How to setup a hospital / quarantine tank?

[gutted]

How do you setup one up properly? How do you keep it cycled if you found one of your fish to be sick all of a sudden? Would a sponge filter from your main tank carry enough beneficial bacteria to support your hospital tank?

Also how do you clean the tank, filter, heater or other stuff once you're done with it? Will letting it air dry kill all the parasites, bugs, etc?


Sent from my HTC Glacier using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[bbortko]

Yes on sponge filter. I use a 10 or 20g tank with an ac 20. I have an ac70 on another tank which has enough room for the sponge and biomax for the ac20. If I medicate I run some carbon in the filter after the fish is removed, usually for a few weeks until I get motivated to break it down. No medication, I simply wash everything with steamy hot water.

 

[seedubs1]

I just keep it running all the time with some tiger barbs. They keep the tank alive until I need it, and then I'll transfer the tiger barbs to a different tank if I need the tank as a hospital tank.

I either keep it bare bottom or with a small layer of sand. I use 2 big sponge filters and an aqueon 30 gallon hob in a 29 gallon tank.

Sometimes I use it for a grow out tank if I won't need it for the current stock I have in my main tanks.

 

[gutted]

What if I can't keep one up all the time? How would you go about setting one up?

Will air drying any equipment used in an infected tank kill all of the parasites, disease or etc?

Sent from my HTC Glacier using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[PDRed302]

I don't keep one set up all the time...

I keep a 20 tall around for emergency wound/infection treatment, actually quarantining a true parrot I recently bought in there now.

I'm not a huge fan of sponge filters so I keep an extra HOB around just for this tank, as well as an additional heater (note: these are for this tank only).

Simplying adding some established media to the hob, ie: extra sponges and bio-max from a currently running well established tank. Should, (depending on the amount of media and the size/load of the established tank) be enough to stabilize a small quarantine tank. Transfering the media as well as condtioning the new water should have you up and running in about an hour; I've done this a few times before, so it may take longer the first few times you do it. Make sure and test the water once it has been running and gotten to temp. to avoid the dreaded new tank syndrome.

As far as cleaning the equipment, I would suggest steaming hot water and plenty of dry time. You shouldn't be adding anything that you used in your quarantine tank back to your display tank except maybe for the biomax you've taken out of one of your main filters, again, hot water and plenty of dry time will be required before adding this back to your main tank.

As long as your able to keep some extra, cheap sponges as well an extra bag of biomax or something like it running in your main tank, you should always be ready to set up a quarantine tank.

Good luck

 

[krichardson]

Neither do I.I have a few smaller tanks on hand that I can quickly set up with a filter and heater if needed...When I do set one up I keep it bare and only add some kind of object for the fish to use for cover if needed.I don't worry much about bio and the nitro cycle since most treatment is completed before that becomes an issue..


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app

 

[Gill Blue]

I set up as needed. pull the extra sponge in the main filter I keep there for just such an emergency, extra powerhead and small heater stored under the tank, and do 50/50 tank/tap fill.
I only bleach it if the fish doesn't recover.