Q tank set up

[mikebern]

My Q tank has been running for a week. I set it up with a power filter on the back. The tank has no substrate, a heater, one small piece of live rock and a power head. I just read that I should not use a filter at all, just an air pump and an air stone. Should a Q tank cycle like a regular tank before a fish is added? How can a fish survive a Q tank if not cycled?

Also, apparently I never learn
My wife bought me a small dragon wrasse yesterday. Put it in my main 265 gallon tank and it died today. My yellow tang is still alive which at this point I am thinking it is a miracle I haven't killed it.

 

[yote]

Its alright to run a HOB filter on a QT.You just dont want to use the pads that have carbon in them since the carbon will pull any meds out of the water.
The way to avoid cycling a QT is to fill it with water from your display tank.That way there already some bacteria in the water.

 

[Teixeira29]

Yes a quarantine tank needs to be cycles just like every other tank before you put a fish in there. The best approach is to put the water from your main tank because that will make it cycle faster!

 

[ccCapt]

Your tank water carries very little bacteria and will not alone cycle a qt. The easiest thing to do is always have a filter bag or pad, whatever your HOB filter uses, and keep it in your sump. When you need to set the qt up, you can use the main tank water (and do a partial water change while your at it) then grab the bacteria laden filter pad from your sump and put it in the filter. You're now good to go. :)

 

[mikebern]

Thanks Capt that makes sense. I wish I thought of that a year ago.