Setting up an attractive QT tank

[bnicholson]

Hello,

So I've recently set up a 120G, I bought it used and it was running/established although pretty much empty. I've had planted freshwaters for a while and I research things pretty extensive so I know what I was getting into.

I've had it about 2 months and I've recently had an ich outbreak, so I took all of my fish out of the display tank and moved them into a 29g that I had sitting around, dropped the salinity and let the main tank go fallow.

Now my question is, I learned my lession and I want to set up a qt tank but I'm rather short on space. My 29g is a very nice looking tank with a black stand and everything but my wife seems to think that I shouldn't have more than 2 tanks going and I'm pretty fond of my 55g planted tank.

Would I be able to set up a qt tank so it looks good? Like a macro-algae tank or such?

I'd like it to look nice rather than having a crappy 10g kicking around.

Thanks,
Bob

[frgrasso]

i use a 40g QT tank , the tank is bare bottom and a few pieces of liverock
nothing fancy ,but it works

[thegrun]

My QT morphed into a mini-reef tank! The problem (at least for me) with a nice looking QT tank is the danger of it becoming just another tank.

[SaltieG]

If you have the room, just do what I did and put the QT in one of the stands of your main tanks. I have a 10g QT under my 55g freshwater and all you have to do is shut the door and then no more unsightly tank.

[davelin315]

The answer depends on what you use QT for. I use QT for acclimation only and because of this, it's actually hooked up to my main system (I have a series of Rubbermaid stock tanks as sumps) and has a sand bed, live rock, and nothing else. It's also kept in the dark pretty much with only indirect spillover light from my display. I don't medicate in QT and only use this for getting fish used to my tank water and chemistry and getting them to eat what I offer in peace. You used your QT for treating so if you had to use it for treatment again, you would lose all of your macros. Again, the question then becomes what is the purpose of QT for you? If you don't intend to medicate the fish that you put in there and are only observing them, then I say go for it and make them happy. If you're going to be proactive and treat for things even if you don't see them then don't add anything other than a sponge filter from your main system that's got enough bacteria to filter the water and then toss it when you're done. For me, my "treatment" consists of lots of food offerings, consistent water quality, and a natural, albeit dark, environment which allows the fish to recover from whatever it has gone through before I got it. I also have ich in my system and possibly other things, but healthy diet trumps a lot of those things.