Need help with big task

7 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


Zambize4899
 
Posts: 499
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am

Need help with big task

by Zambize4899

I currently have a 28 gallon community tank. I wanted to buy a slightly smaller tank to use as a quarantine tank. However, I found a great deal on a complete setup with a 36 gallon tank. So now I want to transition my 28 gallon community setup to the 36 gallon and set up my 28 gallon as a quarantine tank. I'm sure there is some logic about using the 28 gallon's water and used filters to do a fishless cycle for the 36 gallon. Not to mention when and how to actually move the fish to the 36 gallon.

I would greatly appreciate any advice/instruction you all can provide. I would just be shooting from the hip.

Thank you!

Zambize


miami754
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:18 am

by miami754

You can move some of the water, but it really is not needed. Water contains very little bacteria so it won't matter much. Here is what I would do.

(1) Set new tank up with new water (maybe do a 25% water change on the old tank and put that 25% in the new tank if you like - but as I said, it doesn't really matter) and heater to get it to the temperature of the old tank.

(2) I think you have 2 filters. Put one of those filters on the new tank with the old filter pads and everything.

(3) Any decor you may have - some plants, a couple handfuls of substrate - use some of that and put it in the new tank.

(4) Add 4 or so of your hardiest fish to the new tank. You will need something generating ammonia in the new tank or all the bacteria you introduce via the filter and the decor will just die and be pointless. You can generate the ammonia via these couple of fish or you can do the fishless cycle. If you go the fishless route then refer to the article I wrote about fishless cycling in the articles section of this website.

(5) The tank will more than likely cycle very, very fast - a couple of days. This is how I setup my fry tanks when I need one to tranfer fry into and the cycle is almost instantaneous. The more decor and filter media you can put in the new tank, the faster the cycle will be, but remember not to put so much over there that the old tank loses all its bacteria and crashes. You just need to find the happy medium.

(6) Once the new tank is cycled, move fish over to it slowly. I don't remember how many fish you have, but you don't want to go throwing 8 fish in there and overloading the new bacteria colonies. I would put like 2-3 in there and then wait a couple days. Then do 2 more. Repeat this until everything is over.

If you run into any problems or have any further questions - just ask. Congrats on the bigger tank and good luck.


Zambize4899
 
Posts: 499
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am

by Zambize4899

Thank you for the advice. I'm not sure how hardy my fish are. I have 4 Guppies (had 6), 3 Black Neon Tetras (had 6), 2 Swordtails, and 1 female Betta (and I really don't want to kill her!). Part of my problem is that I want to put the new tank exactly where the current one sits. And that's an elevated spot, too. There are two of us here and neither of us is particularly strong so the tanks will have to be very empty, maybe just substrate, for us to move them safely.

I was going to add more fish anyway so would it make sense to get maybe 3 new fish, something hardy, and use them for cycling? Or maybe my current fish are already accustomed to the conditions and would be better?

Thank you for your time,
Zambize


Zambize4899
 
Posts: 499
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am

by Zambize4899

I just read your article on cycling and some others. Lot's of ideas! I think I feel most comfortable with the fishless cycle so disregard what I said about buying new starter fish. If anyone has experience with this I would appreciate hearing your story. My current tank is only about 10 weeks old so I'm not sure how much it can contribute bacteria to my new tank.

Thanks,
Zambize


miami754
 
Posts: 373
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:18 am

by miami754

It will contribute just fine. It should be cycled and ready to help. Let me know if you have any questions about the fishless cycle. I have done it multiple times and it works great.


Poetic_Irony2267
 
Posts: 297
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:42 pm

by Poetic_Irony2267

i have a bit of insight that may help a little bit, you are going from a 28 to a 36 which is only a diff of 8 gallons of water. if you get a couple of larger sized buckets you could actually transfer everything over directly and just add new water to fill the newer tank to the top, i've done this several times and have had very little in the way of fish harm, and the neat thing is that if you get all of your gravel out of the old tank and put it in the newer tank, the gravel will hold enough of the beneficial bacteria so that your cycle will be almost complete the day of set up, don't clean out the filters, just switch them over it is a daunting task and you have to be quick about it, as you don't want to stress your fish out too much, but i have done this process many times with friends who have upgraded to slightly larger tanks, now i would recommend this if you were going from a 28 gal to a 90 gal but as it's only an 8 gal diff you should be able to get every thing switched to the new tank in very little time. just make sure when moving the fish to put them in a bucket of their own with water from the tank and put an air stone in the bucket so that the o2 level doesn't get depleted while you are switching the mechanic and water and decoration over.
hope this helps,
Brandon,

oh and before you put the fish in the new tank make sure that the heater is on and running so that the water temp is roughly the same as it was in the older tank.


zambize
 
Posts: 401
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm

by zambize

Poetic,
I just saw your idea of transfering the 28 gallon setup completely over to the 36 gallon and just adding 8 gallons of dechlorinated water. Darned brilliant. I think I just changed my plans. I'm very excited about this. :) I can still use the other instructions to then fishlessly cycle the 28 gallon, which is going to be my Q tank.

It's still going to be tricky because I will be placing the 36 gallon exactly where the 28 gallon sits, and it sits on an elevated spot with no room to place the tanks side by side or sliding tanks around. The 28 gallon will have to be completely empty for me to move it and put the empty 36 gallon in it's place. I don't have that many 5 gallon buckets! I guess I'll have to spring for a few more. What about the fish? What size container can they wait in while I do this tank shuffle? I only have 4 Guppies, 1 female Betta, 2 Swordtails, and 3 Black Neon Tetras--> (these 3 boring fish can be sacrificed! LOL).

Also, I wanted to use a different filter on the new tank, a Penguin 350 (plus the dinky little filter the tank came with for "extra" and as a backup). Can I just move the filter pads from the existing 2 Penguin 150's into the 350 and start that way?

Thanks for your time,
Zambize

Need help with big task

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