How to set-up a 'hospital' tank

[Cheese Specialist]

Hi,

I want to set up a hospital tank asap. Can anyone please tell me how to go about this as I have never done it before. The tank will be an 8.5g with lid but without light (it will be next to the tropical tank and so will get some light). Does it need to cycle or can I put water from my tropical tank in (or is that just stupid?)?

I need to know things like what tempature/decoration etc and maybe how many can go in and when is it safe to put them in the normal tank? Does anyone know of medicated food availale to the UK?

Any information greatly appreciated as I plan on doing it tomorrow if possible. Some of my fish are unwell but others are fine and I'd like to keep it that way by seperating them off.

 

[yhbae]

Depending on the medication, you may not be able to cycle the tank since it might kill the bacteria. In this case, you have no choice but to water change every day or every two days. (This becomes tiresome if it takes more than 2 weeks to cure the disease).

If the medication does not touch the bacteria, then you can kickstart the cycle by adding the fishes, then add a aqueeze of water from the sponge media that has been running for a while - this works pretty well for me.

The best way, of course, is to purchase a cheap sponge filter, keep it in the main tank for about a week or two, then move it out into the hospital tank - this will give you near instance cycle. But depending on the medicine, you might have to throw away the sponge...

As for the decoration, I put nothing and use a bare floor.

I usually maintain the same temperature as the community tank, except for ich treatment where I increase it to 87F or higher.

What kind of disease do your fishes have? If this is ich, you should treat the whole tank...

 

[Kossy]

If you want to really ever jump start a cycle i suggest using some gravel from your established tank and some filter floss (as these are the locations where most of the bacteria live)

 

[Cheese Specialist]

What kind of disease do your fishes have? If this is ich, you should treat the whole tank...

Hi thanks for the replies

I don't know yet (I have another post on here saying as much). I was treating the whole tank for ich but their spots have gone away (been treating for at least 3 weeks). There are still some fish itching (flashing, rubbing, flicking or whatever!) but these (barbs) have gotten more ill and I don't think that it's ich. One albino barb has got blood at the base of fins and a patch on his side. The other sick barb (a green one) is breathing rapidly and has got red patches at the base of each pectoral fin as well as haveing gone pale. Last night another barb (this time a normal tiger one) was looking bad (treading horizontally, looking at the floor) but is looking much better this morning. The teatment that I put in for ich lasts a week so that will see the whole tank through 'til Monday.

I don't know what's wrong with the barbs, their symptoms are a little different from each other and the other barbs and non-barb tankmates seem ok, although that's what I was saying about the 2 newly sick ones yesterday.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[drbrad25]

Try cranking up the temperature (82-84) to speed up the life cycle of the ich and let the medication do it's thing. Worked for me.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Try cranking up the temperature (82-84) to speed up the life cycle of the ich and let the medication do it's thing. Worked for me.

Thanks for the advice but I'm not treating for ich.

I think that it is internal bacteria and I am treating accordingly. I have set up the hospital tank now.

Cheers

 

[yhbae]

Also, if you do end up treating for ich (which you are not ), crank the temp up higher than 86F. Below this temp, some ich could spread faster. It worked great for me at 87F for 2 weeks with no fish loss.