Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: Rustle on January 28, 2018, 02:23:14 PM

Title: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Rustle on January 28, 2018, 02:23:14 PM
After last week's kerfuffle I have now messed my would be cycled shrimp tank so rather use that again I am thinking of buying like 10 or 20 litre hospital tank.


I can then set it up when needed if I use the same filter I have in my 40 litre tank. I just wondered if anyone has any reccomendations for a tank and a good filter system  for both. I been looking at dennerle nano cubes .

Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: fcmf on January 28, 2018, 03:56:26 PM
Unsure if you mean you're planning to get a hospital tank for the purpose of treating fish on occasion when required or if you're planning to get a hospital-sized tank with the express purpose of keeping shrimp in it instead of in the main tank.

If it's the former, than plastic can be a good idea, as they can be more easily stowed away (eg at a height) when not in use and possibly with other fishkeeping items in them. However, I would definitely not recommend The Range's Rosewood plastic tanks, even in the unlikely event that you managed to find an unbroken one - the lids don't accommodate the cable wires. I managed to find a replacement plastic tank from MA which is good but it was overpriced for what it was due to marketing/featuring a children's film - it has a very compact but effective filter, though; the only downside is that it has a curved front on it which seems to agitate the fish when in it for the first 24+ hours or so, most likely due to not being used to this.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Rustle on January 29, 2018, 09:27:42 AM
Thank you fcmf i think you're right i need something that's plastic and can be easily stored away rather than an expensive one. I will keep an eye out for one and as you said i need one for the cables.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on January 29, 2018, 09:34:06 AM
What would be a recommended size for a quarantine / hospital tank?
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on January 29, 2018, 09:40:33 AM
That depends on the size of the fish likely to be in it. A few neon tetras need a much smaller tank than a few angelfish, for example.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on January 29, 2018, 09:54:15 AM
For me, the largest fish would be a single BN Plec, or a few full size dwarf rainbow fish, or maybe even a couple kribs (as a hospital tank).

As a quarantine tank, perhaps a dozen juvenile harlequin rasboras or half a dozen kuhli loaches.

Is there a formula I could use, or is it best to also follow the min tank requirements in the fish profile?
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on January 29, 2018, 10:49:57 AM
A temporary tank does not need to be as big as a permanent tank. My fish are all small and I use a 25 litre tank. That is OK for your harlequins and kuhlis. For a BN or kribs I would go for 40 litres minimum with larger being better. If you could accommodate a 30 x 60 cm footprint, go for that.

Floating plants are very useful in a QT/hospital tank. They keep the fish calmer.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 08, 2018, 10:00:51 PM
I know it's not 30 x 60cm, but would this be a suitable hospital tank, for my jeuvenile dwarf rainbow?
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/fish/tropical-fish-tanks/love-fish-vantage-48-litre-aquarium?orderBy=3
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Matt on June 08, 2018, 10:17:42 PM
I cant see why it wouldnt!
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 08, 2018, 10:32:31 PM
This is another possibility. And potentially half the price for a larger tank.
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/superfish-aqua-cube-sets

I'm just negotiating with Mr Helen to put the 'spare microwave' in the garage, so I can replace it with a hospital tank. If I succed, not only has it given me an excuse for actually getting rid of a microwave that gets used once a year, but I'll have a more permanent home for the qt / hospital tank.  ;D

If I fail, I'm not sure where I'll put a tank!
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Matt on June 09, 2018, 03:16:03 AM
Looks like this one doesn't come with a heater... not sure if that's a problem for you?

It will 'feel smaller as the footprint in smaller being a cube.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on June 09, 2018, 11:42:55 AM
The first one looks fine to me - provided you remember to take the carbon pad out of the filter. And I'd also remove the algae pad and just put plain media in there. You don't want anything that could possibly remove a medication.

The second one looks to be open topped; the fish will be stressed and stressed fish jump. And it is also better for a hospital tank to be kept without a light, and I would be concerned that an open topped tank would be brighter inside than one with a solid lid. If you did go for the second, I would cover it with something.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 09, 2018, 03:23:47 PM
I actually ended up getting this one.
https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/superfish-home-25-aquarium

I'm guessing that the same applies with regards to the glass top and lights (it is glass not open)

My intention is to use ceramic media from my external filter and take out all the media provided. But I'll see what's in the box. My existing small heater looks like it will fit in the space provided, so here's to hoping that it'll work!
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on June 09, 2018, 04:27:29 PM
If it has a glass top, that's better. it wasn't clear from the description. You could use an old towel on top to make the tank dimmer.

Some medications work better if the tank light is left off.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 09, 2018, 04:35:02 PM
Fantastic, thank you @Sue. I'm just sitting down to check out the manuals while the kids watch tv. I'm going to leave setting it up until after they've gone to bed. It's not something I particularly want little helpers for! Hopefully I can get some Myxazin quickly.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on June 09, 2018, 04:41:01 PM
It's not something I particularly want little helpers for!
Especially as it stains. Being distracted at just the wrong moment could result in green carpets and clothes  ;D
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 09, 2018, 04:48:57 PM
Eek.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 09, 2018, 05:04:52 PM
Which would be the better substrate to use? Sand, fine gravel or normal sized pea gravel? I have all three left over, so can pick whichever would be better. Or nothing if that is better for a hospital tank. Though I feel that my rainbow would probably prefer a darker substrate.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Sue on June 09, 2018, 05:10:37 PM
You could put something dark under the tank and leave it bare bottomed, though using substrate from your main tank would transfer some useful bacteria.

I can't remember - do you have snails that you want to keep, or shrimps? If you do, you won't be able to put anything back in the main tank as any chemical on/absorbed into any decor could kill inverts.
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Helen on June 09, 2018, 05:19:01 PM
I actually have loads of spare substrate left over from when i refurbished my main tank. So I wasn't planning to take it from the main tank, just use some of my ample stock! Therefore I wouldn't need to worry about returning it to the main tank.

But I don't have either shrimp or snails other than pest snails (though i don't mind them because I'm convinced the kuhlis eat them)

The filter has loose carbon inside a foam sponge. Do I just replace the carbon with ceramic media or take out the sponge as well?
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: fcmf on June 09, 2018, 05:38:54 PM
It can be advantageous to have different types of media for various reasons including trapping debris of different sizes so, if you could keep the sponge but put ceramic media in place of the carbon, then that would be a good plan. I'm assuming that the amount of ceramic media you'd be moving across from the main tank's filter is about the same fraction of media from that filter as the being-quarantined fish is to the total number of fish ie if you have 20 fish, then you're moving across 1/20 of the media (or body mass of the being-quarantined fish relative to body mass of the total number of fish as I'm aware you have Bertie/the large-ish BN plec)?
Title: Re: Recommendation for hospital tank
Post by: Matt on June 09, 2018, 05:49:40 PM
A true hospital tank would have no substrate to reducr any fisk of injury, infection, wastes to accumulate etc etc. For me this is unappealing if i was to have the tank on show normally so I would personally go for sand as the waste settles on the top and can be easily vacuumed off.