Quarantine

[Dargason]

I've moved all but one fish from my old 20g to my new 200g, and I intend to use the 20g as a quarantine tank for new arrivals. How should I "maintain" it? I'd like to keep maintanence on it to a minimum...

Do I have to keep at least one fish in it, or can I "shut the tank down" and just do a large water change from the 200g tank before I use it?

 

[Len]

Dargason,

I'd do the latter. It's not worth the hassle of keeping up a tank just for the occassional new specimen every few weeks/months.

 

[davelin315]

Ah, but the beauty of a quarantine tank if you're anything like me (not that I keep one, but I did years and years ago) is that it'll start to look lonely, and you'll see that one fish at the store that would look nice in there, and then you'll feel bad that it's not in your reef, and you'll start to frag things into it, upgrade the lights, and pretty soon, you'll have another reef tank. It's like propagating corals, if suitable environment is there, the corals are bound to mysteriously make their way into it.

 

[Marty M]

What kind of bio filter is in the 20? I keep bioballs active with an ammonia product. I add a few drops every couple days to maintain it. If I want to quarantine a fish soon, I'll spike it with a little more ammonia. It usually zeroes out in a day and your ready to go. If the nitrates get too high over time, just do a water change from your 200. I've tried the sponge filter or biowheel from the main tank before and always wind up with detectable ammonia and stressed fish. You will probably be adding quite a bit of livestock to your new 200 in the next few months, no? I would keep the 20 going. If you want to break it down each time, you could trade dry bioballs for active ones from a lfs tower when you bring home your new addition. It sounds like a hassle but it's nothing compared to repeatedly tearing your show tank apart for every other new fish you add that gets sick and infects the rest. My quarantine stays up until I am fully stocked. Then it may become a seahorse tank if all goes well for a period.

 

[Dargason]

Thanks...

The 20g has a biowheel/charcoal HOT and a skimmer. I guess I was hoping I could just turn everything off and leave it alone and it would be fine, but that's probably too easy.

I guess I'll leave it with the one fish. With only one fish the maintenance (water changes) can probably be reduced to a minimum, and as you pointed out I'll probably be adding lots of fish in the next several months anyway.

Speaking of quarantine, do you quarantine corals also?