Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => New Fishkeepers => Topic started by: heather62 on January 08, 2018, 09:36:08 PM

Title: Moving tanks
Post by: heather62 on January 08, 2018, 09:36:08 PM
Hi guys, hoping for your advice again!

To cut a long story short....
I have been moving house (but as usual there were delays and issues). This meant that I had to move my tank (54 litre) temporarily to my parents house. Unfortunately I lost a few cories a few months in as they just didn't grow, and when I knew I would be moving I decided not to restock until settled again. After moving the tank to my parents I lost another Cory and rasbora leaving me at present with 1 Cory and 4 slender harlequins (which I plan to increase the numbers of when they are back in my house and settled).

the space I plan to keep my tank in the new house is ever so slightly bigger so it made sense to get a slightly bigger tank (obviously). So I have now bought a 64 litre tank arriving tomorrow (I don't think the other half has realised that somewhere down the line the old tank might make an appearance  :rotfl: )

My question is about moving the fish and cycling. Should I put the new filter into the tank at my mums for a while or run both filters together in the new tank for a while. Or should I seed it and do a fish less cycle?
My (limited) understanding is that the bacteria will mostly be in the filter, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
I would obviously love my fish to be back at my house asap, but want to make sure I am doing it right.

At the moment I plan to close the tank I have now.

Thank you for all your help!

Just to add! The old filter is a sponge aquael filter that came with the Leddy 60 tank, in all honesty I didn't like it in the old tank and was wanting to change it anyway, it was spitting out lots of particles no matter what I did with the sponge.
The new tank is an interpet insight 64litre with a CF-2 filter

If that filter isn't rated highly, I wouldn't be adverse to buying a different one if it's recommended.... I will be guided by you!
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Matt on January 09, 2018, 05:23:19 AM
You're right about the bacteria mainly being in the filter. They grow on surfaces and the filter has media with a large surface area. There will also be a small amount on any plants, substrate or decor you have in the tank so transferring some of these will help too. 

The best thing to do would be to transfer the media from the current filter into the new one as you transfer the fish. Then you have a low risk situation as the waste producers and waste 'treaters' are both moving across at the same time.

I have the CF2 filter and the pump side is quite good but the media is rubbish. I wouldnt bother with the phosphate pad, it blocks and degrades quickly meaning you have to keep replacing jt and loosing any beneficial bacteria. The carbon isn't really required either but it's ok . If you got your thank from P@H it won't come with the biological media cartridge. :yikes:  What ive done is replace all that with a large block of filter sponge fit snugly into the filter cavity (I had seeded loose media under the sponge for a while as well).

Do you think it would be possible with the size/shape/type of the media in the current filter to put that at the bottom of the filter cavity with some sponge on top to hold it in? I know that probably sound a hit like a bodge job but believe me that is the best way forward. Unless of course you buy a different filter, in which case the fluval u series filter always get good reviews - you would need the u2 if memory serves. You would still need to move the current filter media into it so would again need to determine how you could do this.
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Sue on January 09, 2018, 09:05:52 AM
As I see it, you have 3 options.

Set up the new tank to make sure it doesn't leak and the heater & filter work, then go and collect all the fish, decor and the filter from the old tank. If it would be at all possible, take the substrate as well. Substrate is full of all sorts of beneficial microroganisms, although before I knew this I changed my substrate completely and the fish were OK. Feed the fish lightly for a couple of days before, nothing on transfer day itself, then lightly for a few days after.
As for the filter, either use the old filter till you know the tank has settled, them move the old media into the new filter; or put the old media in the new filter straight away.
And don't be tempted to get more fish for at least a couple of weeks.

Set up the new tank, with whichever filter you want to use (the one that comes with the new tank or another brand new one of your choice) and do a fishless cycle.

Set up the new tank with whichever filter, plant it and wait until you are sure the plants aren't dying. With lots of live plants you won't need to cycle the tank. Then transfer the fish over. Once you are sure there is no ammonia or nitrite showing up, get more rasboras first as you don't need to buy as many of them, then a couple of weeks later (if the water stays OK) get more cories.





