Moving fish to upgraded tank

[Gill Passman]

Hi All,
Been puzzling over the best way to move the fish from my son's 10g
"overcrowded" tank over to his new 30g tank and would welcome your opinions
and advice.

The tank has been up and running for a week now with some plants (both real
and fake) from his existing tank to "seed it". It has a Fluval External 204
pump. I also added "Cycle" and "Waste Control" last week and will do it
again today. I'm thinking of leaving it for another week after adding some
more plants this weekend. Does that sound about right?

He currently has the following fish in his existing tank:-

2 x Pearl Gourami
1 x Betta (young)
2 x Glowlight Tetra
3 x Harlequins
3 x Mollies

He wants to put Barbs in the existing tank once his new one is up and
running. I don't want to leave the existing one running without any fish for
any length of time so had thought maybe adding some as we move the others -
but not until the Gouramis and Betta have moved.

The question then is what order to transfer them in? Both the male Gourami
and the Betta are quite dominant so I wouldn't like to move them separately
as I don't want any further territory wars than we already have. The Mollies
I guess are hardier so might cope with moving and the completing the
cylcling on the new tank (at least that was what we were told by our LFS
when we first bought them for his 10g).

I'm not happy with the idea of moving them all at once as I would hate to
lose any because the tank hasn't fully cycled.

Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated....

Gill

[Aidan Grey]

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:18:01 -0000, Gill Passman wrote:

>Hi All,
>Been puzzling over the best way to move the fish from my son's 10g
>"overcrowded" tank over to his new 30g tank and would welcome your opinions
>and advice.
>
>The tank has been up and running for a week now with some plants (both real
>and fake) from his existing tank to "seed it". It has a Fluval External 204
>pump. I also added "Cycle" and "Waste Control" last week and will do it
>again today. I'm thinking of leaving it for another week after adding some
>more plants this weekend. Does that sound about right?
>
>He currently has the following fish in his existing tank:-
>
>2 x Pearl Gourami
>1 x Betta (young)
>2 x Glowlight Tetra
>3 x Harlequins
>3 x Mollies
>
>He wants to put Barbs in the existing tank once his new one is up and
>running. I don't want to leave the existing one running without any fish for
>any length of time so had thought maybe adding some as we move the others -
>but not until the Gouramis and Betta have moved.
>
>The question then is what order to transfer them in? Both the male Gourami
>and the Betta are quite dominant so I wouldn't like to move them separately
>as I don't want any further territory wars than we already have. The Mollies
>I guess are hardier so might cope with moving and the completing the
>cylcling on the new tank (at least that was what we were told by our LFS
>when we first bought them for his 10g).
>
>I'm not happy with the idea of moving them all at once as I would hate to
>lose any because the tank hasn't fully cycled.
>
>Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated....
>
>Gill
>
>
>
>
>

It will be easiest to move the smallest fish first. That probably means
the Glowlight and Mollies.

Wait a day or two before you move the next group of fish.

Aidan Grey

[sophie]

In message >, Gill Passman
> writes
>Hi All,
>Been puzzling over the best way to move the fish from my son's 10g
>"overcrowded" tank over to his new 30g tank and would welcome your opinions
>and advice.
>
>The tank has been up and running for a week now with some plants (both real
>and fake) from his existing tank to "seed it". It has a Fluval External 204
>pump. I also added "Cycle" and "Waste Control" last week and will do it
>again today. I'm thinking of leaving it for another week after adding some
>more plants this weekend. Does that sound about right?
>
>He currently has the following fish in his existing tank:-
>
>2 x Pearl Gourami
>1 x Betta (young)
>2 x Glowlight Tetra
>3 x Harlequins
>3 x Mollies
>
>He wants to put Barbs in the existing tank once his new one is up and
>running. I don't want to leave the existing one running without any fish for
>any length of time so had thought maybe adding some as we move the others -
>but not until the Gouramis and Betta have moved.
>
>The question then is what order to transfer them in? Both the male Gourami
>and the Betta are quite dominant so I wouldn't like to move them separately
>as I don't want any further territory wars than we already have. The Mollies
>I guess are hardier so might cope with moving and the completing the
>cylcling on the new tank (at least that was what we were told by our LFS
>when we first bought them for his 10g).
>
>I'm not happy with the idea of moving them all at once as I would hate to
>lose any because the tank hasn't fully cycled.
>
>Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated....

If you transfer the filter media from the existing tank into the new
filter at the same time as adding the fish, go easy on feeding for a few
days and do daily small water changes for the first week I would have
thought you could move them all at once?
--
sophie

[NetMax]

