Hospital tank set up?

1077

I know next to nothing about saltwater set ups and apologize for not noticing that this was originally posted in saltwater section. But I think sump is most commonly used. Perhaps you could sell the canisters to help offset the cost of sump.

jesterns2

yea i hope so lol or else what was the point of going used to save some $$$$.. hey thanks bud

Pasfur

I have a million comments about this thread. I think the concept of maturing a tank has not been explained properly. There is a difference in a mature quarantine tank and a mature display tank, so lets be more detailed to not confuse anybody.

I'm on my way out the door and don't have time to respond properly. More on this tonight.

1077

Pasfur, Sorry for any confusion. I shall attempt to clarify but first,, I would like to once again apologize for answering or attempting to answer a query that I thought was in regards to quarantine tank for freshwater and use of sponge for filtration in same when in fact ,oroginal poster was referring to saltwater for which I am ignorant of.
I shall confine my discussion as it pertains to freshwater quarantine and my definition of mature tank .
I do not like to use the word cycle for it suggests that there is some point that the nitrification process is finished when in fact it is a never ending process that continues for as long as the tank is up and running with fish in it. It is my belief that a tank matures and it is constantly evolving along with the bacteria therein to adjust to the particular bio-load and thus the word maturing as opposed to cycling. Some may have other ideas as to what a mature tank is but again,, a tank is maturing from the moment that water is added to it and fish are placed in it and does not stop maturing until it is tore down or drained. Opinions vary but these are mine.

1077

I attemted to add to the previous post but was unable to do so before time alloted had expired . It occurs to me that the sponge filterIdescribed was perhaps totally different than what original poster had in mind.As stated, I use two Hydro V sponges on 80 gal tank for filtration.They are stand alone pieces of equipment that are not sponges such are found in some canister filters or hang on the back filters. They are powered by air pump or powerhead. I also use Emperor 400 with no media for circulation. In my mind ,, A mature or established aquarium is a aquarium capable of supporting the bio-load contained therein without fluctuations in ammonia,nitrites, and nitrAtes.Again,, some may view it differently But in my mind there is no point at which an aquarium ceases to evolve and thus, I make no distinction between a mature tank or a maturing tank. Some have just been undergoing this evolution for longer periods of time.I apolgize if I have confused anyone for that was not my intent.

Pasfur

Actually 1077, I love your idea. I recommend that saltwater aquariums use a small air driven sponge filter to maintain water quality in a quarantine tank. In fact, I just posted this same response in another thread.

It is important to understand that we can only use a sponge filter in the quarantine tank because the Nitrate buildup will be short term and not a detriment. After the quarantine period is over a very large water change can reduce the Nitrate if necessary.

You can also seed the sponge filter as described above. Just place it inside your display tank for a few weeks and allow bacteria to migrate onto the sponge. This is best accomplished early on when the tank is still breaking in.

It is important to remember that the display tank is not "mature" when the ammonia and nitrite are zero. It is "mature" when Nitrate begins to fall near zero, your diatoms bloom has passed, copepods and amphipods are multiplying, and coraline algae growth is visible in many areas.

jwalker314

so basically this is all that should be needed to setup a QT for saltwater?

Airdriven sponge filter that was seeded in main tank
saltwater
hang on back filter (with no filter medium? strickly for flow)
some sort of light im assuming

what about a substrate or rock? not necessary? if so, would gravel be sufficient?

tank size? would a 10 gallon be sufficient?
does this need to be running all the time, or can it be left empty then filled with water from the main tank and fired up?

thanks for the replies, didn't mean to threadjack but figured it would be better than starting another one on the same topic.