Question on a Treatment Tank

After my last experience with having the main tank affected with ich
and loosing most my fish, I learned the hard way the importance of
having a treatment tank. So I purchase a 10gal tank setup so I could
first introduce the fish in it for a couple of weeks before they go in
the main tank. I just have a few question on treatment tanks.

1.use copper when putting fish in it?

2.How often should the water be changed?

3. What type of filter? the one I have was recomended by the LFS-
intank air riser with prefilter pad.

4.How many days is it recomended to keep the fish in the tratment tank
for survalance? I had a blenny in it for 5 day and it has been eating
but iy died. I can only think I was over feeding but there was no
ammonia was 0.2
reading.

What is happening is my fish dont make it even in the treatment tank.
ammonia not high and I have been changing the water once a week. Temp
good no nitrate

"Rick" wrote in message
om...
After my last experience with having the main tank affected with ich
and loosing most my fish, I learned the hard way the importance of
having a treatment tank. So I purchase a 10gal tank setup so I could
first introduce the fish in it for a couple of weeks before they go in
the main tank. I just have a few question on treatment tanks.

1.use copper when putting fish in it?

Only if the fish is already sick with a parasite, in which case, you should
not have bought it.


2.How often should the water be changed?

As often as needed to keep the Ammonia & nitrite at zero. When I run my
q-tanks, I do a 20% water change every two days. However, the trick to water
changes with a q-tank is not to use freshly made sal****er. What I have
found works great is to drain 2 gallons out of the q-tank, then I drain 2
gallons from my main tank into the q-tank, and top off my main tank. This
way, the fish not only is protected from the tank(and vice versa), but it
also gets wholly used to the water FROM the tank. Then, when it's time for
the new fish to go into the main tank, I can just drop it in. Acclimation is
not needed, because I have used water from the main tank from the getgo
(including the initial fill-up of the q-tank).


3. What type of filter? the one I have was recomended by the LFS-
intank air riser with prefilter pad.

You need a really good filter for a q-tank. One that can take everything out
of the water. Carbon should also be constantly in the filter, and changed
every couple of days.


4.How many days is it recomended to keep the fish in the tratment tank
for survalance? I had a blenny in it for 5 day and it has been eating
but iy died. I can only think I was over feeding but there was no
ammonia was 0.2
reading.

2 to 4 weeks in the q-tank. Ammonia HAS to be at zero, do whatever it takes
to keep the ammonia at zero.


What is happening is my fish dont make it even in the treatment tank.
ammonia not high and I have been changing the water once a week. Temp
good no nitrate

Nitrates are not an issue for fish, only inverts. Ammonia is the killer of
fish, and ammonia HAS to be controlled.


--
Harald
130 g Skimmerless SW Tank
290 lbs/6" DSB
70 lbs LR
3 B/G Chromis, 1 Tomato Clown, 1 Foxface, 1 Blue Regal, 1 Cleaner Wrasse, 2
Firefish, 2 soft corals, 1 Fire shrimp, 2 Red Seastars.


33 gal Skimmerless SW Nano
80 lbs/6" DSB
39 lbs LR,
1 - Yellow Wrasse, 1 Bangaii Cardinal

Since my treatment tank isn't needed 24/7, I don't leave it up and running
all the time. I have a simple system that works out pretty good for me. I
have a plain 10 gallon tank I keep in the closet and pull it out as needed.
For a filter, I use a Penguin Mini Bio-Wheel. Most of the time it is running
on my 55 gallon reef and it's small enough that it doesn't spike the
nitrates.

When I need a treatment tank, I simply fill the 10 gallon with fresh
sal****er, and my medications, and move the bio-wheel from the 55 to the 10
and I have a fully cycled treatment tank. When I'm finished, I break the
tank down and bleach everything including the bio-wheel. That way nothing
gets transfered back to the 55 when I move the filter. By the time I need it
again, the bio-wheel will have recycled and it's ready to go again.







"Rick" wrote in message
om...
After my last experience with having the main tank affected with ich
and loosing most my fish, I learned the hard way the importance of
having a treatment tank. So I purchase a 10gal tank setup so I could
first introduce the fish in it for a couple of weeks before they go in
the main tank. I just have a few question on treatment tanks.

1.use copper when putting fish in it?

2.How often should the water be changed?

3. What type of filter? the one I have was recomended by the LFS-
intank air riser with prefilter pad.

4.How many days is it recomended to keep the fish in the tratment tank
for survalance? I had a blenny in it for 5 day and it has been eating
but iy died. I can only think I was over feeding but there was no
ammonia was 0.2
reading.

What is happening is my fish dont make it even in the treatment tank.
ammonia not high and I have been changing the water once a week. Temp
good no nitrate