Tranferring Fish to Larger Tank

D

dockwats

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Jun 2, 2006
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Hi, :)

I'm new to the hobby and have maintained a small 5.5 gallon tank with platies for about a year. I finally decided to get a bigger tank, 10 gallon, but would greatly appreciate some of your expert advice or tips on transferring.

My plans right now are to use a small tank to hold my fish while I transfer the current water in the 5.5 gal to the 10. I use basic gravel for media and since the tank is pretty regulated now, I figure this should be transferred as well as keeping the current Whisperjet Filter.

Should I still wait a few days for water to "set" after bringing the ten gallon to volume, or since I'm transferring a good portion of media/water/filter will it be regulated enough after a few hours?

I had a few problems with ick as well as fungal infection in the tank some months back, but it hasn't been a problem since initial treatment. Yet, I'm a little worried some "baddies" might be underneath the gravel and transfer to the new tank. Am I just being silly?

Any pointers or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have a free weekend and look forward to getting this tank up :) Thanks in advance.

-dock
 
Stick with that plan- but let it filter and sit for a week to ten days before you add any fish. After you transfer the needed gravel add an effective Ick treatment for a few days as this should prevent any Ick problems when you move the fish. Good luck. :)
 
what I do is transfer the fish to buckets containing tank water and maybe an airstone depending on how long I'm gonna be stting up the larger tank. then,everything from the smaller tank is transfred into the larger tank. Once the water is'nt so cloudy anymore, wich shouldn't take too long if your tank is maintained properly, I add the fish. works everytime.

InR reason, you should'nt need an ick treatment if your tank is healthy and properly maintained. It would stress the fish out even more to have chemicals added to the water for a disease wich should'nt and probably is'nt present in the tank at the time. The only chemical you should be using, other than proper additives for a planted tank if your going that way, is declor, and not just any declor as some of them are just formalin wich will only poison the fish. Even if I had disease, I wouldn't use any chemical, either salt or the heat treatment.
 
Thank you InR and dorfkish. I really appreciate it.

As far as treating tap water, I typically have used Chlor-out by Wardley and allow a day of sitting. Would it be better to buy natural water by the gallon at stores. I'd like to do it anyway, but it can get expensive with having to top off evaporation every so often.
 
Do you do regular water changes? Not just "top off", right?

I would do as Dork recommends, moving over your gravel and filter, fill up with dechlor'ed water, and move your fish in.

Unless there is something wrong with your tap water that you haven't mentioned, why would you buy "natural" water?
Do you have any test kits? Test your tap water after it has set out in a shallow bowl for 12-24 hrs.
 
Most of the beneficial bacteria are in your filter not your water. If you are getting a new filter for the larger tank you can seed it with the old gravel, plants, rocks, and filter media. Filter media is especially helpful. However, you may still have a mini cycle. So test, test, and test your water. And do not be afraid to use completely fresh de-chlorinated water.
 
InR reason said:
Stick with that plan- but let it filter and sit for a week to ten days before you add any fish. After you transfer the needed gravel add an effective Ick treatment for a few days as this should prevent any Ick problems when you move the fish. Good luck. :)
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Hmmm, don't think so. Letting a cycled tank sit for a week without adding fish or an ammonia source would starve the good bacteria resulting in a die-off, and could this cause an ammonia spike/need to re-cycle when you add the fish.

Also, adding an ick treatment to a tank with no sick fish is not a great idea. If everyone in the tank has been healthy for 6 weeks, there is no need for more treatment.

I would setup the new tank the way dorkfish & rbishop have suggested.
 
I moved my 15g setup to a 30 g set up. I put in all the new stuff to the tank (more substrate, plants, filter, and water. Let it run and get up to tempreature. (keep using the water you've been using BTW)

I moved substrate first, trying to keep the top layer on the top of the new tank, since that potentially had good bacteria and I didn't want to kill it by burying it.

I moved over plants and decor (also a source of good bacteria). Then put the old filter on with the new and added fish. This is the best way to get your tank not to have a mini cycle IMO. Or if you can put the old filter media in the new filter.

all of this was done with in 24 hours, the longest part being that i had to wait for my tap to come to temperature.

obviously you have mad your tank healthy and as stated you don't need more meds.

Have fun with your new tank!!
 
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