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BretCreager
03/29/2013, 07:30 PM
I know that the QT is supposed to be simple. Also I read in the setting up a new tank sticky that sk8er wrote he mentions a few times to not cycle the qt tank. I have since read many others that do have a cycled QT. anyway since I have been following sk8er's instruction I am going with non-cycled QT

he says to use filter floss. so my plan is to make two walls in the tank on either side of a 10 gallon, about a 1 inch gap from either end, one with be my return and one my "drain". the drain side will have a layer of filter floss held up with egg grate with a pump under it to flow it back to the return side. this will fuction something like a wet dry sump design. the wall on the return side is there just to keep from having a jet of water pumping into the tank and keep the flow of water uniform (the walls acting like baffles in at sump). I know this wont filter out all of the fish poo and i will have to clean that out manually (would it make since to put a snail or two in there with him to help keep things clean?)

my other idea would be to have some egg grate on the return side just to keep the fish safe from the return line.

so if everyone likes my construction idea on to my next question. should I just use a pump like a maxijet1200? or should I use one of my fluvall style pumps to move the water around. and if I use the fluvall should I use any of the media that they come with. the carbon or the... sorry I never actually used them but the white media things they come with? I could also put the filter floss into there and keep it out of the tank witch would mean that i could just build a protective cover around the suction and the return to keep the fish safe and that would also help keep the bottom clean a little bit.

ok i know this was long winded but im tired and usually thats when my ideas come spilling out of my head.

I think I am leaning on the fluvall with filterfloss and/or/without media (give me some input on this one) and a protective covering over the return/suction lines

thanks!

jamesbaur13
03/29/2013, 10:11 PM
Here's what ya do...

Maxijet powerhead
Heater
Thermometer (or 2)
and tank... I like 20g longs.

I cover my tank with eggcrate and I use a home depot clip on lamp.

HumbleFish
03/29/2013, 10:31 PM
Here's what ya do...

Maxijet powerhead
Heater
Thermometer (or 2)
and tank... I like 20g longs.

I cover my tank with eggcrate and I use a home depot clip on lamp.

+1 A QT should be kept simple. That way when Typhoid Mary wipes out everything in QT; you can take it all outside, bleach it, start over.

I do like using seeded sponges (with Aquaclear powerfilters) in my QT. I've never had any ammonia worries doing it that way. Oh, and I have a couple of PVC fittings for hiding places.

Mrscribbled
03/29/2013, 10:39 PM
A qt does not have to be cycled but does require established nitrafying bacteria.


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jamesbaur13
03/29/2013, 11:03 PM
A qt does not have to be cycled but does require established nitrafying bacteria.

cycled = nitrifying bacteria.

You were correct in the first part of your statement... it doesn't need to be cycled. So long as you can keep ammonia tolerable, you can keep a fish.

For the most part (unless you feed very heavy, or if something died) you can easily keep a fish for 3 days in an uncycled tank for 3 days.

bnumair
03/30/2013, 07:15 AM
check out the sticky Guide to set a QT. it has lots of information.

BretCreager
03/30/2013, 08:06 AM
thanks that was a great read, I am def. more inclined for a temp set up because of space issues. I will be using a canister filter and i will put filter floss in that along with some of the ceramic pieces. if I have 4 compartments, how many of each should I fill with which?

Should I put a sponge in my fuge for a few days and add that in my QT tank to help with the bio load?

I have another thread with lots of confliction about if I am cycled or not, so I am going to add a piece of shrip to my DT and get the ammonia to jump up again and see how long it takes to settle back to zero. Right now i have zero ammonia, zero nitrites, alk 8.5, ph 8.2, nitrates are between 5 and 10.

bnumair
03/30/2013, 08:20 AM
yah i read ur other thread on cycle, u can add a shrimp or ghost feed the tank for few days and see if ammonia shows up. anyways back to QT.
there isnt any order to which u can keep media in there. sponge soaked in main tank for a week or two will help seeding bacteria. more media more places for bacteria to reside in.

BretCreager
04/16/2013, 10:15 AM
so I am ready to get my qt up and running, I'm going with a temporary set up using a canister filter with filter floss, carbon, and some ceramic ball things that I have been seeding in my sump for about a month. Should I use fresh sadly water to get it started or take the water out of the dt and then out freak back in there to replace, I know a lot of people user the wc water to keep it going just not sure what do about the first fill of water.

Also any tips of the first fish to get, we will be looking for 2 to 3 small somethings, trying to abbots damsels except we will probably end up with a few clowns so my niece can have a nemo in there

wooden_reefer
04/16/2013, 01:25 PM
Having cycled QT medium is an absolute must.

It is not only the fact of having it that matters, it is also knowing the ease of having it, that is the ease of cycling as a mindset, that matter just as much.

In combating an existing ich outbreak in DT, it will be very much greater calamity if there is no cycled medium to support all the fish during the long treatment in QT and also fallow period, worse is NOT having the mindset to act at once to cycle to take care of all the fish.

You can do TTM to eradicate ich, but the cons are numerous. The greatest con is that TTM without cycling will not help ease the calamity of an ich outbreak in DT, if it happens despite the procedure. I say this not as a judgement on the effectiveness of TTM, but just in general if any eradication method fails, not having cycled medium to support all the fish in QT will make ich a much greater calamity.

If you can support all the fish in QT without ammonia in QT, if ich broke out in DT, it will just be a few hours or a half day of work for most aquarists, except for very large systems. One can then repeat the process of eradication.

If one really prefers TTM, one can always cycle separately as contingency planning.

BretCreager
04/16/2013, 02:19 PM
Ok I think that is great advice however in my current situation doesn't apply, I am looking to add my first fish or two, it could be months before adding another. When I build my larger system (135 dt) a, lot if extra room and equipment will be available for a full time qt and easy fill hospital tank, in the mean time my qt is set up on a computer desk shielded off from the other pets so it isn't in my best interest in keeping the qt always running, just need to know if I am better using tank water or fresh mixed water in the qt

Dozer1one
04/16/2013, 04:21 PM
I do the same thing. Run as needed 15 gal qt, Fill it w tank water consider it a small water change LOL

Dozer1one
04/16/2013, 04:30 PM
Always keep something in your sump by the way like, filter media or a couple crappy bio balls for QT

wooden_reefer
04/16/2013, 06:56 PM
Ok I think that is great advice however in my current situation doesn't apply, I am looking to add my first fish or two, it could be months before adding another. When I build my larger system (135 dt) a, lot if extra room and equipment will be available for a full time qt and easy fill hospital tank, in the mean time my qt is set up on a computer desk shielded off from the other pets so it isn't in my best interest in keeping the qt always running, just need to know if I am better using tank water or fresh mixed water in the qt

Active bacteria can be very easily maintained without elaborate setup.