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So, my German gold ram just died of fin rot in my 5.5 gallon hospital tank. I need to convert it to a quarantine tank so that I may get some new otocinclus for my 20H.

So am I to take all the water out and start over again? What about the gravel that I had in a pantyhose from the main tank? Is this gravel useless now? Should I wash it and then place back in the main tank? I'm assuming its not enough to just filter out the medication right?

Since ottos are sensitive to water quality, I am scared to put them in a quarantine tank if it is uncycled.

Also, what type of extra filter is recommended to be used in the main tank as a back up for the next time I need to set up a hospital/QT tank. Any brand or type in particular? My 20H currently runs on an Aquaclear 150.

I had more questions but I can't remember them right now.

okay ...here is what i do...take your gravel out. rinse it extremely well, then let it sun dry. rinse it again...then put it back in your main tank. as far as your ottos go. same thing take you 5 gal. rinse sun dry, then fill it up...add melafix, and quarantine away. not saying it is the easiest way...but its how i do my tanks for babies and new arrivals.

Personally I am of the belief that anything that comes in contact with any type of disease should be at the very least boiled before used again. Granted you can't do that with your tank, but you can wash it with hot salt water to kill anything left in it. Boil the gravel, then let it dry and rinse it thoroughly before placing it back in the tank. As for filtration, if you keep a small hob filter running on your main tank as a spare, you will always have a cycled filter ready for use. If not practical, then simply keep a piece of filter floss in the main tanks filter for quick seeding of the quarantine filter.

I'd would rinse very well. Soak with a bleach and water solution(minimal amount). Let soak for some time. Rinse throughly to make sure of no bleach residue.
I would do this each and everytime that I would use it for quarantine.

I don't know but this is getting scary here, this is the third time I've seen this topic come up this week

I would go with a bleach solution...It will quickly kill anything that might be contagious, and letting the filtration run with the bleach solution will take care of your problem...

I wouldn't go with a gallon of bleach to a gallon of water, that would be overkill, but the 1:10 ration is reasonable, or just adding a cup of bleach to the 10 gallon tank would work as well...if you are doing it this way, I would go ahead and use hot water as well, and just leave the gravel in the tank as well to be sterilized...

Then when it comes time after a day of running like this (I'd run it on the back porch in the shade if that is reasonable (I don't have a back porch, so for me it wouldn't be) I'd drain the tank, and then fill it, and just let it keep running, overfilling it at the same time. If not the back porch, put the tank in your bathtub/shower...Then drain it and do it again...Of course I would do as Babel said and use plenty of dechlorinator afterwards, and let it dry outside so the heat and sun will take care of everything else...Then just pack it up...till you need it the next time...

I wouldn't add any decorations necessarily, but I do have a terracotta pot in my tank, so I guess it is a decorationBut, keep it at a bare minimum...Plants if you have something that is multiplying like crazy, go ahead and use it in the hospital tank, and then mulch, trash, get rid of itGravel is totally up to you, the less the better though, I don't have any in mine simply because it makes cleaning it easier, and well I didn't think of it at the time, I just need a sickbay for the little gal...

OK enough said, I'll go somewhere else now, heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle