Regular Q-tank Maintenance Question

[Akai-San]

Yup...me again. Laying in bed today putting my son to nap, something popped into my head concerning maintenance of Q-tank. (isn't this sick, I even dream about koi pond stuff) If medicated and daily or weekly maintenance calls for water changes or flushing of doots at bottom drains, what is the method of RE-medicating the Q-tank? Any easy solution(s) to addressing the possible variations of water quality pending regular maintenance operations. Are there any medication usage where filtration is not recommended? Thanks all.

[dick benbow]

reminds me when I used to take naps with my son! Enjoy these times my friend, they grow up so fast!

Koi take up alot of space on my mind too, So I can't fault you there.

Here are a few thoughst on a Q-tank.
First and foremost you have to have the best quality water you know how to make in there. That comes from running your q tank 24-7 with two koi in there to keep each other company and keep the filter happy. You can not take a koi in trouble and put it in something less water quality wise and expect the koi to recover.

You protect your filter in the q tank just like your pond one. You have a by pass valve and if you have to dose with bacteria killing "medicine" you by pass the filter and keep it alive and aireated.

Put all your knowledge into keeping a healthy pond so that your koi don't get sick. And the two healthy koi in the q tank can be a couple of "tara" tosai.
Meaning if this or that happens you'll have something pattern wise. The following year they can be added to the main pond to enjoy or retained till a friend needs a starter koi or you have more tara ( IF ) koi that you want to try out.


Koi keeeping becomes fun when you don't have to spend so much time treating sick koi. Good water,low stocking, and proper feeding will make things alot more fun. makes you sleep better at nap time!

[Akai-San]

Dick,

Thanks for your reply. As always, great advice. "I see said the blind man", it never occurred to me to protect the filter for the Q-tank. Besides the aeration of the filter, are there any other requirements to maintain bacteria culture? How long can the culture be maintain under these circumstances?

I'm guessing in the meantime, the Q-tank aerarion and filtration will be from a portable third source? For 1000 gallons, I think this is reasonable equipment to have, I just need to plan the location of the convenience outlets in the right places. Thanks again. Boy is this project getting BIG!

[Vogata]

Just a small point from us her. Don’t mix quarantine and medical tank/pond. We feel that medication as far as possible have noting to do in a pond or quarantine facilities. This also makes managing and system design easier and success rates higher.



In medicating and treatment we don’t even consider filtration outside overflow and flushing. We always focus on, temperature, O2, stress less environment, controlled overflow (small interval filling f.ex. 15 times per hour), circulation for solid removal, stability in treatment. When treating water use excel and bleed base solution in with filling.



For quarantine think second equal pond and build with your own wallet. As mentioned earlier it must as your pond bee up and running full time, and still don’t put in extra load with out stepping up control and water changes.

[Akai-San]

Thanks Vogata,

You have openned my eyes to yet another concept of dealing with sick fish. QUESTION: What do you mean by not considering filtration outside of overflow and flushing? Are you saying that by controlled overflow (slow consistent water changes) you can maintain water quality? Doesn't this dilute the medicine already in the pond? How do you use circulation to remove solids in med-tank? Do you use a vacuum to get rid of the solids? Sorry so many additional questions...Just want to make sure I understand the concepts. Aloha.

[Vogata]

To start off medicating is a place you really don’t want bee. This is way to put it simple a Quarantine should = small pond always up and running just (for most off us) designed for smaller loads (cm Nishikigoi). Self-made problems will (roughly in 99.9%) reflect off how well you get this in to your system either by design or plain labour.

Now back to medical environment. For us the concept off medication and proper biological always kind off feels wrong.

We have gone by it with smaller unit where circulation helps O2 input and remove solids. This is for low maintenance removal. Level and price is really something off an individual choice, but we have kept it down to mechanical removal and 4-6 flushes daily. If you are free manually, if not there are lots automated valves and timers with second at lowest unit out there (that’s where we are at present). If your really a hard nail continuously feed of fresh preheated with right medicating dose is preferable.

The best thing we have managed so fare is preheating in elevated volume this volume is medicate manually once every day and dosed in automatically. With all medication volume and time off reduction is everything. We have not the nerve to fully automate medication. Test with Nishikigoi free set-up has given good results just using drop valves and infusion bags. (the type they use at hospitals for intravenous feed). Let the system run one full 24 hours and calculate adjust for low/high level on the timer.

NB! We elevate temperature when medicating and feed off the top shelf. Will leave both things up to the reader but 30°C and shrimp, salmon, earthworms, company are all in our vocabulary.

Have a better day and do hope you never will need an hospital-tank

[B.Scott]

Quote: hope you never will need an hospital-tank

... But make sure you have one just in case