transfer to larger tank

drfong · 08-11-2006, 10:44 PM

I was wondering about moving fish to a larger tank. I am reseting up my 90 gal after my move. I have a few fish in a ten gal for the move. I have been running one of my filters for the 90 on the 10 while this has been taking place. If I move all the gravel, filter and water from the 10 to the 90 and just add the rest of the water and gravel would it probably keep enough bacteria to keep the tank from needing to cycle again? I would not add any more fish so the load would be the same as the 10 gal tank. If it would be hard on the fish I can cycle the 90 and leave the fish in the 10 until its ready. What do you all think?

Jay · 08-12-2006, 06:21 AM

IMO you will be OK to do all of the above.

I would leave the fish in the existing water in the 10 and use fresh detoxed
water in the 90 perhaps. You might want to Give it a few days and test to see if bio filter is OK, then add the fish. I think you will have a few days wiggle room.

Jay

drfong · 08-12-2006, 06:07 PM

thanks, I'll give it a try

Striped Bass · 08-20-2006, 07:48 PM

Hello.
I have a few questions and here seems like the place to ask. I have a 20gl tank witch I have had some issue with. I bought it as a starter package deal. Its got a whisper 20 its full cycled and all that, Iv had it for a year and really never had to many problem other then the obvious beginners bad luck from ignorance. Anyhow I picked up a much nicer 45gl tank new gravel heater and of course filter. The filter is a Emperor280 it seems that its a much better filter then my whisper. Anyhow Heres my plan and please tell me if im doing wrong ASAP. Im now running both filters in my 20gl tank. I have the 45gl tank set up filled about 8 to 10gl low wth new gravel heater running around 87dg. Im planing on running the new filter in my old tank for about a week, then leaving it in place and placing the old filter on the new tank for about a week. Then aftter that 2 weeks switching over the filters again back to the norm (old filter old tank new filter new tank.) As well do to 10 to 15% water changes in the old tank and dropping the old water into the new tank from those 2 weeks of water changes. Now with this do you think I will be able to speed up the cycling process. I would like to attempt this to cut the cycling down to 3 weeks not 4 to 6. Tell me if this sounda crazy. It seems to me like a feasible idea. I only have 5 Cichlids and an Oscar.

ahill3780 · 08-21-2006, 12:14 AM

Welcome Striped!

You don't really need to go that technical with it. 4 weeks should be a sufficient ammount of time for the cycle to progress normally. Set up the new tank, and just run the old filter on it for the first two weeks then switch over to the new one. By this time the cycle will have begun. Let it run until you test no Ammonia and no Nitrite.

There is no need to transfer any of the old water over to the new tank as the bacteria don't really swim through the water column, they colonize porus substrate and filter media staying on the surface.

You can help 'seed' the bacteria into the new tank by transferring some of the gravel from the old tank to the new. Anywhere from 25-50% of the old gravel will help to speed the colonization of the bacteria throughout the new substrate. Mix the old gravel in clumps all around the tank roughly covering the entire bottom and try to bury a few pockets all the way down to the bottom of the new gravel so that it helps populate the lower regions of the bed.

Cichlids and Oscars both produce a lot of waste being carnivores and you should make regular water changes around 20-25% if you feed them often. But they are both pretty hardy fish and can rough it out if necessary and if they have been kept healthy up to this point. Even still I would take the earlier advice and leave them in the 20 gallon until the tank is fully cycled.