upgrading from 20 to 55 gal...need help

[Margorie Simpson]

Hi aquarium gurus!

I'm a novice aquarium lover who will be upgrading my current 20 gal tank
that I've had for 18 months to a 55 gal next week (yup, should have gone for
the 55 gal from the start!!). The new aquarium will go where the current one
is sitting. My current aquarium has a gravel/laterite base, live plants, and
the following:
- 2 clown loaches
- 2 sterbai corycats
- 2 cardinals
- 4 rummy nose tetras
- 3 rainbow neon tetras
- 1 kribensis (male)

I intend to not keep the loaches, and not add any new fish but go towards a
more heavily planted tank. I'm not sure of how to do the change over - what
should the time line be? Any advise/experience on how long it might take to
cycle the new tank if I use the current water, some gravel and the plants -
including a lovely log? I'm thinking that it's pretty obvious that both
tanks will have to be running simultaneously for some period of time. I'm
nervous about how to move the gravel with the laterite on the bottom - I
don't want to disperse the laterite throughout the new aquarium and don't
know how to isolate it so that it could be again layered on the bottom of
the new tank - maybe just go with all new gravel except for a small layer
off the top of the existing tank?

All help greatly appreciated - thanks!!

[Elaine T]

Margorie Simpson wrote:
> Hi aquarium gurus!
>
> I'm a novice aquarium lover who will be upgrading my current 20 gal tank
> that I've had for 18 months to a 55 gal next week (yup, should have gone for
> the 55 gal from the start!!). The new aquarium will go where the current one
> is sitting. My current aquarium has a gravel/laterite base, live plants, and
> the following:
> - 2 clown loaches
> - 2 sterbai corycats
> - 2 cardinals
> - 4 rummy nose tetras
> - 3 rainbow neon tetras
> - 1 kribensis (male)
>
> I intend to not keep the loaches, and not add any new fish but go towards a
> more heavily planted tank. I'm not sure of how to do the change over - what
> should the time line be? Any advise/experience on how long it might take to
> cycle the new tank if I use the current water, some gravel and the plants -
> including a lovely log? I'm thinking that it's pretty obvious that both
> tanks will have to be running simultaneously for some period of time. I'm
> nervous about how to move the gravel with the laterite on the bottom - I
> don't want to disperse the laterite throughout the new aquarium and don't
> know how to isolate it so that it could be again layered on the bottom of
> the new tank - maybe just go with all new gravel except for a small layer
> off the top of the existing tank?
>
> All help greatly appreciated - thanks!!
>
>
I'm getting ready to do the same thing.

First, don't try to move a filled aquarium. It puts stress on the seams
and can cause them to leak. You need to drain most of the water from
the old tank, move it, and slowly refill it with tapwater at the right
temp to get the fish more used to tapwater.

If I were you and wanted to save the gravel, I'd put fish and plants in
a bucket of tankwater with an airstone for a while and rinse all the
laterite out of the gravel, then use it in the 55 with fresh laterite.
Refill the 20 with water at the right temp, acclimate the fish to
tapwater (you gotta do this at some point anyway) and put the fish back.
Personally, I'm switching to fresh fluorite and eco-compete.

If the only reason you want to use old gravel is for nitrifying
bacteria, it's easier to just put your old filter's biomedia into the
new filter, or float it in the new tank if it's a sponge. That and the
plants will transfer plenty of bacteria. And there's nothing magic at
all about your old tankwater except that your fish are used to it.
Better to acclimate your fish to tapwater that has fewer DOC and nitrates.

Once you've moved the 20, set up the 55 with gravel and tapwater,
dechlorinate, and run it with heater, filter, CO2, lighting and anything
else mechanical for a couple of days to make sure temps are stable and
everything works. Then plant your plants and decorate. Put biomedia
from the old filter into the new or float the sponge. Catch fish, put
them in a small container, and acclimate them to the new water. Release
everyone and watch them adapt to their new digs. With the old filter's
biomedia active and bacteria on plants and the log, there will be no
cycle at all. Leave the old filter media in the tank for a few weeks or
until you start to see brownish bacterial growth in the new filter.

