How do I set up a decontamination tank? How big should the tank be, what should be in it (like should I have plants and gravel and such to make the fish feel comfortable, or no?), what should the temp be, and what chemicals should I add to the water besides de-chlorinator?
Sort of yea, like for when i buy new fish, or if i notice a fish is getting ich or w/e i can yank it outta the main tank before it spreads, to make sure feeders arent sick, etc..
How do I set up a decontamination tank? How big should the tank be, what should be in it (like should I have plants and gravel and such to make the fish feel comfortable, or no?), what should the temp be, and what chemicals should I add to the water besides de-chlorinator?
how big of fish do you need to QT? what's the largest fish you have and whats the largest you might buy?
for small fish a 20 long would work well. run a sponge filter on your main tank to keep it alive with BB and move it to the QT tank as needed
always sterilize before moving it back to the main tank. it will take a couple weeks to colonize after doing that
for large fish a 40 breeder would prolly make a good QT
and finally for X-large fish a stock tank or large rubbermade bin, you can use HoB filters or a cannister with some of the media from your regular cannister or other HoB
Biggest fish i will be keeping is probably a BGK then a Senegal Bichir. I dont have them yet, just making sure i have everything first, to be sure nothing goes wrong.
I just use a small tank with a length 2x the length of the fish. Works great, the small amount of water means I don't have to dose as much medicine as I would if I did it in the main tank. The fish isn't gonna geet stunted as it is only temporary.
Just add a small filter, a heater to turn up the heat to the high end of the temp range your fish can survive in. Best go barebottom since its only temp. Observe for any sight of illness and dose the appropriate med.
if you have sick fish then put your fish in a comfortable empty tank with a clean filter, add dechlorinator like always, and add melafix to treat your fish. put a towel over the tank not to stress them out and cover it so they dont jump out.
