Who Leaves QT on 365 days a year?

tkeracer619 · 10/06/2006, 11:39 AM

Since I started in this hobby it seems that the common recommendation was to leave the filter floss in your display until you needed qt.

I did this the first time around but found it a pain to deal with. So I never took down my qt.

Since I have been doing this I have had great luck with my qt tank. It is as stable as my reef.

After every round I prep the system for its next group.

-Clean all power heads, rinse canister filter floss with fresh salt water and add carbon, 3 days of 50% water changes, another carbon change on day 4.

- 3 days before I add another group of fish I will do a large 50% water change and change the carbon for the 3rd time.

*If I only treat with hypo then I will only do one 50% change and add carbon once.

Who also leaves thier qt on all the time.

If you don't why? I am curious.

dc · 10/06/2006, 11:42 AM

LOL, well I had one up, but it looked lonely and I put fish in it!

jeffbrig · 10/06/2006, 12:33 PM

I ran my 55g QT for about 12 months continuously. Every few months, I would run a new batch of fish through. We did mainly hyposalinity treatments, but treated for a few other things. I finally tore down the tank after an anthia died from a nasty (presumed) fungal infection, despite our best efforts. If you ever get something nasty, you need a complete tear-down, bleach, dry, and refill. We'll probably set it back up soon and continue with the next batch of fish.

I have a separate QT that I use for corals, it's been running for ~10 months. It's smaller (10g), so it's easier to do 100% water changes and clean it out. We generally try to hold everything for 1 month to eliminate the risk of introducing ich with a frag mount from an infected tank. Overkill, perhaps, but we like to try. It also gives us the opportunity to look for flatworms, red bugs, etc. before the corals go into the display.

alkataz · 10/06/2006, 12:53 PM

I use to run my qt 24/7, but I took it down, because I wasn't introducing any new fish. I use a emperor power filter on the qt and that has been running in my display sump to keep it seeded. I'm going to be making some new additions to the tanks so I'm going to put it back up.

tkeracer619 · 10/06/2006, 01:34 PM

True I didn't think about a failed qt.

Did all the fish die or just one. Or was the one anthia the only fish.

jeffbrig · 10/06/2006, 03:29 PM

The anthia was the only fish in QT at that point. Everything else had made it into the display weeks before.

old salty · 10/06/2006, 09:11 PM

I tear it down and sanitize everything between fish. I do this to remove the algae and anything else that may be growing in the tank.

dr_d02 · 10/07/2006, 12:34 PM

I leave my QT up while I am stocking tanks. Everything I buy goes through QT for at least one month and I only make one purchase at a time so it takes over a year to stock a tank. I have not needed to break the QT down because I have not had any disease problems. Even if I did, I would probably just run w/o livestock for a couple of months.

I use live rock on my QT tank; it is basically a 29G FOWLR that only holds one specimen at a time (except when I am QTing coral). I use a different tank for a hospital tank.

10/06/2006, 11:39 AM	#1
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	Who Leaves QT on 365 days a year? Since I started in this hobby it seems that the common recommendation was to leave the filter floss in your display until you needed qt. I did this the first time around but found it a pain to deal with. So I never took down my qt. Since I have been doing this I have had great luck with my qt tank. It is as stable as my reef. After every round I prep the system for its next group. -Clean all power heads, rinse canister filter floss with fresh salt water and add carbon, 3 days of 50% water changes, another carbon change on day 4. - 3 days before I add another group of fish I will do a large 50% water change and change the carbon for the 3rd time. *If I only treat with hypo then I will only do one 50% change and add carbon once. Who also leaves thier qt on all the time. If you don't why? I am curious. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

10/06/2006, 11:42 AM	#2
dc Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Wyoming Posts: 44,684	LOL, well I had one up, but it looked lonely and I put fish in it! __________________ Debi ~60 Cube~ Why? Because I said so of course. -Sent via Tapatalk Smoke Signals-

10/06/2006, 12:33 PM	#3
jeffbrig Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 5,548	I ran my 55g QT for about 12 months continuously. Every few months, I would run a new batch of fish through. We did mainly hyposalinity treatments, but treated for a few other things. I finally tore down the tank after an anthia died from a nasty (presumed) fungal infection, despite our best efforts. If you ever get something nasty, you need a complete tear-down, bleach, dry, and refill. We'll probably set it back up soon and continue with the next batch of fish. I have a separate QT that I use for corals, it's been running for ~10 months. It's smaller (10g), so it's easier to do 100% water changes and clean it out. We generally try to hold everything for 1 month to eliminate the risk of introducing ich with a frag mount from an infected tank. Overkill, perhaps, but we like to try. It also gives us the opportunity to look for flatworms, red bugs, etc. before the corals go into the display. __________________ Beware the power of stupid people in large groups..... Current Tank Info: formerly 250g room divider

10/06/2006, 12:53 PM	#4
alkataz Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York Posts: 859	I use to run my qt 24/7, but I took it down, because I wasn't introducing any new fish. I use a emperor power filter on the qt and that has been running in my display sump to keep it seeded. I'm going to be making some new additions to the tanks so I'm going to put it back up. __________________ Hungry for knowledge, please feed!! 180 + 65 sump 2x25" CPR HOB fuge Euro CS12-1 Ozonizer Korallin C 1502 Delta Star 1/3 hp 2x250W 65K Iwaski, 400W 10K Ushio, 2x160W URI Super Actinic Current Tank Info: 2 Black & White Percs, Fire Goby, 2 Golden Neon Goby, 2 Red Head Goby, Clown Goby, Royal Gramma, 2 Blue Favivertex Pseudochromis, 3 Filamented Flasher Wrasse, 2 Green Mandarin, 2 Banded Possom Wrasse, 3 Blue Green Reef Chromis, Group of Mollies

10/06/2006, 01:34 PM	#5
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	True I didn't think about a failed qt. Did all the fish die or just one. Or was the one anthia the only fish. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

10/06/2006, 03:29 PM	#6
jeffbrig Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL Posts: 5,548	The anthia was the only fish in QT at that point. Everything else had made it into the display weeks before. __________________ Beware the power of stupid people in large groups..... Current Tank Info: formerly 250g room divider

10/06/2006, 09:11 PM	#7
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	I tear it down and sanitize everything between fish. I do this to remove the algae and anything else that may be growing in the tank. __________________ "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: Out of the marine aquarium hobby

10/07/2006, 12:34 PM	#8
dr_d02 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 37	I leave my QT up while I am stocking tanks. Everything I buy goes through QT for at least one month and I only make one purchase at a time so it takes over a year to stock a tank. I have not needed to break the QT down because I have not had any disease problems. Even if I did, I would probably just run w/o livestock for a couple of months. I use live rock on my QT tank; it is basically a 29G FOWLR that only holds one specimen at a time (except when I am QTing coral). I use a different tank for a hospital tank.