Setting Up Quarantine Tank Questions

Good morning. I recently purchased a 10 gallon tank to use for temporarily quarantining new fish before adding them to my main tank. I put a sponge filter in my main tank a week ago to start seeding. I plan to get new fish probably the first weekend of April. My questions are: when do I set up the quarantine tank and move the sponge over? Also, will that automatically cycle the quarantine tank so that it doesn't harm the new fish when I put them in?

 

Really depends on the bioload of the tank that you are using to seed the new filter and how long the current tank has been running for. If it is a fairly new tank that is stocked lightly, you might need to run the sponge for longer. If it’s heavily stocked and well established then that would be better.

I personally like to seed new filters for around 4 weeks regardless just to make absolutely sure it is cycled. No harm in testing parameters afterwards either to make sure all is in order.

The sponge filter can be moved across to the QT when you add the fish. If it is seeded properly, then it should cycle the QT but again, that depends on the point about bioload mentioned above.

 

Don't wait too long between adding the sponge filter and putting the fish in. The bacteria can die rapidly if they don't have any ammonia to consume. If you do it a few days before your fish will all be fine. If you are still concerned, you can add bottled bacteria to help the cycle.

 

My main tank has been running almost 9 weeks...finished fishless cycle at 6weeks. This Sunday will make 2 weeks since I put in my first fish and a week since I put the sponge filter in to seed.

If I go the first weekend of April to get my new fish, that will have the sponge seeding almost 3 weeks before going into the quarantine tank.

What I considered doing was putting 5 gallons of my main tank water and 5 gallons of fresh water into the 10 gallon quarantine tank when I set it up along with the sponge filter. I also have some filter material from my HOB filter that I can maybe attach to the sponge filter when I move it.

I'm planning to get rainbowfish, so I want to be as sure as possible that it will be cycled enough not to stress or harm them.

 

My main tank has been running almost 9 weeks...finished fishless cycle at 6weeks. This Sunday will make 2 weeks since I put in my first fish and a week since I put the sponge filter in to seed.

If I go the first weekend of April to get my new fish, that will have the sponge seeding almost 3 weeks before going into the quarantine tank.

What I considered doing was putting 5 gallons of my main tank water and 5 gallons of fresh water into the 10 gallon quarantine tank when I set it up along with the sponge filter. I also have some filter material from my HOB filter that I can maybe attach to the sponge filter when I move it.

I'm planning to get rainbowfish, so I want to be as sure as possible that it will be cycled enough not to stress or harm them.

Adding the water from your main tank to the QT won’t do much unfortunately as nitrifying bacteria isn’t free-floating in the water column. It lives on hard surfaces such as the substrate, glass, filter media etc.

I’d also be careful of removing any cycled media from your existing filter - you don’t want to end up creating a mini-cycle on your main tank in order to get the QT cycled considering how newly cycled it is.

 

Adding the water from your main tank to the QT won’t do much unfortunately as nitrifying bacteria isn’t free-floating in the water column. It lives on hard surfaces such as the substrate, glass, filter media etc.

I’d also be careful of removing any cycled media from your existing filter - you don’t want to end up creating a mini-cycle on your main tank in order to get the QT cycled considering how newly cycled it is.

The cycled media I'm talking about is the floss that I cut off of one of my filters when I changed it from a cartridge to a sponge a month ago. I just thought that since the sponge has now been in a month, I can take the old piece of floss that I put in with it and attach it to the sponge to put in the QT tank.

 

It’s different for everyone, so its hard to say. From my personal experience, I only seeded my filter in my main tank for 10 days. The tank only had 2 low bioload fish as well. I used the seeded filter in a 10 gal QT for 6 danios. Had only one death (which unfortunately was the fish the employee dropped on the ground when I bought them), no ammonia spikes, no nitrite spikes, and about 5 nitrate showed up in the first two days of having them. I also set it up the day before getting them.

I would wait a few more weeks to be cautious if I were you. Like carson said, it really depends on what fish you’re getting and the bioload of your main tank.

 

I'm not sure what the bioload would be. The main tank is a 55 gallon that has been running 8 weeks but cycled for only 2 weeks, and I put 10 cherry barbs and a snail in a week ago.

The first weekend in April would be 3 weeks of seeding the sponge filter for the QT.

 

IMHO I think you’d be okay to set up the QT now. What fish are you planning on getting?

 

IMHO I think you’d be okay to set up the QT now. What fish are you planning on getting?

I am thinking Cory's and Rainbowfish. I'm not sure which to get first.

 

I am thinking Cory's and Rainbowfish. I'm not sure which to get first.

I would get the corrys first and let them settle in before getting bigger fish. Get a small group of them at first so you dont overload your filter. I would do maybe 6 or so, QT them and then buy another group and QT them if you so wish and wanted to have a bigger shoal.

 

I would get the corrys first and let them settle in before getting bigger fish. Get a small group of them at first so you dont overload your filter. I would do maybe 6 or so, QT them and then buy another group and QT them if you so wish and wanted to have a bigger shoal.

Yeah I had wondered if it would be best to do it that way....get the biggest fish last. That way the smaller fish would settle and grow some first. Thanks for the advice!