As for filters, as Matt says, if the new filter has biomedia, fine, if not tweak it as he suggests. Or get a Fluval U2 or Eheim Aquaball 130.
For the 54 litre, when you smuggle that in if you want to replace that filter, the appropriate size Fluval U or the Aquaball 60.


It might be easier to smuggle the old tank in if it is ready for fish the day it arrives. If you bring it in empty then cycle it that will give him time to object. In other words, if you need to recycle the old tank, do it at your parents' house  ;)
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: heather62 on January 09, 2018, 06:08:15 PM
Thank you for your replies.

The tank arrived today in a badly battered box and upside down. Silicone on it was faulty and 2 scratches to the inside of the glass..... I've sent it back for a replacement- not what I had planned for today but never mind!
The tank came from amazon, not pets at home, I will definitely check the filter when I get the replacement and see what I can do with it / look at getting a fluval.

If I seeded a new filter and moved some decor and substrate across, how long do you think a fish less cycle may take? I know that's a bit of an open question and may not be answerable, but I have no experience with seeding.

Good idea about cycling the old tank at my parents  :rotfl: a stealthy way to increase tanks
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Sue on January 09, 2018, 06:31:10 PM
Sorry to hear about the new tank. I've just bought a new tumble dryer and got it from a local shop after reading the comments in reviews about the condition they arrive in (dents, panels ripped off etc) It seems this applies to everything these days.


Seeding a cycle is quite variable. It depends on the number of bacteria in the piece of media that is transferred. Given that you don't have many fish at the moment, there may not be many bacteria in the whole filter so even using a chunk of 'old' media may not speed a cycle much.

If you intend having live plants in the new tank, the best way to go would be to plant it and wait a week or two to make sure the plants are OK, then move the fish over.
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: fcmf on January 09, 2018, 06:51:41 PM
I've been reading this thread with interest (the tank smuggling plans gave me a chuckle) but unable to reply until now and probably have little to add other than not to "write off" the Interpet CF2 filter just yet. I have a similar filter - the Marina i110 - and one particular advantage is that it's compact and so doesn't take up too much room in the tank. I have a Fluval U2 but, for my 54-litre tank, it looks disproportionately bulky and so I don't use it. Instead, I resurrected a very old but very competent filter, and have both compact filters running in my tank.

Hope your replacement tank arrives soon. As Sue says, I've also read many reviews recently about damaged goods (mainly furniture) on arrival - and it seems to be worse when it's not the company's own vans/lorries. Best of luck.

Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: heather62 on January 16, 2018, 05:10:49 PM
I finally have a good quality tank!
Have decided I will plant heavily and also seed the filter and move decorations over as you suggested. Will wait a couple of weeks and move fish over if water parameters are all ok.

I am going to keep the cf2 filter and see how I get on.
It wasn't from p@h - the filter has an algaway pad, filter cartridge (looks like sponge/floss) and ceramic media - am I right in thinking there is no phosphate pad..... or is it the algaway pad?.... slightly confused!

Bought my plants yesterday and setting up the tank today..... got to love these days!

On a different note- when I was considering doing a fishless cycle instead I went to get ammonia from Homebase and they don't sell it anymore!
Any ideas where's the next best place to get good ammonia?!
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Matt on January 16, 2018, 06:08:07 PM
am I right in thinking there is no phosphate pad..... or is it the algaway pad?.... slightly confused!

Same thing!

Enjoy your time setting up the tank... I'm also doing a lot of this at the moment  ;D
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Littlefish on January 17, 2018, 12:05:16 PM
I got my ammonia from B&Q, but you could try Amazon.
Title: Re: Moving tanks
Post by: Sue on January 17, 2018, 12:09:21 PM
Or Homebase, Ebay or a local independent diy shop. I got my Jeyes KleenOff Household Ammonia from the little diy shop in my town.