Cycling A Quarantine Tank Questions

[kbbartel93]

We have a 45 gallon community tank with guppies, mollies, dwarf gourami and cory cats. We also have a 5 gallon that we were originally planning on using as a quarantine tank until we found fry in our tank and then lost all but 1 female guppy and moved her there so she wouldn't be stressed to death by the 9 males. We found a little 1 gallon "betta tank" that I'm planning to clean up. Would that work as a hospital or quarantine tank? We don't plan on getting any more new fish, I just want to use it if someone gets sick or aggressive. If I can use it how would I cycle it?

 

[kbbartel93]

Adding, the fry are almost 3 weeks old so I'm waiting to sex them before adding to the big tank so we can avoid too many males vs female guppies. The female I moved is pregnant and ready to pop any day now.

 

[TexasDomer]

Yes, you can use it as a QT tank, though I'd recommend getting a larger tank for a QT - in the smaller tank, waste builds up faster.

To cycle it, you can either use a small bit of media from the larger tank and use it in the filter on the 1 gal, or you can just do daily 50-75% changes on the QT when it's in use.

Do you have a plan for all of the fry? It sounds like you'll be overstocked soon.

 

[kbbartel93]

Well out of the 4 from the deceased mama we're just waiting to see who's male and female. Males will go into the group, females will stay with the mama. Depending on how many survive of this mama's fry idk yet. We were thinking of taking them to the lfs (non chain store) to see if they'd take them in exchange for in store credit so if we need something for the tank we can use it towards that. We can't keep them, there just isn't enough room. But they're mutts and I don't purposely breed or anything. I had a credit from the mama that died so I used it to take this mama home because the tank conditions at petsmart make me cringe and I couldn't leave her and her unborn babies there.

 

[kbbartel93]

I'm pretty sure only 1 maybe 2 of the fry are male. But I'm not 100% yet

 

[TexasDomer]

Yeah, the 5 gal really isn't big enough for the female and her fry as a grow out. I'd personally just rehome all females, this mama included, and just keep males so you won't be overwhelmed with fry.

 

[kbbartel93]

Agreed. I gotta call and find out how old they want the fry to be before they'll take them and if they will. Otherwise my sister in law might take some, they have a 20 gallon with a ghost shrimp and 2 or 3 guppies.

 

[kbbartel93]

Anyway, cycling a new quarantine, I can just take some of the sponge from my tank and that'll cycle it?

 

[TexasDomer]

It should, just make sure you add fish at the same time that you move the sponge into the filter on the 1 gal.

 

[kbbartel93]

So I just looked at this 1 gallon set up, I was gonna start cleaning it. It doesn't appear to have a filter. It's pretty much like this. Ick if it'll work for what I wanna use it for

 

[TexasDomer]

Is this what you already have, or were you going to buy it?

If you already have this tank, you can get a cheap sponge filter for it.

 

[kbbartel93]

This is one we found and wanted to clean up as a hospital/quarantine. What would I need for this?

 

[TexasDomer]

Does it come with an air pump?

To run a sponge filter, you would need an air pump (small one is fine for this tiny tank), tubing (often comes with air pump), check valve (super cheap on Ebay), and a sponge filter (cheap on Ebay or Amazon).

 

[kbbartel93]

Awesome thank you! I don't think it does but we have a spare one if it doesn't.

 

[kbbartel93]

Ok, so if I wanna move just mama to the little one until the babies are old enough that the fish store will take them would I need a filter if I do more frequent water changes and cleanings? How would I cycle it without a filter? She wouldn't be in it for more than a month

 

[TexasDomer]

A month is a long time for her to be in the 1 gal. Why not go ahead and return her to the store now, before she gives birth? The 5 gal is too small for her permanently anyway, and she can't go back with all of the males either. Or return her after she gives birth, if you still wanted the experience of raising fry.

 

[Fashooga]

Instead of putting the fish in a 1 gallon whatever that is, just go Target or Walmart and get a big plastic bin and use that as a tank...it be much better than that whatyoumacallit...oo Candy!