QT and water changes?

[an411]

Got a 10 gallon tank fro a QT and I was wondering what the recommendation for water changes are?

[Shooter7]

Often, QT's aren't fully cycled tanks unless someone has theirs up and running full time for awhile. Mine stays dry until I need it. I use a sponge kept in one of my display tanks in a HOB filter on my QT to help with biofiltration, but it is often not enough, so water changes are very important, IMO and IME. I keep a lot of water on hand while running my QT so that water changes can be done quickly when needed. I monitor the water parameters in the QT often so that things don't get out of control, and in something as small as a 10g, bad things can happen very quickly.

[an411]

do you test water parameters daily

[Shooter7]

I would test ammo daily on a tank that small. I also would not have more than one medium size fish, or perhaps two small fish in there at any one time. Would also keep a pretty good eye on pH.

[SaltyBoG Water]

Good advice i'm glad i opened this post!

[jdieck]

Usually for water changes in the Q tank I make large changes (~30%) using water from the main tank when there is time to make a change on the main.

[Shooter7]

Agreed....but if you end up doing hypo to treat for ich, then that makes things even more interesting. :cool:

[an411]

Yeah got 2 tiny clowns in there now and I will test ammonia and ph daily from now on.

Now with the water changes you are saying to use the water that I am taking out of my main tank and add it to my QT?

Isn't the reason for changing the water in the main tank is to remove trace elements wouldnt that be bad to add to the QT?

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10675127#post10675127 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by an411
Yeah got 2 tiny clowns in there now and I will test ammonia and ph daily from now on.

Now with the water changes you are saying to use the water that I am taking out of my main tank and add it to my QT?

Isn't the reason for changing the water in the main tank is to remove trace elements wouldnt that be bad to add to the QT?
Yes, use water from the main if you do regular weekly changes. Main tank water is usually better filtered and parameters maintained than a Q tank and use of well seasoned water in a Q tank IMO does well (Been doings it for months) On the other hand if you are having trouble with detritus, parameters or high nutrients in the main tank, do not use it.

[Shooter7]

I'll tell you what usually ends up being the case for me. Almost every fish I have gotten from a LFS or via online store has had ich, so I end up having to do hypo on them. So, I set up the tank with whatever salinity I run my main tank at, acclimate the fish, then add to the QT....observe. As I said, almost every one has had ich, so I begin the hyposalinity treatement process of lowering the salinity slowly over time. I monitor the ammo and pH during the whole time, but while lowering salinity, I'm doing considerable changes of water anyway. When it comes time to raise the salinity back up, that's when I start incorporating water from my display so that the fish can start getting used to chemistry of the water in the tank he's going to be moved to eventually. I have a 29g I use for QT. I like the larger volume for more water stability and room for slightly bigger fish in the QT.

[an411]

Shooter7 I had one question so hyposalinity is when you start off with a lower salinity and then raise it over time? I understand the rest of the last message.

[Shooter7]

I don't start off with a lower salinity, although I've known some folks who say it's ok to do. I prefer to start out at a regular salinity that I would keep the fish at normally, then I lower it over time, hold it there for the prescribed time, then slowly raise it back up. More specifics can be found on the hypo treatment in the stickies of the fish disease treatment forum here on RC.

[an411]

Alright I will look into that cause I have heard the term and never knew exactly what people were talking about.

[Shooter7]

Here, I'll help you a out a little...but there are several stickies over there that are very good to read to understand what you're dealing with.

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/trevor-jones/hyposalinity.html

[an411]

Thanks Shooter7

[wooden_reefer]

The QT definitely should be cycled. It is called planing ahead to save back breaking chores.

Have you summed up the costs in labor and material in frequently water change? Having to change nearly new water just because it has 0.5 ppm ammonia is something that should fill an aquarist with disgust.

Having a well-cycled QT is the absolute key to success. How else, realistically, does one routinely rid ich in a QT for five to six weeks? Without cycled medium in a QT, the temptation to cut short a QT procedure is often irresistable for the newbies, whose belief and faith in QT is not as strong.

For a newbie, best is to have a throroughly cycled QT all the time. Feed it periodically with fish food decay after long idle. Once a month should do.

Only the experienced should attempt to cheat a little. I don't have a QT set up all the time. I have a sack of well-cycled medium all the time. The QT can then be set up quickly. I place the sack of medium in the sump where water flows fast. With a large system this will work. When you need it you can simply feed the show tank livestock a bit less.

The filter medium in a QT should also be removable, but more and more it is irrelevant. On rare occasions, an antibiotic that will wipe out the nitrification bacteria has to be used. Chloro is one such drug but it is less and less available. Kanamycin and neomycin do not wipe out nitrification bacteria. Copper and hypo do not have much impact on nitrification.

[Shooter7]

I've been using an uncycled QT since I began in this hobby and have lost only one solitary, sickly royal gramma that I got from an online store. I nursed several back to excellent health and I still have them today. I managed as a newbie because I researched what I needed to do and I did it. I had great success in introducing healthy, happy, well fed fish into my display. I neither broke my back nor felt any "disgust" for having to change a few gallons of water. As usual, there's more than one way to skin a cat in this hobby. Certainly, a cycled tank can be used, but so can an uncycled one. It's up to the newbie to put forth the patience to work it right. I did it....others can too.

[wooden_reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10675709#post10675709 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shooter7
I've been using an uncycled QT since I began in this hobby and have lost only one solitary, sickly royal gramma that I got from an online store. I nursed several back to excellent health and I still have them today. I managed as a newbie because I researched what I needed to do and I did it. I had great success in introducing healthy, happy, well fed fish into my display. I neither broke my back nor felt any "disgust" for having to change a few gallons of water. As usual, there's more than one way to skin a cat in this hobby. Certainly, a cycled tank can be used, but so can an uncycled one. It's up to the newbie to put forth the patience to work it right. I did it....others can too.

How frequently would you change water for a 4 inch Queen angel fish in a 20 gal QT tank without nitrification? How high an ammonia level do you think a Queen angel can tolerate and for high long? Is tolerating any detectable level of ammonia for long periods good for it?

How many days do you QT it for?

What is the cost in salt alone in the QT procedure?

What are the costs of frequent water tests?