You can now break down the 20 completely and ship it to me complete with
clown loaches. ;-) I love those little guys. Great snail eaters in a
planted tank and so fun and lively.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Jim Anderson]

In article <JgsQd.399492$6l.15442@pd7tw2no>,
says...
> Hi aquarium gurus!
>
> I'm a novice aquarium lover who will be upgrading my current 20 gal tank
> that I've had for 18 months to a 55 gal next week (yup, should have gone for
> the 55 gal from the start!!). The new aquarium will go where the current one
> is sitting. My current aquarium has a gravel/laterite base, live plants, and
> the following:
> - 2 clown loaches
> - 2 sterbai corycats
> - 2 cardinals
> - 4 rummy nose tetras
> - 3 rainbow neon tetras
> - 1 kribensis (male)
>
> I intend to not keep the loaches, and not add any new fish but go towards a
> more heavily planted tank. I'm not sure of how to do the change over - what
> should the time line be? Any advise/experience on how long it might take to
> cycle the new tank if I use the current water, some gravel and the plants -
> including a lovely log? I'm thinking that it's pretty obvious that both
> tanks will have to be running simultaneously for some period of time. I'm
> nervous about how to move the gravel with the laterite on the bottom - I
> don't want to disperse the laterite throughout the new aquarium and don't
> know how to isolate it so that it could be again layered on the bottom of
> the new tank - maybe just go with all new gravel except for a small layer
> off the top of the existing tank?
>
> All help greatly appreciated - thanks!!

Some of the fish listed are very sensitive to water changes.
If it were me, I'd get a new 30 gallon garbage can and syphon all the
water to it, moving the fish and plants half-way. Move the 20 to a temp
location and transfer half the old water to the 20 setup with the filter
and heater. Then transfer the fish to the 20 gal. Save all the old water
for the new tank.

Now setup the 55, take your time. Fill it only half full of new water,
plant your plants, add the extra old water and let the water age for a
couple of days to a week.

Now finish the transfer of the fish and the water from the 20 gal.
Top off with aged water.

--
Hope this helps.
Jim Anderson
( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger

[Elaine T]

Larry Blanchard wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>
>>If I were you and wanted to save the gravel, I'd put fish and plants in
>>a bucket of tankwater with an airstone for a while and rinse all the
>>laterite out of the gravel, then use it in the 55 with fresh laterite.
>>Refill the 20 with water at the right temp, acclimate the fish to
>>tapwater (you gotta do this at some point anyway) and put the fish back.
>> Personally, I'm switching to fresh fluorite and eco-compete.
>>
>
> I'm no expert, but I can testify that Eco-complete sure made my plants
> grow. Nothing else except a little sand over the EC. Next tank I'll do
> it again, but use the fine gravel I got from the traction sand over it.
>
> BTW, won't rinsing that gravel rinse out a lot of the bacteria as well
> as the laterite?
>
Sure, but there's plenty in the old filter media to seed the tank.
Besides, it'll rinse out the gunk as well. I've done only old filter
media and had no cycle at all going from a planted 29 to a planted 55.
It's really kind of hard to make a tank that's been decently seeded with
bacteria and filled with plants spike ammonia and nitrites.

Glad to hear your endorsement of Eco-complete! It's spendy stuff so I'm
happy to hear that it works. I'm mixing with fluorite to get a nice
color and plenty of iron.
--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Larry Blanchard]

In article >,
says...
> If I were you and wanted to save the gravel, I'd put fish and plants in
> a bucket of tankwater with an airstone for a while and rinse all the
> laterite out of the gravel, then use it in the 55 with fresh laterite.
> Refill the 20 with water at the right temp, acclimate the fish to
> tapwater (you gotta do this at some point anyway) and put the fish back.
> Personally, I'm switching to fresh fluorite and eco-compete.
>
I'm no expert, but I can testify that Eco-complete sure made my plants
grow. Nothing else except a little sand over the EC. Next tank I'll do
it again, but use the fine gravel I got from the traction sand over it.

BTW, won't rinsing that gravel rinse out a lot of the bacteria as well
as the laterite?

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description