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Ok I have been reading a lot and trying to figure out the best set up for a QT/Hospital tank and I am so confused right now. Some people say never use gravel or plants others say they are a must. Some times I see use a light other times not.

So whats the consensus? How do you guys have your QT's set up?

Here is what I am thinking about, 10 gallon tank, Internal filter that uses cartridges that can be set up however I need them, 15 watt light, heater, Glass marbles for a Substrata and a few fake plants and a terra cotta pot for a cave or two.


Thanks in advance.


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Your setup sounds good - the idea behind not using decorations is that it would be easier to disinfect after use. However, the fish you put in such a tank are likely to be in a very high-stress situation (newly purchased or ill), so having some simple hiding places will definitely help. The less you use the light, the less stressful it is on the fish (dark places tend to calm them down/let them rest), but it makes it more difficult to see what's going on with your fish if you didn't have a light. It's very important to be able to see the fish occasionally in such a setup because you'll want to check for disease symptoms.

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I have never had a spare tank in all the years of fish keeping. I was looking at getting a small complete set up for raising small fish when you buy them or just a QT.

Then I got thinking aquascape not. I came up with a big NONO reason treatments (medications) etc. Then what to do after fish placed in big tank. To be correct and safe the tank should should be completely stripped, cleaned and then the cycling process again.
Am I wrong in thing this way or just being over fussy with having a safe tank.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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That is the one thing Keith that everything I read has agreed on. After use strip it sterilize it and start over. Thats why I was going with the artificial plants and marbles type of decor, much easier to strip and clean.

And Superlion That is exactly why I don't want to go a bare tank type of set up. Plus I don't have anywhere out of the way to set this up, so I need it to be somewhat pleasing to look at.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket

Hi,
Everything sounds good EXCEPT the glass marble substrate.
Glass marbles will leave huge gaps for excess food and
poop to fall into and decay. Skip the marbles, and if
you must have a substrate use regular aquarium gravel but
keep the depth very thin, not more than a half inch.

Although frequently combined, here is a definite difference
between a QT tank and a hospital tank.

In essence, a QT tank is another "show" tank. It should
contain everything your main tank does
(substrate, plants, filter, heater, etc.)but on a smaller
scale. The whole idea is to get the fish comfortable and
be sure that they are healthy.

The hospital tank should be bare bottomed, with a piece
of black construction paper under the tank, and have
an easily cleaned filter such as a sponge filter - no
carbon!
It should be small enough to house the isolated individual
comfortably, and its capacity should be something that
allows "easy math" when figuring dosages of medication
such as 10G.

With a QT tank, once the new fish have passed the QT period
the decorations should be easily removed, the fish caught
and transfered, and the tank returned to normal. One would
keep a few permanent residents in the tank to maintain the
Nitrogen Cycle, and it is your "second" aquarium.

With the hospital tank, once the problem fish is resolved,
the tank is drained, sterilized, and set on a shelf till
the next time its needed.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Instead of setting up a tank, cycling it and keeping it current for a hospital tank, set up a small filter that you'd use on the hospital tank, but put it on an already established tank. This way, you'll always have a filter ready to go on your hospital tank. Then, if/when the need arises, take that filter, and also some water from your main tank (to keep water chemistry the same, less stress on fish) to fill your small hospital tank. Substrate from the main tank is a nice touch, but you'll probably not want to use it again, so might just be worth picking up a bag of gravel to keep just for it.

After you've done putting your fish through rehab, clean/sterilize the tank/decor/filter and put the filter back on the main tank with a new cartridge. It'll be ready for solo duty in another two weeks, complete with a new batch of bacteria.

ok well mine is a 20gal long,depending what fish are going in there,i use the correct sized decour(a place where the fish can seek shelter,a pot,a boat,old car, whateva),the light i use on this is tank is very low wattage,and its a light cloured blue,i dont use plants,i have a small air pump with the double outlet,and i use both(2 air stones running),for filtration i use a aqua 1 ct 500 external cannister filter,,plus if the fish is larger,or theres a few of em,i also put in my resun internal 1100 filter.as said above,dont be afriad to make it look like your normall tank,u can put in whateva you like,plants,decore,a old pirate ship,a qt tank is really just another fishtank,i just try to make it best for the fish,then comes the look of the tank,hope this helps...i remember ages ago,the first qt tank i setup,was only 6gal,with a corner gravity filter,and a peice of pvc pipe,for refuge,and i must say,even thoo it waas very basic,it done the trick....many times over...for the smaller fish..lol