Sponge Filter/Quarantine Tank Question

[blank]

in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants attached
to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge filter
i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main tank
and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that keep
the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?

[Buzzard Face]

"blank" > wrote in message
...
> in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
attached
> to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
filter
> i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main tank
> and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that keep
> the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
>
>

Put some fish food in the tank once in a while. It will feed the bacteria .

Buzz

[Toni]

"blank" > wrote in message
...
> in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
attached
> to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
filter
> i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main tank
> and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that keep
> the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?




Yes- it would.

But you have to make doubly, absolutely sure that you don't transfer any
pathogens from the q-tank *back* into your display tank.
I usually clean and dry the plastic parts and replace the sponge with a
spare that has been cleaned and thoroughly dried. Of course that destroys
the biobugs you are trying to culture, but them's the breaks. If it will be
a while (four weeks or more) before you need it again, you will have
established a new crop of biobugs and everything works out great. I do this
when I am completely breaking down a quarantine tank.

But if you think you will be needing an established sponge filter sooner
than that I would just do as Buzzard Face suggested and feed your quarantine
tank a pinch of fish food every couple of days to keep the filter going.


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/discus.htm

[blank]

"Toni" > wrote in message
t...
>
> "blank" > wrote in message
> ...
> > in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
> attached
> > to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
> filter
> > i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> > will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main
tank
> > and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that
keep
> > the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
>
>
>
>
> Yes- it would.
>
> But you have to make doubly, absolutely sure that you don't transfer any
> pathogens from the q-tank *back* into your display tank.
> I usually clean and dry the plastic parts and replace the sponge with a
> spare that has been cleaned and thoroughly dried. Of course that destroys
> the biobugs you are trying to culture, but them's the breaks. If it will
be
> a while (four weeks or more) before you need it again, you will have
> established a new crop of biobugs and everything works out great. I do
this
> when I am completely breaking down a quarantine tank.
>
> But if you think you will be needing an established sponge filter sooner
> than that I would just do as Buzzard Face suggested and feed your
quarantine
> tank a pinch of fish food every couple of days to keep the filter going.
>
>
> --
> Toni
> http://www.cearbhaill.com/discus.htm
>
OK, having looked at the pictures it is obvious that you know much more
about fish and plants than I am ever likely to, so I better follow your
advice. Thanks.

[Toni]

"blank" > wrote in message
...
> >
> OK, having looked at the pictures it is obvious that you know much more
> about fish and plants than I am ever likely to, so I better follow your
> advice. Thanks.
>


Trust.... but verify.
Double check everything!!

There are a million different ways to do things, and my way may not be
yours.

But thanks.
<g>


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/discus.htm

[Brian S.]

Good idea.

I also wouldn't advise putting the sponge in your main tank because it can
host parasites or other bacterias that may infect your fish in the main
tank.

Brian S.

"Buzzard Face" > wrote in message
news:OdObd.7005$bk1.305@fed1read05...
>
> "blank" > wrote in message
> ...
> > in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
> attached
> > to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
> filter
> > i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> > will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main
tank
> > and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that
keep
> > the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
> >
> >
>
> Put some fish food in the tank once in a while. It will feed the bacteria
..
>
> Buzz
>
>

[Brian S.]

also had a thought about that...

Maybe take just a teaspon off ammonia and put in the tank.. that will also
last a while.

Brian S.

"Toni" > wrote in message
t...
>
> "blank" > wrote in message
> ...
> > in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
> attached
> > to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
> filter
> > i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> > will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main
tank
> > and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that
keep
> > the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
>
>
>
>
> Yes- it would.
>
> But you have to make doubly, absolutely sure that you don't transfer any
> pathogens from the q-tank *back* into your display tank.
> I usually clean and dry the plastic parts and replace the sponge with a
> spare that has been cleaned and thoroughly dried. Of course that destroys
> the biobugs you are trying to culture, but them's the breaks. If it will
be
> a while (four weeks or more) before you need it again, you will have
> established a new crop of biobugs and everything works out great. I do
this
> when I am completely breaking down a quarantine tank.
>
> But if you think you will be needing an established sponge filter sooner
> than that I would just do as Buzzard Face suggested and feed your
quarantine
> tank a pinch of fish food every couple of days to keep the filter going.
>
>
> --
> Toni
> http://www.cearbhaill.com/discus.htm
>
>

[Rick]

"blank" > wrote in message
...
> in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
attached
> to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
filter
> i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
> will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main tank
> and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that keep
> the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
>
>

problem with a lot of quarantine tanks is that they turn into Hospital
tanks when a newly purchased fish starts to exhibit some sign of disease
whether it is parasitic or some type of fungus/bacteria. A hospital tank
should not have live plants or driftwood in it as both of these can hold
parasites and other diseases. So if you quarantine fish and it turns into a
Hospital tank then you need to do something with those plants and driftwood
just like you would the filter.

Rick

[Batik]

How do you clean the driftwood?

"Rick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "blank" > wrote in message
> ...
>> in my quarantine tank (a bare tank with just a couple token plants
> attached
>> to a bit of driftwood and no gravel) i run a simple air-driven sponge
> filter
>> i suppose if there are no fish in the qt tank the sponge filter bacteria
>> will die so, what if i just put the sponge in a corner of my main
>> tank
>> and let it sit there until i have need for the qt tank will that
>> keep
>> the bacteria alive and ready to go when i set up the qt tank again?
>>
>>
>
> problem with a lot of quarantine tanks is that they turn into Hospital
> tanks when a newly purchased fish starts to exhibit some sign of disease
> whether it is parasitic or some type of fungus/bacteria. A hospital tank
> should not have live plants or driftwood in it as both of these can hold
> parasites and other diseases. So if you quarantine fish and it turns into
> a
> Hospital tank then you need to do something with those plants and
> driftwood
> just like you would the filter.
>
> Rick
>
>

[Rick]

"Batik" > wrote in message
...
> How do you clean the driftwood?
>
if it has been in a Hospital tank then it should either be boiled or
alternately you can bleach it and then rise thoroughly. Bleaching does make
the wood lose color so if it is not too big I would opt for the boiling
method, about 5 minutes in a good boil.

Rick

[Dick]

On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 10:22:25 -0500, "Rick" >
wrote:

>
>"Batik" > wrote in message
...
>> How do you clean the driftwood?
>>
>if it has been in a Hospital tank then it should either be boiled or
>alternately you can bleach it and then rise thoroughly. Bleaching does make
>the wood lose color so if it is not too big I would opt for the boiling
>method, about 5 minutes in a good boil.
>
>Rick
>
I don't doubt your advice, better safe than sorry. However, as a
practical matter, fish are pretty hardy and can resist a lot of stuff.

My 10 gallon switches functions from "hospital", "quarantine" and
community tank as needed. I don't have gravel, but do keep the tank
planted using lead weights to keep the plants down and upright.

I keep a few fish in it at all times to keep it cycled. When I see a
fish not doing well in a community tank I move it to the Q tank for
observation. If the fish does not recover within days, I move a few
of the fish back to community tanks and start treatment. When the
treatment is over, I usually keep the "sick" fish in the Q tank. I
had two fish in the Q tank for over 6 months. One had a growth behind
its eye and the other had a swim bladder problem and swam vertically
all the time. One day I need the tank to treat a fish. I decided the
two fish were doing well and moved them to community tanks where they
both thrived for another 6 months before each dying.

I think what we are really doing, most of the time, is just releaving
stressful conditions of the community tank and giving a weak fish
time to let its natural systems fight whatever the problem.

I claim no expertise, just my personal experience.


dick

[Mr Happy]

Good thinking Batman - most people forget this one

I cheat and keep the quanratine running by using the old tank
water from water changes asa food source for the bacteria - U
don't need the fish you need their waste!!

If you want to run the sponge in the main tank, use a new sponge
each time - I mild bleach the rest then soak it in clean water
then soak in tank water - fit a new sponge and start again -
careful not to take patogens from the quanratine tank back in to
the dispolay tanks and, some of my fish won't tolerate some
medications so has to very clean kit when it is going in to the
main tank (for God sake make sure you get all the bleach of the
filter body - do not bleach/reuse the sponge)

OK

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