New tank/moving fish

achilles

achilles

AC Members
Sep 22, 2005
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Newcastle, Australia
Okay, so I did manage to buy the lovely 92gal corner tank which I was after. However, I'm a little unsure about how to safely move the fish (one 8 inch red devil, by himself) from the current tank to the new one. I had two theories about how to do this and was curious which, if either, would be the better way to do it.
1. Fill the tank to around two thirds capacity. Cycle the water that is in there (questions about cycling will follow), then before moving the fish transfer the remainder of the water necessary from the old tank to the new.
2. Completely fill the tank and cycle water.

Regarding cycling, my partner and I were relatively clueless when we first got the fish, so I'm still a learner. I've read countless threads about how to do a fishless cycle and am relatively confident in my ability to follow the procedure. However I'm unsure about what filtration to use. We currently have an Aqua One canister filter and the new tank comes with a Sacem Marathon canister. We were going to ideally use the old filter on the new tank, but I'm not sure when this should be transferred or whether to just use the new one (both are suitable for the size).

Any suggestions/help is very much appreciated. We're quite fond of our fishy and I'd hate to do anything while moving him which would stress him or possibly make him unwell or worse... :S
 
Completely fill the tank and cycle, there is little to no benefit to the old water, all the bacteria is in the filters and the surfaces of the old tank. When you transfer the fish float them in a bag like you would a new fish from the store so that they can get used to the new water temp.
 
You can forget about cycling the new tank since you already have an existing tank set up. Move your existing filter media over to the new tank and add your fish right away, the bacteria in your old filter media will jumpstart the cycle.
 
Here is what I did when I transfered from My 29 gallon to my 72 gallon.

1. Set up the new tank where I wanted it and filled about 2/3 full. Plugged in heater and got the new tank to same temp as old.
2. Started draining old tank and putting the water in the new tank (I know it was no needed but I am cheap and did not want to buy another 25 gallons of RO water at the time).
3. Once water level was low enough to easily net the fish, I moved the old tank next to the new one. I then netted the fish and immediately transfered them into their new home.
4. Topped of the tank and moved my Emperor from the 29 and placed it on the new tank (also have an Ehiem 2215 on the 72 gallon but needed the bacteria form my Emperor).
5. Everyone is living happily in the new tank.

I do not know if you plan on moving the gravel over or not but you can move alot of it over before you even remove the fish from the old tank.

Transfering over the old filter to the new tank pretty much saves having to cycle the new tank. Just do not go crazy and add a multitude of new fish.

If you want to use the new filter, transfer the media from the old one to the new one and plug it in. Once again you are cycled and ready to go.
 
Okay so there's one vote for cycling and two for simply transferring the filter and letting it do the work.

Another question- to catch him when he needs moving, we planned on coercing the fish into a bucket as opposed to netting him. He is rather large, can be temperamental and (from experience) quite opposed to being netted, making the procedure stressful for him and difficult for us. In terms of introducing him to the new tank, my understanding of the last two posts is that I can just let him go immediately - I don't need to float him at all first to minimise shock from any differences in the water? We'd be ensuring that the temperature was the same.

We're not planning on introducing any new fish - that would be asking for trouble and the point of the move is to provide him with enough space to (hopefully) live happily for the rest of his days.

Thanks for your assistance - as I mentioned we were pretty clueless but I find this forum to be a great educational tool as well as it being good to be able to discuss queries or concerns with people who have the benefit of experience. The teenaged sales assistants at many of the local fish shops appear to often have no idea...
 
If you're using the same source of water for the new tank that you used for the old, just get the temperature close and dump him in. The only reason you would float a fish in a bag is to get it acclimated to the current water temperature.

If the water parameters were drastically different, like very soft water to hard water, then the bag floating method still isn't very helpful. A drip method where you place the fish in a bucket with some of the original water and slowly add water from the new tank is much safer.
 
I would double check the ph too, sometimes it can change a little from when it sits for a while from when it is fresh from the tap. I second the suggestions to just fill the new tank, add dechlor., make sure temp./ph are the same/very close, and move the fish to the new tank. Just make sure to put the filter on the new tank after you dechlor the water (that way the chlorinated water won't run through your established filter and kill your bacteria). I moved the contents (fish, gravel, and filters) of a 35g and a 50g to a 180g and had no problems, no cycle of any kind, nothing!! You should be fine :D

And definately bucket him if you can, I can't imagine moving a fish that big :eek: !!
 
phanmc said:
You can forget about cycling the new tank since you already have an existing tank set up. Move your existing filter media over to the new tank and add your fish right away, the bacteria in your old filter media will jumpstart the cycle.
Click to expand...

Its as easy as that.

My 11-inch pleco was easy to move. I just grabbed him. The oscar was another story. Moving him 2 feet away with two large nets, I was soaked from head to toe. :dive: Not sure there is an easy way to corral an ornery little fish. (They don't appear to be able to see clear plastic too well, so maybe you can sneak up on him with a large tupperware bowl.)
 
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