Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: barneyadi on December 28, 2017, 09:39:58 PM

Title: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 28, 2017, 09:39:58 PM
Hi all

Not been around much lately but am moving house in January. Have managed to re-home fish as not moving into new house straight away. But have some questions.

1. Tank will be in storage for a couple of weeks, what is best way to clean it?

2. Should I leave the sand in the tank, and if not, what should I do with it?

3. As the filter sponges will go dry, will the bacteria go dormant or will I need to do a cycle?

4. Anything else I need to consider?

Any advice much appreciated.

David
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 28, 2017, 10:01:20 PM
Do you intend setting the tank up again once you are in the new house? if you do, keep the filter media wet - float them in a container of dechlorinated water open to the air. The bacteria will go dormant rather than die straight away. They will wake up again once there is a source of food, but the longer they are dormant, the longer it takes them to wake up. I would test the tank with a dose of ammonia before risking any new fish. Even if it takes them several days to wake up it will be faster than starting afresh.
I would be inclined to follow the fishless cycling method which will go much faster.

However, if you intend lots of live plants, that's a different matter. Still keep the filter media wet, but when you set up the tank, put the plants in and wait until you know they are growing well, then add fish a few at a time - monitoring both ammonia and nitrite for several days after each addition.



To clean the tank, I use those plastic kitchen scourers that look like a ball of knitted brightly coloured plastic. They scrape the surface clean without scratching. Any limescale can be scraped away very carefully with some thing hard, or if it's really bad use white vinegar. But don't do this if you leave the sand in.

I would put the sand in a bucket and rinse it with dechlorinated water. Then store it in some container with some dechlorinated water. There is a whole host of micro-organsism in the substrate so it is best to preserve as many as you can.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 28, 2017, 10:06:07 PM
Thanks Sue

Unfortunately i won't be able to set tank back up for two to three weeks and will have no way to keep filter media or sand wet.

Will that make a difference?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on December 29, 2017, 06:19:20 AM
If you can't keep them set you will be starting your cycle again from scratch once you have moved. Can you give them to the same place you gave your fish for safe keeping for the next few weeks?  If the filter could be run on a not her tank that would be brilliant for keeping the bacteria alive, then you could probably just set things back up as they were almost instantly.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 09:19:31 AM
Keeping the filter media in one bucket and the sand in another, both in enough water to cover them, would be enough. The only thing the buckets need is to be kept warm - they can't be kept outdoors or in a garage/shed. Do you know anyone with a spare room who would mind 2 buckets for you?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on December 29, 2017, 12:47:00 PM
@Sue if a small frozen prawn were added to the bucket with the filter do you think this would provide some ammonia to keep the filter bacteria from going dormant or would there need to be flow in there to supply the ammonia to the bacteria in enough quantity for it to make a difference??
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 01:44:30 PM
By keeping it warm, do you mean room temperature? I have access to my new house, it is just the downstairs is having work done but could put buckets upstairs? Also would a lock and lock like container work for the filter media or does it need to be an open bucket.

Other thing to think about is I am moving from a soft to moderately hard water area, so guess this will change what fish I can have.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on December 29, 2017, 01:52:27 PM
Room temperature will work just fine, as will a locking container, though I think a bucket would work better as it will have more oxygen available to the bacteria. I'm not sure it will matter much as they will be going dormant anyway.

RE fish: I think you currently have harlequin rasboras, glowlight tetras and black phantom tetras. They will all be fine in harder water so should work fine.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 02:07:16 PM
I wouldn't bother feeding the bacteria; they won't die from lack of food for a few months, they'll just go dormant. Once the tank is set up again, add ammonia as per the fishless cycle instructions and you should whizz through the whole thing in a few days, if that.
I would put the media in a bucket without the filter casing, that way they'll have better access to oxygen. You can have a loose lid, but not one that makes the bucket air tight.
The bacteria can't take being frozen or baked but anything between is fine. Keeping the buckets of sand and filter media upstairs is perfect.

I forgot to mention before that every surface in a tank will have bacteria on it, so if you can keep any decor wet as well, that would help. You will lose some bacteria - eg on the walls of the tank itself - which is why I suggest doing a fishless cycle once it is set up again. That way you'll replace the lost bacteria before any fish go in the tank.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 02:17:11 PM
Ok, that sounds like a plan. Maybe the harder water will open different fish up to me, as will be starting with a empty tank.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 02:25:20 PM
The first thing to do once you have time is take a trip round all your new LFS to see what they stock. Then look up the fish that catch your eye on Seriously Fish.

