hospital tank setup?

[loki]

recently aquired a 33 gallon tank and i was going to use it for a sump but after realizing that it would not fit under my stand, i changed directions. so im going to setup a hospital/quarantine tank. going to add some glass to create 2 sections, possibly 3. so my question for everyone is what would be the best setup for this? heater/filter/substrate, etc. would also like to know what worked best and what i should avoid.

[Qattarra]

You'll need to keep this set up cycled so getting it cycled would be first priority. I keep "extra" fishes in mine that I can move to the main community tank when I need the QT. For me that's either africans or sometimes jewel cichlids.

The things you need are filter, I use sponges as it doubles as a hiding place as well as I get less evaporation. A HOB would work well too and with the HOB you'll be able to add the carbon to remove meds.

A heater is needed for most fish, a submersible is better.

A light helps you see but most sick fish do well in subdued light , less stressful .

Plants are helpful too , I use fakes as my usual tenants like to eat real ones.

I have sand on the bottom but it isn't needed.

Edited January 19, 2009 by Qattarra

[Ishkabod]

She said it. What she outlined is the basics you need. Personally i Just have an extra in tank filter in one of my tanks that i never add to or do anything else to so when nessasary i just pop it out and into a bare bottomed QT tank. When i do move the fish i add duck weed as a extra hiding place and maybe a rock or a piece of driftwood depending on who is staying in the tank(plecco or Cichlid) I'd make sure to keep a submersible heater for the QT tank and it's always good to have a backup if something happens to your main one. (the same thing with the filter) You need to look at the fish but like she said it's best to keep them in lower light conditions so have the light on hand to use(also good as a backup emergencey light) don't go expensive or large on the light. I noticed Home Depot had some small single tube florecent lights, enclosed with a switch and plug in for less than fifteen dollars. That's all you should need.

Good luck

L

P.S. I'd keep the bottom of the tank bare if possible since it's easier to clean and clean water is very important for healthy fish especially sick ones. Allthough a light coating of gravel or sand shouldn't be an issue and might make the fish a little more at home.

Here is a helpful article i found

Setting up a Hospital Tank

Edited January 19, 2009 by Ishkabod

[Vallisneria]

This is my hospital/Q tank: a 10-20g barebottom, heater, AC 150 or 300 filter with prefilter sponge on the intake. I only setup my tank when I need it. I keep a cycled sponge in another tank's filter. Then when I setup the Q tank I transfer over the sponge, voila insta cycle. I keep the tank barebottom as its easy to keep clean and easier to spot any dead fish or problems. I use rocks, fake plants and clay pots of decoration. I have a light about the tank but I dont' usually have it on unless I'm looking at the fish.

[firestorm]

If you create more than one partition in the tank, you could use egg crate for it. Problem with this is, if any fish has an actual disease you need to QT them for, you won't be able to keep other fish in the tank with them, so you don't pass anything on to other fish.

Typically you will want a heater and filter for the tank. Lights are nice so you can see how a fish is healing etc, but not necessary. Sick fish like it slightly dark, so lights might stress them out. I would buy a cheap sponge filter from the LFS (they cost around $5-10) and keep the sponge inside a canister filter or any other filter you have, or you can have it running in another tank. When you need to, take the filter and move it to the QT tank. I would keep it bare bottom for ease of cleaning and sterilizing. You could add plants and some decor to make them feel more comfortable, make sure it's something that can easily be sterilized, or thrown away, just so you don't risk spreading illnesses to other fish.

Edited January 20, 2009 by firestorm

[Ishkabod]

Don't forget the all important lid for the tank. Glasstop or otherwise because sick fish seem to love to jump. If you want to partition the tank for different QT sections then maybe use glass or something similar so that the water, Meds and/or diseases don't spread from one section to another. The other thing is if you plan to do this be sure to have a heater and filter for each section divided by glass. personally for a 30 gallon what i would do is divide it into two or three sections. If you divide it into two you can add eggcrate to either side for further separations. This is especially good if you have some new fish in QT and then some fish in the main tank get sick. It's also benificial if you have fish in QT that aren't compatible or are too agressive towards eachother in such a small space. Take a look at the tank and i don't think you should want to have divisions of less than a foot apart.

Here is an example as best as i can do using a keybord

The bold is eggcrate the rest is glass

l l l l l

or

l/l/l/l

Good luck

L

Edited January 20, 2009 by Ishkabod

[soliver]

Like firestorm said, a QT tank is to stop the spread of disease, lower the stress, and the ability to administer meds without stressing other fish. If your planning on putting glass dividers in, your going to have to put separate filters in each compartment. Im not sure if enough heat will pass through the glass to warm another compartment so you might need a heater for each as well. Good luck with the set up and I hope this helped.