20g tank, QT tank plus what?

[celamb89]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a 20g tank sitting in my house and would like to set it up as a QT tank but I dont want it to be empty while nothing is in QT so I've been thinking what can I put in it?

Whatever is in it, needs to be able to take copper and meds in case QT fish is sick, so inverts and corals are out. But also I don't want trouble with territorial fish like some damsels or something that will fight the QT fish at the moment

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the inputs!

[mclarenf1lm_guy]

You could put in a couple of ocellaris clowns, maybe a Purple Firefish, or a Citrinis Clown Goby.

[celamb89]

You could put in a couple of ocellaris clowns, maybe a Purple Firefish, or a Citrinis Clown Goby.

I really like clownfish, Ive always had them, 2 months ago I added an LTA and the clown loves it so much it seems it cant live without it!
I know they're fine without nems I've always kept mine without a host until a couple of months ago as I said... So now I cant imagine keeping a clown without a host hehe :S

As for the the other options I would go for them but can I keep multiple firefish or goby fish in the same tank? If so how many for a 20g tank?

I wouldnt want just one fish in a 20g tank for most of the time since I tend to not add many fish to my tank and the QT will not see much action

[mclarenf1lm_guy]

If you have more than one goby of the same species (in a tank like that), they might become aggressive toward each other. The same with the firefish, unless they are a mated pair. Get 1" of fish per gallon, so you can have 20" of fish. For a 20 gallon i would have the following:
2 neon blue goby
Court jester goby
Green clown goby
and maybe 2 ocel clowns

[celamb89]

Sounds good! Ill give it a try when the tank is setup!

Thanks for the advice! :)

[mclarenf1lm_guy]

No problem. Just tell me how it goes when you set it up.

[Toddrtrex]

IMO, I would just keep it empty. If you every buy a new fish and put it in this tank and it has ick, you won't be able to use it as a QT unless it is fish less for 8 weeks.

[Wijic]

IMO, I would just keep it empty. If you every buy a new fish and put it in this tank and it has ick, you won't be able to use it as a QT unless it is fish less for 8 weeks.

+1. I also thought one of the reasons for QT, besides observing for disease, was to give a new fish a quiet, safe place to settle and adjust before being added to the hustle and bustle of a community tank. Putting them in a tank that's already inhabited negates that, not to mention that you're subjecting the 'resident' QT fish to illness every time you add a new fish.

I would advise against clowns in a QT. They can be territorial, and if a clownfish decides all 20 gallons of the QT are 'his', he'll bully the snot out of anybody you'd try to put in there.

[celamb89]

ok, ur right on the ick subject. I just dont see a 20g tank empty for most of the time :S... Will the ick still be a problem if the tank is always kept with somewhat level of copper, I mean not a full dose (I use cupramine) but some to keep the ick out and when adding a new QT fish boost the levels up?

Anyway yesterday a friend asked about buying the tank and I said I would sleep on it since I might use it as QT tank.

So just to get clear, The QT tank should be empty most of the time? Will this affect the nitrogen cycle? Or if I continue with water changes, should it be fine?

[stunreefer]

So just to get clear, The QT tank should be empty most of the time? Will this affect the nitrogen cycle? Or if I continue with water changes, should it be fine?
Yes.

I feed the tank tiny amounts of food every few days to keep the bacteria happy. Every couple/few water changes I'll do a 50-100% water change on my QT tank with water from my display.

[Wijic]

Pretty much the QT should just be a place for new fish to stay and be observed. Some people keep it up and running by 'feeding' the QT during its down time. Others keep some filter media in their sump or DT and break down their QT between uses. Then, when they want to get a new fish, they set up their QT a few days before, add the filter media and/or a couple pieces of DT/sump live rock (which is now full of useful bacteria) and don't need to cycle it. Once the fish finishes its QT period, the media is put back into the sump (provided there was no illness, otherwise it's tossed) and the QT is broken down again until next time.

[celamb89]

Ok sounds good! I guess ill see how much my friend will offer for the tank but Ill probably just use it as QT...

Thanks for the help