Have you checked with your new water company's website to see just how hard your new tap water is?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 02:29:18 PM
Yes, it says hardness Clarke is 7.14, supposedly slightly hard. Any other reading of any use?

mg CaCO3/l is average of 102
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on December 29, 2017, 02:57:56 PM
Those are the right numbers, they are the same thing ie. 7.14 Clarke converts to 102 CaCO3/l.

You can use this alongside www.seriouslyfish.com (http://www.seriouslyfish.com) to ascertain which fish are suitable for your water.

Not all of the fish profiles use these units however so you should use a converter such as the one below to get the right units for the profile in question.
http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/chrisshort/waterhard.htm (http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/chrisshort/waterhard.htm)

Think Fish also has good fish profiles with a quick reference guide to water suitability - its probably easier to start here first then cross check with seriously fish to confirm suitability.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 03:21:55 PM
The two figures you give are the same thing in different units.

The units used in fish profiles are ppm (which is the same as mg/l CaCO3) and German degrees or dH.

The two numbers you need for looking at fish profiles are:
102 ppm
5.7 dH.


I don't call that hard at all. Hard for fish is 10+ dH, or 180+ ppm
Your new water is too soft for all hard water fish, and the only other fish that you need to avoid are those that need very soft water. The vast majority of soft water fish are fine in that hardness.


My water company has 6 classes of hardness - soft, moderately soft, slightly hard, moderately hard, hard, very hard. Your new water is right on the moderately soft/slightly hard boundary.
This is why we don't like words for hardness, numbers are much clearer. Despite having the word hard as part of yuor hardness, it isn't really hard at all for fishkeeping.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 03:31:33 PM
Will check the water when I move in anyway, just to confirm the figures are right.

Would that level be ok for Guppies?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 03:37:46 PM
No, sorry. Guppies' hardness range is 143 to 536 ppm, and 102 ppm is too low.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 03:57:27 PM
ok, just spoke to a shop in Carlisle who said PH is 7.0 and neutral hardness so gives me a start.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 29, 2017, 04:19:51 PM
There is no such thing as neutral hardness. There is only soft, hard and between.
Neutral applies to pH and not hardness. pH range is 6.9 and below = acidic, pH 7.0 = neutral, pH 7.1 and above = basic.
I would not take any shop's word for anything.


I googled Carlisle's water company, and it said United Utilities. Then I googled Spar shops in Carlisle, found one in Fusehill St, then typed their postcode (CA1 2HL) into United Utilities. They say the hardness for that postcode is 7.14 degrees Clarke, the same as you gave.

Your hardness converts to 102 ppm and 5.7 dH. This is fine for most soft water fish but not for hard water fish.

Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 29, 2017, 07:29:25 PM
Thanks everyone, all good advice.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on December 31, 2017, 09:47:24 PM
Well that's the fish revoked today. I am not moving for another week so was wondering if I should put in a drop of ammonia in to make up for no fish until I prepare the tank for storage?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on December 31, 2017, 09:53:30 PM
If you have some ammonia it will do no harm. I would add enough to get 2 ppm every third day till you empty the tank.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 04, 2018, 07:16:12 PM
Well had a surprise yesterday. Thought all fish had gone, and turns out one was hiding away and only came out yesterday. Thankfully the guy who took the other fish came back and rehomed the straggler.

Also strangely my other half has given permission for a second tank. Not sure what to do, another tropical one or possibly a cold water one. And wondering if I should look out for a second hand tank to keep costs down. Anything I need to be careful of when looking at second hand tanks?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Littlefish on January 04, 2018, 07:25:30 PM
You would not be the first person to find a straggler. It has happened to me when moving my South American fish to a larger tank, and even the shrimp have outsmarted me on more than one occasion.  ::)

Congratulations on the permission for a second tank. How exciting.
Some of this information may be useful.
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/blog/articles/how-to-buy-second-hand-tanks?rq=second%20hand%20tanks
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: fcmf on January 04, 2018, 08:47:16 PM
All the very best for the move; looking forward to reading how you get on and what fish you get once you're settled in and the tank installed.

Also strangely my other half has given permission for a second tank.
That would be music to the ears of many people on this fish forum.  ;D
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 12, 2018, 07:38:42 PM
Hi guys

I have seen a tank, a Juwel 125,  but it has no filter or heater. Can anyone recommend a filter and heater that would work with the tank, obviously the lower the price the better😀.

David
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Littlefish on January 12, 2018, 08:26:29 PM
Do you want an internal or external filter?
In my Fluval 125s I have these https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-internal-200-filter and they have been fine. I've replaced any carbon with something like this https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/fluval-biomax-170g

As for heaters, I have a few different types, and these aren't bad for the price https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-eco-heater/61934
Or something like this perhaps https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLUVAL-Advanced-Electronic-Heater-200/dp/B001VMWT6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515788753&sr=8-1&keywords=fluval+heater+200w
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on January 13, 2018, 09:29:27 AM
With heaters, go for a known make rather than a cheap import from the far east. The cheap imports are more likely to malfunction, and that often means sticking in the on position and boiling the fish.
For 125 litres you need 125 watts, but there are not many 125 watt heaters so go up to 150 watt.

Filters suitable for 125 litres usually have sensible media in them - ie they have more than just a carbon filled cartridge. And as Littlefish has already said, just replace any carbon with sponge or biomax.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 13, 2018, 01:49:49 PM
Thanks. Probably will be gone by the time I am ready but thought for a Juwel 125 and cupboard for £80 it was worth asking the question and also helps when future ones appear.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 15, 2018, 06:16:16 PM
Hi all

Just wondering how easy it is to fit new lights to an aquarium if the one's it came with are faulty?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on January 15, 2018, 06:19:41 PM
What type of lights are they?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 15, 2018, 07:04:57 PM
Im not sure to be honest. They are in the lid if that helps at all.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on January 15, 2018, 07:13:07 PM
Do they look like flourescent tubes or LEDs?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on January 15, 2018, 07:44:36 PM
Or even pll tubes which look like this https://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium/filters/uv-bulbs/18w-pll-uv-bulb-lamp/

If you still aren't sure, a photo of the light would help - even if it doesn't work.



Are you still referring to a Jewel tank? At the time I got mine (about 10 years ago) they were notorious for the ballast failing.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 15, 2018, 07:53:48 PM
This is link to tank. It's not the Juwel one, this is another one that appeared.

https://www.gumtree.com/p/aquariums-for-sale/fish-tank-with-cabinet/1282750124

Can't see the light too clearly.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Helen on January 15, 2018, 08:02:47 PM
Those light fittings look like florescent ones - either T8 or T5. Fluval do a range of LEDs that use t8 and or T5 fittings. They're not electrically connected as they have their own power cables, so you could easily retro fit them into that tank hood. Be careful ordering the correct length - I made a mistake and got a size too small. So my tank has dark patches at the ends.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on January 15, 2018, 09:20:08 PM
You could always ask the seller what kind of lights they are.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 16, 2018, 11:21:49 AM
Thanks, I would contact the seller but didn't want to bother them as not quite ready for second tank, don't move into new house till Thursday. It was more to see if something wasn't working or missing that it could be replaced and the relevant cost to do so.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Matt on January 16, 2018, 12:15:12 PM
It's definitely doable it's just how much... LEDs are expensive but don't break for many many years. Fluorescents are easily replaceable we just need to determine if it's the bulbs or balasts if this is the case.
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: barneyadi on January 25, 2018, 08:29:56 PM
Do you want an internal or external filter?
In my Fluval 125s I have these https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-internal-200-filter and they have been fine. I've replaced any carbon with something like this https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/fluval-biomax-170g

As for heaters, I have a few different types, and these aren't bad for the price https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-eco-heater/61934
Or something like this perhaps https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLUVAL-Advanced-Electronic-Heater-200/dp/B001VMWT6Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515788753&sr=8-1&keywords=fluval+heater+200w

Hi, you recommend replacing the carbon with the biomax. As far as I can see there is just one sponge in the filter, so would I be replacing that one completely?
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Sue on January 25, 2018, 08:35:40 PM
I used to have the smaller version of this filter in my betta's tank. I assume that the bigger one is the same in that the media in the smaller one was a sponge with a hollow down the middle which was filled with carbon. I replaced the carbon in mine with the smaller, already cycled sponge from the previous filter - there would be no room in the small one for biomax. But if Littlefish managed to get biomax in the bigger one, the hollow must also be bigger  :)
Title: Re: Moving house
Post by: Littlefish on January 25, 2018, 09:46:46 PM
You are right @Sue the space is slightly bigger. I've removed the carbon from all that type of filter and replaced it with either biomax or more sponge, depending on what I had available at the time.