[tinkerpuppet]

I've heard mention a few times of people's "holding tanks". If I have it right, its a tank that simply holds their extra plants?

I'm thinking of doing a rescape but still have plants I don't want to get rid of... just move out of my main tank. This sounds like what I'm looking for.

So if you do have a holding tank, how did you set it up? How big is it? Is it cycled? Is it filtered/heated? Do you have any fish in it? Do you need to do water changes? The only real plant I want to "hold" at the moment is a piece of driftwood with a large anubias attached. Could it be barebottemed for that, or would I still need to consider substrate?

My 6yo son had been saying he wants a tank in his room, so essentially I was just planning on doing a basic setup for him, but he changed his mind (no surprise for a 6yo!). So I'm thinking a holding tank may be the solution for me.

 

[Aquaticz]

I use a 40 gal tank with low light, no CO2 and light ferts. I put plants in this tank for what I called "a rainy day". Being a collector I can put a small amount of almost any plant and it will be there when I want/need it.

 

[AshleyMac]

I have seen "holding tank" referred to in many different ways...from a quarantine tank for new or sick fish and grow out tanks for young fish or extra plants.

I keep both, and my grow out tank has gravel, filter, heater, light, and guppies to keep the nitrogen cycle going. I do regular water changes, and in general I try to keep the water parameters as close to my main tanks as possible.

If you are only using it for a plants that doesn't need substrate than you can leave it bare bottomed...if you are going to continue using it, you may want to consider putting some in.

 

[Razorworm]

do you run a filter in your holding tanks?

 

[im2smart4u]

I have a 29 gallon temporary holding tank. I plan to set it up for fish eventually, but it has been plant only for several months. I ordered a plant package from a member here, but the fish in my 25 gallon kept uprooting the plants. I didn't want to lose them, so I threw some black sand in the 29 gallon, filled it with water, and then planted the plants in groups.

The tank ran with nothing but lights for several months, but I started getting some kind of stringy green algae. I pulled out as much as I could, cut down the lighting to just a Coralife T5 NO, and added a powerhead that I picked up on clearance. Since then, the algae has been kept under control.

I do an occasional water change and dose some excel every now and then, but that is it.

 

[beastoise]

I had a 10gal tank that held some extra plants, but it was on the floor because I had no where to put it and it was pretty neglected, due to this it came down pretty fast. I now use it as a quarantine tank.