# My NPT Hospital Tank



## Erin C. (May 12, 2005)

Has anyone else tried to use a NPT as a hospital tank? Well, I have and found it to work spectacularly. It is a 29g aquarium running an HOB and a small UV filter. A month ago I purchased 50 cardinal tetras and kept them in the hospital tank for 2 weeks before adding them to my 75g NPT. All in all I lost two fish, one got squished while I was trying to move it and the other just died. I have never used a hospital tank before because I didn't want to have an empty tank sitting around collecting dust in between fish purchases and had miserable results with buying fish online. Then I got the idea of using an exhisting tank with few fish in it instead. Never again will I go w/o a hospital tank!

Here are some pictures of the NPT hospital tank which is currently housing 2 platies, 6 cardinals and 10 threadfin rainbows (my latest purchase) which will go into my 75g in two weeks.



























My 75g Dutch Aquatic Tank set up as a NPT








51 cardinal tetras
3 rosy barbs (for algae eating purposes they work great!)
1 male betta
6 harliquin rasboras
1 blue tetra
2 platies
1 molly
3 albino cory cats (I can't seem to keep these alive in this tank for some reason. This is my second round of corys and I'm down by three so far.)

Regards,
Erin

P.S. Thanks Diana for your wonderful book, before I read it I could NEVER keep plants alive!


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## nokturnalkid (Feb 27, 2007)

This is exactly what I was gonna do. I just got the go ahead from the other half to setup another tank. It's gonna be a npt grow out/hospital tank.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Your hospital tank looks beautiful. Shouldn't it be a display tank instead?

Frankly speaking, I have no idea why would anyone have a planted or well decorated hospital tank. It will be so hard to disinfect the tank if there is any disease. I personally would not like the tank to be restricted from any medication. It's after all a hospital tank - we should be able to use whatever medication without having to worry about whether the plants will stay alive or not. I would prefer a bare tank as a hospital tank to serve its true purpose.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Hi Erin,

Great tanks! Your 75 gal is absolutely gorgeous. The hospital tank isn't bad either. 

I like how you're quarantining new fish. The UV sterilizer, the plants (purify water and provide hiding places), and some of your own fish as "Disease Sentinels" and to make new fish feel more at home. 

In my opinion, this is an excellent way to quarantine new fish. They're less stressed out than putting them into a bare tank with no other fish. 

Sounds like you're having fun with your fish and plants!


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## 1aqumfish (Jul 28, 2008)

I agree with totziens isn't the idea of a hospital tank to treat with medications? But if it is to used as a quarantine tank to prevent spreading a infection into the display tank that would be great except if you end up needing to medicate the fish.

Tony


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## Erin C. (May 12, 2005)

Diana, Thanks for you kind words. 

I love my tanks, including my hospital tank, which is a display tank as well. I set it up initially as just another tank but found it to work great as a hospital tank for the reasons Diana stated. The UV sterilizer for any incoming diseases and the plants for water purification and places to hide. I found it to be invaluable when I was quarentining my cardinals as I have had nothing but bad luck and lost lots of $$ trying to keep alive in the first couple of weeks in the past. Now I have a fleet of 51 of them and they are truely a sight to watch. I can't wait to add the threadfin rainbows. Has anyone else kept them before? 

Since I have started building NPTs I haven't had to use medications. I have found the UV sterilizer to be all I need.

Regards,
Erin


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

If you don't need to use any medication, I think it will work fine for you. I actually think your tanks are beautiful. If I have such a hospital tank, it won't be a hospital tank for sure now...hahaha. That's the reason I can only keep a pail as my hospital tank 

I guess you have a pretty good supply of fishes in terms of quality. So, your hospital tank works for you. I agree with Diana that it works better than a bare tank for your situation. 

For my case, I cannot use this kind of hospital tank because the fatality of fancy guppies, swordtails, platies, mollies, neon tetras and various other popular species are so high that I refuse to keep some of them. Sometimes I get 90-99% death rate of new fishes - this is how bad I can get. I can no longer trust the quality of the fishes from LFS but I have no problem with fishes given or bred by my friends.


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