shrimp substrate. Not sure if it is good or not.

Do you have any suggestions?

Luigi

Errol Wilson

Any of the new shrimp sands seem to be ok

Mooo

Sand can be troublesome, as it can, if you don't release it, hold bubbles of toxic gasses
there are substrates for shrimp I have a clay type of one, very small balls of a clay type of material the shrimpies been in this same tank for oh 4 years I guess..or more..
The three below would be my choice ..
seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlouriteRed.html

aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=4776&catID=100

http://www.adaaust.com.au/products/products-decorative_sand.htm

luigi

Thanks Moo.

I like the first and second.

luigi

Would 9kg of CaribSea Instant Aquarium - Tahitian Moon be enough or 7kg Seachem Flourite be enough for a 2ft x 30cm x 30cm tank?

luigi

I am thinking of getting some red cherry shrimp or crystal red shrimp. Would they stand out with the Seachem Flourite Red or CaribSea Instant Aquarium - Tahitian Moon?

Errol Wilson

Mr Aqua, aquarium soil from Japan especially for shrimp in a dark colour.

luigi

Hi Errol,

Is there a website I can go on and have a look at this aquarium soil.

Mooo

My choice..Tahitian Moon ...Once your tank has cycled tho, Don't add shrimp till it has, then those shrimp would be fine on any substrate, I think it is a personal choice really, I like black and clay & in very a small size..Don't think the shrimp care either way

Brengun

Crystal shrimp dont like temperatures over 26C. You may need aircon or a chiller in summer for those.

luigi

Hi Mooo

Tahitan Moon is my favourite out of the 3 substrates.

luigi

Hi Bengum

Where I live in Victoria the weather doesn't get that hot and also the house has aircon.

Errol Wilson

Hey Bren, I have had mine at 25 because its been cold here, but should I now knock it back to ??? would 15--19 be to low. :-?

luigi

My wife has a turtle tank which has 10 rosy barb which were feederfish for the turtles. The turtles never ate them. Now the barbs are larger and there is now ways the turtle will eat them. I was thinking of putting them in my Q tank. The tank is 2ft x 30cm x 30cm. Would this size tank be suffient for the barbs?

Mooo

They will most probably do ok. but it could be a little small for them..If they are skitish..they may need a longer tank. how big is the tank they presently inhabit...?

luigi

The tank is a 3ft x 35cm x 50cm. It houses 2 x Macleay 10 month old turtles, 1 marble Bristlenose and the 10 rosy barbs.

When my wife bought the barbs (feeder fish) they were about 1 cm in length, now they are about 3cm in length.

Next year my wife will be purchasing a 6ft x 2 x 2 tank for the turtles.

Mooo

Hmmm, I think they would go better in your wife's new tank after it has cycled..Your Q tank will be too small..Go with a few Endlers or guppy's ..

luigi

Are endlers similar to guppies?

Doug

yeah, they are cousin species

they can interbreed and as such should not be kept together. Pure bred endlers can be hard to find but well worth the hunt IMO

Bob

Hi Luigi,

There are a number of wild type and "hybrid" strains which are very attractive.

The original Endlers livebearers were from Venezeula and found in brackish water. The original habitat is now fresh water and development has probably resulted in the extinction of the species from the origianl site. See the following link;

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/poecilia-wingei/

Regards,

Bob

luigi

Livefish sells endlers. How would you know if they are pure bred or hybrid?

Luig

luigi

Hi Bob

I looked at the website. How many endlers could I put in an 2ft x 30 x 30 tank?

Luigi

Mooo

If you got all males. you could have 10 or more...if going both sexes, I'd go 2 males and 5 females..You can't have more males than females, cos they are root rats..they will exhaust the females..you need more females than males..15 would be the limit in a 2 foot , bearing in mind, root rats, You will have babies everywhere in no time..every 26 days a female can deliver..:D
Where do you live? I could post you some at a reasonable price..:D

luigi

Hi Mooo

Won't they eat their fry?

How can you tell endler are pure bred or hybrid?

Also, livefish sells endlers, but currently out of stock. Would you know any other online place that might sell them?

Mooo

They will eat fry, sposedly they emit a chemical that reduces their instinct for the chase
Mine will actively hunt them down.. With enough plant coverage..most do survive tho... B-)
No don't know any where else..Only know home breeders & Livefish....

Bob

Hi Luigi,

Not sure on numbers but probably more than for P. Reticulata (guppy) which according to the site prefer less brackish water with some flow.

The site mentions that a 40 ltr tank would be capable of supporting a signficant colony of P. Wingei (Endlers) so probably around 10 male/20 female mix would be okay. I would imagine that you would need to be continually removing fry/young.

Regards,

Bob

luigi

I have emailed livefish. They will find out when the endlers will be back in stock.

Errol Wilson

Luigi, you should PM Moo, she has execelent stock, she is a great breeder. of fish, and great value as breeders will allways be cheeper than LFS.

Mooo

Thanks Errol....Luigi might wanna wait & see what Livefish have to say ;;)

luigi

Hi Mooo

Are you stock pure bred?

Luigi

luigi

Also, before I get some I would need to set up tank and get it cycled? I have 10 kg of river sand left from setting up my Orandas tank. Would the sand be suffient for endlers?

Mooo

They have only ever been in my tanks with their siblings and peps or bn's....I bred them all, & their parents are long gone...sold to lfs ,
;;)
The normal type..



& I have the Leopard variety..


The last ones sent off to Graham Ellis I think it was
;;)

luigi

Hi Mooo

They are beautiful. The leopard ones are stunning.

Mooo

I have about 10 leopards atm..
There are also ones with very little black if any,
called Blondes..on the left in pic

Note
The females get as big as a guppy but are coulourless..

luigi

How much are the leopards? Are they a mix of males and females?

luigi

Also how much are the blondes?

Mooo

Females $5 & they are colourless..
Males are $4.00 each,
Postage is $18..

luigi

Are the above prices for the leopards. As you mentioned you have 10 leopards. What ratio of them are males or females?