How to make a quarantine tank/hospital tank

[kien]

I have actually run QTs with live rock. It's fine so long as you know that you should never put that live rock back into your display tank. It has likely absorbed some of your meds. Also, don't sell it to anyone because that's just bad etiquette. :-)

What I do now a days is use mesh pads (the ones used for washing dishes). You can get them at the dollar store or grocery store. I have a batch of those pads floating in my sump so that they are seeded with nitrifying bacteria. I can use them in a pinch then throw them out when I'm done and get a new set of pads to throw in my sump. I've had these pads floating in my sump for 3 years now and they haven't collected any gunk so I have never had to clean them. It probably helps that they are quite porous and float on the water instead of sitting at the bottom of the sump.