How to Manage Your Hospital Tank By Jonathan Lowrie
Always running. This is a separate and isolated system that is set up all the time, and ready to go at any time. This is ideal if you have a lot of space, and can stand having a tank not full of fish or corals. Kit. This is when you have all the needed supplies, tank, filter, heater, décor, all packed together waiting for use. It's relatively simple to set up, since all the key parts are purchased. Pre-fab. This is a prefabricated tank, all-inclusive with life support. Creative Plastics Research (CPR) makes a "microreef" tank like this, that serves as a nice hospital tank. This can be either always running, or waiting to add. Mad scramble. This is the most common situation. You have a sick fish, at 9 Sunday evening, and no stores are open to get a tank together. But there are still options. With a dedicated system, which is always running, you have the luxury of knowing it is likely to be capable of supporting life at any time. In other words, the biological nitrogen cycle is already established, and the pH and other water quality parameters are already at optimal levels. This system should consist of a tank, glass or acrylic. I like 15 to 20 gallon tanks, but it can be a tank as small as a 5 gallon. Do not cram your fish into the tank. Get a size that will allow your biggest fish to feel comfortable. You will of course need a heater. Many treatments involve raising the temperature of the water, so a good heater, that is easily adjustable, is a must. You also need a filter. For the purpose of hospital tanks, I am fond of the hang-on power-filters, and/or sponge filters. The hang-on filters like the Aquaclear provide adequate filtration. Many have a removable carbon media, so you can still have water filtration without risk of removing medication from water. If you use a sponge filter, there is no risk of uptake and removal of the medication. Many people keep this system stocked with a few pieces of live rock, or maybe a few small fish. This way there is a constant source of bioload to keep filtration active. Since we wish to treat our fish, much like a hospital, we must consider the layout of such a tank. We would not like a sterile and cold hospital room, with just a bed and white sheets. The fish don't like a bare-bottom tank with no place to hide. I like to provide some substrate. You have a few options. You can add a small quantity of crushed coral for a saltwater tank, or a few handfuls of pebbles for a FW system. You do not want to overdo it as the gravel is capable of taking up some of the medication. I also like to use rocks and PVC pieces to make 'caves' and hideouts. It's amazing how much faster fish heal when they feel secure. For this setup you need:
If you don't have the outlets, or space, to have a setup constantly operating, you can store the above listed system in kit form. This is what I do. I do not have the luxury of having a dedicated tank, waiting for my possible use someday. So I have all the needed pumps, filters, and apparatus ready to go. The downside to this is that there is no biological filtration ready to go. It's possible I would "cycle" the tank, and subject the sick fish to ammonia, and nitrite. This will not do. I solve the problem by keeping a sponge filter in my sump, along with a bio-filter "biomedia." That way, I can just pull it out and place into tank, and add water. Instant hospital tank. For this setup you need:
Some companies sell a ready to go "micro" tank. These include a tank, pump, and sometimes filter, heater, and/or skimmer. CPR sells a tank like this. It's a 13-gallon tank, complete with small bio-filter and skimmer. It makes a nice "micro-reef," so I doubt many folks will allow it to last long as a running hospital tank. However, packed away in the closet, it makes a very handy treatment tank for most fish of smaller size. Depending on how it was purchased, and what brand, these systems are usually complete. You would only need to add décor and substrate. Of course, all experienced aquarists will have a "mad scramble" story. It just comes with the territory of being a fish keeper. What do you do if you have a reef tank, full of corals, live rock, and fish with ich? And what if you have no other tank to place them in? Well, it certainly NOT the ideal situation, but you do have options. Copyright 2003 by Jonathan Lowrie. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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If you have ever had a sick fish, you have most likely wished for a quick and easy hospital tank to begin treatment in. The purpose of such a tank is multifold. Since they are often smaller than the main display tank, they require less medication to treat. Because they have just one or two fish, it makes observation of the sick animals much easier. Many treatments for certain diseases in fish can prove toxic to other animals such as invertebrates, or other more sensitive fish, so the separate system will allow for a risk-free treatment of the sick fish. For the purpose of this article, I will break down the types of hospital tanks down into categories.
First off, I imagine most people have at least a spare air pump and airstone sitting around somewhere. If not, I suggest you pick one up, and place it in a dark closet. In six to nine months, it will multiply