"sophie" > wrote in message
...
> In message >, Gill Passman
> > writes
>>Hi All,
>>Been puzzling over the best way to move the fish from my son's 10g
>>"overcrowded" tank over to his new 30g tank and would welcome your
>>opinions
>>and advice.
>>
>>The tank has been up and running for a week now with some plants (both
>>real
>>and fake) from his existing tank to "seed it". It has a Fluval External
>>204
>>pump. I also added "Cycle" and "Waste Control" last week and will do
>>it
>>again today. I'm thinking of leaving it for another week after adding
>>some
>>more plants this weekend. Does that sound about right?
>>
>>He currently has the following fish in his existing tank:-
>>
>>2 x Pearl Gourami
>>1 x Betta (young)
>>2 x Glowlight Tetra
>>3 x Harlequins
>>3 x Mollies
>>
>>He wants to put Barbs in the existing tank once his new one is up and
>>running. I don't want to leave the existing one running without any
>>fish for
>>any length of time so had thought maybe adding some as we move the
>>others -
>>but not until the Gouramis and Betta have moved.
>>
>>The question then is what order to transfer them in? Both the male
>>Gourami
>>and the Betta are quite dominant so I wouldn't like to move them
>>separately
>>as I don't want any further territory wars than we already have. The
>>Mollies
>>I guess are hardier so might cope with moving and the completing the
>>cylcling on the new tank (at least that was what we were told by our
>>LFS
>>when we first bought them for his 10g).
>>
>>I'm not happy with the idea of moving them all at once as I would hate
>>to
>>lose any because the tank hasn't fully cycled.
>>
>>Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated....
>
> If you transfer the filter media from the existing tank into the new
> filter at the same time as adding the fish, go easy on feeding for a
> few days and do daily small water changes for the first week I would
> have thought you could move them all at once?
> --
> sophie


This is also what I would do. Before moving them, I would do some large
water changes a few days prior (brings the 10g tank water more in line
with the tap water, making the later move easier on them). I would also
move most of the water from the 10g to the 30g with the fish (while this
has little bacterial value, it minimises the water shock). After the
move, populate the old tank ASAP (and don't cross-contaminate to the 30g
with a wet net or anything, or you could inadvertently include your 30g
in a quarantine).
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Gill Passman]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
> "sophie" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In message >, Gill Passman
> > > writes
> >>Hi All,
> >>Been puzzling over the best way to move the fish from my son's 10g
> >>"overcrowded" tank over to his new 30g tank and would welcome your
> >>opinions
> >>and advice.
> >>
> >>The tank has been up and running for a week now with some plants (both
> >>real
> >>and fake) from his existing tank to "seed it". It has a Fluval External
> >>204
> >>pump. I also added "Cycle" and "Waste Control" last week and will do
> >>it
> >>again today. I'm thinking of leaving it for another week after adding
> >>some
> >>more plants this weekend. Does that sound about right?
> >>
> >>He currently has the following fish in his existing tank:-
> >>
> >>2 x Pearl Gourami
> >>1 x Betta (young)
> >>2 x Glowlight Tetra
> >>3 x Harlequins
> >>3 x Mollies
> >>
> >>He wants to put Barbs in the existing tank once his new one is up and
> >>running. I don't want to leave the existing one running without any
> >>fish for
> >>any length of time so had thought maybe adding some as we move the
> >>others -
> >>but not until the Gouramis and Betta have moved.
> >>
> >>The question then is what order to transfer them in? Both the male
> >>Gourami
> >>and the Betta are quite dominant so I wouldn't like to move them
> >>separately
> >>as I don't want any further territory wars than we already have. The
> >>Mollies
> >>I guess are hardier so might cope with moving and the completing the
> >>cylcling on the new tank (at least that was what we were told by our
> >>LFS
> >>when we first bought them for his 10g).
> >>
> >>I'm not happy with the idea of moving them all at once as I would hate
> >>to
> >>lose any because the tank hasn't fully cycled.
> >>
> >>Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated....
> >
> > If you transfer the filter media from the existing tank into the new
> > filter at the same time as adding the fish, go easy on feeding for a
> > few days and do daily small water changes for the first week I would
> > have thought you could move them all at once?
> > --
> > sophie
>
>
> This is also what I would do. Before moving them, I would do some large
> water changes a few days prior (brings the 10g tank water more in line
> with the tap water, making the later move easier on them). I would also
> move most of the water from the 10g to the 30g with the fish (while this
> has little bacterial value, it minimises the water shock). After the
> move, populate the old tank ASAP (and don't cross-contaminate to the 30g
> with a wet net or anything, or you could inadvertently include your 30g
> in a quarantine).
> --
> www.NetMax.tk
>
>
OK great you have given me some ideas. What I am thinking now is that I'll
do tomorrow's scheduled water change on the 10g and swap it with the water
sitting in the 30g. As there is only a small pump/filter in the 10g it
might be best to take some of the media from my 55g community tank, which
has two systems (one internal/one external) just before swapping the fish
over - I'm pretty confident that both tanks are healthy but yes, there might
be a cross-contaminate risk so not sure about this. Before moving anything
I'll do a water test on the new tank just to be sure.

Spoke to my LFS today and they think it would be better to move the Gouramis
and the Betta separately.....one option might be to move the Betta into the
5g "baby tank" first - the fry are around 0.5cm at the moment (platy and
molly). They also suggested he be the last to move and that we get the
replacement fish at the same time as his planned move - one out and the new
in!!! They also seemed to think that I could move the Harlequins pretty
quickly to keep up the bacteria....

So current plan, is to do the water changes as suggested so not too much of
a shock. Test the water in a couple of days and then move some/most of the
fish plus ornaments and some of the filter medium mid to late next week. Do
another water change in the same way before moving them the day
before....and leave at least some fish in the 10g until we have the
opportunity to restock it - next weekend is soonest

Next project....my Malawi tank...new tank arrives tomorrow :-)