Hi all,

My new 20 gallon long is just starting to cycle, so while I'm letting it do its thing, I figured I should start setting up a quarantine tank. I probably won't use it for the first batch of fish that I put in my DT, but I want one for the fish that will come after.
I bought a 10 gallon for this express purpose. I feel like I understand most of the details-- generally no gravel, plastic plants, easy-to-clean hiding places, filter, heater, light.
What I'm wondering is how to cycle it. I've read that by putting the QT filter in the DT, you can colonize the QT's filter media and "instantly cycle" the QT when you need it. That seems too easy. If it really is that simple, could I put the filter media in the back of the DT's filter and just let it chill there?

I'm thinking that I probably won't leave the QT up and running all the time, just when I need it.

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!

I would set up a quarantine tank just like your display tank because you want the water to be identical and I would recommend keeping it up and running so you can use it as a hospital tank for emergencies. Yea it will be easier to clean without gravel but the gravel acts as a biological bacteria sponge and holds all the important nitrite eating bacteria which will reduce the stress of the fish by keeping the water low of ammonia and nitrites.

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36 Gallon Saltwater reef tank
Ocellaris Clown, Scooter Dragonet, sandsifter star, Decorator crab, emerald crab, coralline snails, blue leg hermit crab, and horseshoe crab.
Zooad's and shrooms
40 pounds of Live sand, 20 pounds of LR

I really don't like the idea of keeping it constantly running. I don't want to do constant water changes for a tank without fish, not to mention the energy costs of maintaining correct water temperature, filtration, etc. Besides, how would I keep it cycled when I'm not using it?

Most quarantine tanks do not use any sort of substrate at all.

This guy went through how he set his quarantine tank up, maybe not exactly how, but it is a good start.

Setting Up A Quarantine/Hospital Tank

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I don't use my quarentine tank all the time, but when I don't, I run the filter in my dt to keep the bacteria alive. Then when I need to use the qt, I can just pop in the filter and I'm good to go...

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20 gallon long:Amazon Swords, Ruffle Swords, Red Flame Swords, Fanwort, Wisteria,8 Lemon tetras,
6 otos, 11 Amano shrimp, 3 mystery snails, 3 Bolivian Rams, 3 black skirt tetra and 2-3 lemon tetra fry
10 gallon: 30 lemon tetra fry, give or take...1 gallon Anubias, Fish: 1 betta

So it is possible to not keep it running constantly. Good.
I don't really have room for another filter on my DT as I went a size up, so could I just stick the QT filter media in the back of my DT's filter?

Question........after the QT filter has been exposed to illness, does it not spread to the main tank when you put the QT filter onto the main tank again? Or, do you change the filter media and clean the filter, then put it back on the main tank, therefore cycling new media for next time?

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

I've heard of QT's that use an air-driven large sponge filter and heater. No light, no substrate, no nuthin. Just lotsa water changes and bottom suctioning. The reason you wouldn't need to cycle these QT's is because you're staying on top of your water changes, similar to a fish-in cycle of your main tank.

I did the same as you are proposing - I added 3 fish to my main tank and began quarantining the rest. Problem with this method, though, is that one of the three I put in my main tank had a case of cottonmouth, and I didn't realize until it had wiped out half my tank.

So yeah, just a word of warning...

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

I get what you're saying, Gizmo, but I don't really want to put my fish through a cycle every time I need to quarantine them. Is there a better way?

You could just set up a 10G tank with a good filter and standard gravel and some fake plants and keep it cycled. I find full setups like that on my classifieds for $20 or less

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Holly-I wondered that too... I guess if the fish did not show signs of illness and eventually went into to DT then the filter media could too. For a hospital tank I don't know if I would chance it if I had had sick fish in there. I guess in that circumstance I would tear down and bleach, then just start over. That's just my thinking...

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10 g planted community, 10 gallon danio/RCS tank, 10 g ghost shrimp grow out tank, 10 g blue pearl shrimp tank, 75 g in the works.

To keep the tank cycled, you can just feed the tank some flake food from time to time. That doesn't solve the problem of energy usage, but if you use a sponge filter driven by an air pump, no heater, no light, energy consumption would be low. Of course, some people just don't want that extra tank running and I can understand that. In that case, as long as your fish showed no signs of disease while in QT, I don't see why your idea of sticking the filter media in the DT filter wouldn't work.

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10 g planted community, 10 gallon danio/RCS tank, 10 g ghost shrimp grow out tank, 10 g blue pearl shrimp tank, 75 g in the works.