Quarantine

[sasha]

wheni get my bigger tank and before i introduce new fish to the fish i have i k ow i need to quarantine the new fish.

the tank i have at minute my dad is having it, so my question is , can i use my neices 3.5 gallon tank for quarantine purposes or is this too small. thanks xx

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

3.5 is pretty tight. I haven't used anything less than 10gal - 20 is even better for medium sized fish. You can get little plastic tubs in stores such as Ikea - those are the ones I use and then you can use them for storage once you are done

[Hidr]

Yep I would get a rubber tub of some sort the bigger the better and make sure to jump start the cycle with media from a cycled tank.

Good luck.

[Chrissy_Bee]

I agree, get some kind of tub that will hold more water. A small volume of water is harder to maintain in terms of water quality, make life easier on yourself and buy something else

[sasha]

ok thanks il get a tub and i should have a filter also is that right x

and is there anything else i need for the qt tank thanks

Edited December 15, 2010 by sumer

[Cynders]

You need a filter qith adequate filtration at least 100 gallons per hour in a 10 gallon tub 200 per hour on a 20 gallon tub. You also need to have salt on hand to treat them with 0.3% salt to treat for parasites. The best tip is don't pick a sick fish no matter how pretty it is. You also need to do daily water changes if the quarantine tank is uncycled. I hope all goes well for you!

[sasha]

thanks haruka ,what type of salt do i use .also im not going to be doing this till a few months yet, im just making sure im clued up on it all and want to do things right

i cant get medicated food here if i need it, so il get my aunty in the usa to post me some. thanks

[sasha]

can someone tell me what salt i use for the fish ,in the qt tank

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

either API aquarium salt - or any aquarium salt for 'FRESHwater'. Otherwise salt from the grocery which are 99% pure salt.

make sure there is no iodine or anti-caking agents.

[number20121]

Either aquarium salt (which is a bit expensive) or PURE salt from the grocery store. Make sure that SALT is the only ingredient. No iodine, no anti caking agents, nothing. Just plain, pure salt.

1 level teaspoon per 4 liter for 0.1% salinity, 2 tsp for 0.2% and 3 tsp for 0.3%. Have 12 hour intervals between each dosage. Whenever you do water changes make sure you replace the amount of salt according to how much water you replaced. Say if you replace 12 liter, then you have to add the 3 teaspoons each for the 12 liter back in.

Dissolve the salt completely before adding it to the tank!

Whenever you get rid of the salt, make sure you also do this in 12 hour intervals from 0.3% down to 0.2% and then down to 0.1% and then 0.

[blackteles]

can someone tell me what salt i use for the fish ,in the qt tank

Hi sumer.

First make sure the salt doesn't contain iodine. Only certain types of salt are safe for aquariums. Never use table salt. Instead, purchase aquarium salt, Kosher salt, sea salt, or sterile rock salt, often sold as water softening salt. Hope that helps.

[sasha]

thank you oerba xx

[austinado16]

My advice since you appear to have some time on your hands, is to find a nice used tank and have that be your quarantine/hospital tank. Used tanks are dirt cheap at thrift stores, swap meets, the good will, and on Craigslist. They're a dime a dozen around here, and typically come fully complete and ready to use other than maybe needing a little cleaning.

Regarding the Kosher Salt suggestion. Read the label for ingredients. Some Kosher Salt does contain the anti-caking agent. To me, it's not worth saving a buck or 3. I just buy the aquarium stuff....my fish are worth quite a bit to me, both in investment of time, money, and heart.

[sasha]

thanks austin but i live in the uk so i cant visit them places, i will go and invest in some proper aquarium salt then too.

im going to use my 10 gallon i got at min as a qt tank ,once i get my bigger one. x

Edited December 27, 2010 by sumer