Medic tank setup

[dishmando]

I bought a 10 gallon tank i had originally told the wife was gonna be a medic tank. It is filtered with a Fluval 204 with black and white gravel, 1 quartz rock, and 1 small plant with some grass. A cute little setup if i say so myself!! hehehh.......
Anyhow, after it cycles(fishless), im thinking im gonna add my convict pair from my 55 gallon into it, to "get busy"......
So, what im getting at is this, 1, i may have acquired a slight addiction to fishkeeping, 2ndly, Im looking on several opinions as to what makes a sufficient medic tank. From cheap to extreme, what things are required/not required, such as heaters, filters(obviously not), airstones, pumps, etc. etc.

all suggestions appreciated as im thinking of the following, another 10 gallon, cheap air pump and airstone and thats it!........good? no good?

[Lady Hobbs]

I doubt you want to add convicts to a 10 gallon unless they are very small.

But a medic tank needs nothing but a filter and heater. No gravel, no decorations.....etc.

[markbob]

At most you could put in a small piece of PVC or something to provide a hiding place to allow the sick fish to feel safe and secure. but Lady is completly right, no gravel etc...

[msjinkzd]

I agree...i don't put substrate as it makes it more difficult to monitor how much the fish is eating/defecating. I do add some "decoration" for more timid fish....usually a small terra cotta pot for a fish to hide in, which is disposable. I usually keep an extra filter (in my case, an ac30)running on my larger tank to move to qt if I need it. I do have a heater and I black out the bottom and three sides of the tank with black background (reduces reflection).

[dishmando]

They arent big by far, the female larger than the male, but definitely not BIG. Shes 1.75" at most. Anyhow, if they havent bred in my 55 gallon(been in there over 2 weeks), would they in a 10? Shes seems to just chase at him every so often, doesnt look like true love to me! heheh.....
Anyhow before strayin too far off topic, i thought having a filter would defeat the purpose of the medication you're tryin to deliver a fish?.... Would u not want it to ingest or treat its skin the most u could w/o the filter cleaning the water at the same time?..........

Its new to me so pardon the ignorance.

[msjinkzd]

you need a filter, you just don't run carbon in a tank that is being medicated. The filter provides oxygen exchange by disrupting the water's surface.

[dishmando]

thanks, i just thought an air pump/stone would have sufficed.

[Lady Hobbs]

You probably could use a sponge filter, too, but some filtration is needed, I feel. They will not breed at that size.

[Nautilus29]

Carbon is what takes the meds out of the water. The filter cleans the crap out of the tank and is a good place for the benificial bacteria to live.

[Nautilus29]

Maybe your fish arnt sexually mature enough to breed. Convicts will mate in almost any condition so Just give them time.

A 10g tank is to small for a pair of convicts.

[Kuli_Loach]

My medic tank is my feeder fish tank. When a fish is sick, it is a good feeding time for my big tank seeing as most of the feeder fish go into the big tank and I save say 5 big guppies to raise youngins again, doesn't happen often but it does happen. Mine is just a 10g but it has 3 whisper 10 on it and a 100 watt stealth heater.