Quarantine/Fry Tank Question

[Lurch1]

I bought a 10 gal tank with an aqueon HOB filter from BA and was wondering about the maintenance of the tank. As stated above, I want it for a fry tank or quarantine tank, whichever comes first. I have read on several sites that you should "sterilize" everything in between fish groups so how do you keep a good bio filter? Should I have a substrate or leave it glass?

Mike

[touchofsky]

I don't have any substrate in my qt tank.  I usually just furnish it with cuttings of a plant like hydrocoytle that takes most of its nutrients from the water column.  I have an Aquaclear filter on it.  I generally don't sterilize the tank between use, since I have been lucky that I haven't had a devastating illness in the tank.  I have had to deal with a few frayed fins, and ich, things like that, but nothing that I feel that I would have to sterilize the tank.   At the moment, I have a bristlenose, a couple of otos and a few snails keeping things going.

If you do have to sterilize the tank, you can put bleach into the water and let it run through the filter.  You would throw away your filter media and reseed it with healthy media from another tank.

Others may give you an idea of what they do with their quarantine tanks.

[exv152]

My QT is bare bottom, has an airstone, heater and simple filter, makes it way easier to keep clean and medicate if need be. It's also good for a fish being bullied occasionally, or isolating the bully, as well as raising fry.

[freshfishies]

I do the same as 'touchofsky'...bare bottom, with the occasional plant thrown in, but if i'm using it for QT for disease, I always sterilize it in between uses...i would hate to put fry in there afterward and have something still leaching in the water. Keeping it bare makes it easier to keep clean!

[touchofsky]

I only use my tank as a qt tank and not for fry.  I agree that if I were keeping fry, I would sterilize or set up a separate tank for fry only.

[Lurch1]

great, thanks for the input!