PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[Slvikan]

Hello all! I have a 20 long with 7 fifteen week old female Kribensis cichlids and one tiny angel fish who is recuperating from bullying. I have been away for qt and my mom has been feeding them and I have been home weekly to change the water. So today I came home for a couple of days and I’m concerned. The one largest female is swimming happily but the others are not swimming and just hiding. This HAS been going on since they were all wee babies but now they’re larger. I ALSO have a 35 gallon acrylic showtank downstairs with one yellow lab one Duboisi (long long story) one angel fish and 8 pristella tetras. I am planning to get another acrylic 75 gallon tank when I move into my fiancé’s in Sept. however should I :

A.) leave the kribs alone and keep up with weekly water changes
B.) move some but not all of krib babies and keep some up here with angelfish
**i can’t move the angel fish into the show tank yet so I don’t want to move all the krib babies**
C.) buy an emergency 40 gallon breeder
To have all the kribs live in until I can get the larger tank (I would do this Friday and it’s not ideal with cycling and all bc I would have to move the old BB into the new tank and not have a ton of time to cycle at all).
I also don’t want to split up babies but maybe it’s best.

 

[Slvikan]

Okay angelcraze I haven’t checked this post I wrote since I posted it bc you replied to me DM and I got the answers! But I wrote on dm on other site and of course I know you probably are busy and don’t check the other messages all the time obvi. But i am kinda worried so wanted to ask here in case you wouldn’t see there. So I got the 40!!!!! It fits perfectly on the dresser.

I filled it up and the sand is a mess so I’m emptying filling etc waiting for it to settle etc.
Got a new 300 watt heater (long story mine was thrown away grrrr).

so the new parts are all set up; two new ornaments and new substrate.
What’s not in the tank yet are:
Filter
Fish
Old ornaments

I am using the filter from their current tank and the old decor in here for bb. The filter has been running since November and the decor is from the same time. I won’t use the old substrate tho.

can I move the fish today? I would wait but it’s tough going in and out of my parents house (this tank at my fiancé’s) esp after I did curb side pick up for the tank and even with a mask and gloves I could have been exposed.
The other issue is I’m using the same filter from the old tank. I could probably leave the fish in the current tank without a filter and change water daily but again it’s hard to go in and out of that house.
So is it safe to move fish today? Should I run filter for 24 hours or does it make no diff?

 

[angelcraze]

I did end up replying in PM, but I will mention it here too. So do you still have a sponge filter in the 20g? If so, I think there'd be enough BB in the tank walls, substrate ect that it would support the pair if you decided to leave them. For the other 5, I would take the HOB with them and IME that's enough to start another tank. I just monitor it closely, especially the first week or so and if there is any ammonia, add some more established BB, but honestly it almost always works for me. Still has to be monitored closely tho.

I would bring the HOB along with the fish at the same time. No need to pre-run it. Just obviously use Prime to detox chloramine before adding fish and HOB. Just make sure the substrate is ready so you're not draining and refilling with fish in it. I would even leave most of the ornaments in the 20g, but you could bring a few over to bring even more BB and help the fish feel comfortable. Bear in mind, you can use clay pots set on their sides for caves.

 

[Slvikan]

I did end up replying in DM, but I will mention it here too. So do you still have a sponge filter in the 20g? If so, I think there'd be enough BB in the tank walls, substrate ect that it would support the pair if you decided to leave them. For the other 5, I would take the HOB with them and IME that's enough to start another tank. I just monitor it closely, especially the first week or so and if there is any ammonia, add some more established BB, but honestly it almost always works for me. Still has to be monitored closely tho.

I would bring the HOB along with the fish at the same time. No need to pre-run it. Just make sure the substrate is ready so you're not draining and refilling with fish in it. I would even leave most of the ornaments in the 20g, but you could bring a few over to bring even more BB and help the fish feel comfortable. Bear in mind, you can use clay pots set on their sides for caves.

You’re brilliant I was just asking more about that! Bc you’re right about the non pair. I saw another fish doing that today and perhaps it’s just what they do when they have eggs or maybe it wasn’t what I thought it was. Easily could be! I get excited thinking I have a pair even though babies are tough. I just jump on the idea, yet the fish don’t act anything like their parent’s did when they mates up.
Okay awesome so I’ll move all today (there’s not a pair I doubt lol). And I’ll bring some of the old Decor just bc I don’t have a ton in new yet just a little. I’ll post pics! Also I can’t wait to see if they still hide. If so perhaps dithers down the road which I had no room for before. Yet down the road lol. I can use the 20 l now for qt in future! I did empty and fill and empty the tank already 4 times to make it less cloudy. I still have to fill it bc I forgot my thermometer at home (and didn’t want to guess even tho heater is ready). But I can put the old decor in and fill! I wish Lacey could be with Angela so she could have a buddy but not unless I can watch non stop so she’s coming as well! Thank you so much! Seriously so so so so much!!!!!!How’s all wirh you and your fishies!

 

[angelcraze]

Ok i'm so glad you have a plan, sounds good! Just don't forget dechlorinator

If you are bringing all the kribs and Lacey over, bring whatever you want from the 20g with them. Yes I agree, not good to try Lacey with Angela if you can't be monitoring. Even if it looks good at first, it could turn sour when you're not expecting. But!......I think once you see how things are going in the larger tank, I think you have an easier time trying Angela in Lacey's tank.....

Also if it's a 300W heater, you will probably have to set it lower in temp because it's fit for a larger volume of water. So even your heaters at home could be set for a larger volume of water and you may have to set it lower.

 

[Slvikan]

Ok i'm so glad you have a plan, sounds good! Just don't forget dechlorinator

If you are bringing all the kribs and Lacey over, bring whatever you want from the 20g with them. Yes I agree, not good to try Lacey with Angela if you can't be monitoring. Even if it looks good at first, it could turn sour when you're not expecting. But!......I think once you see how things are going in the larger tank, I think you have an easier time trying Angela in Lacey's tank.....

Also if it's a 300W heater, you will probably have to set it lower in temp because it's fit for a larger volume of water. So even your heaters at home could be set for a larger volume of water and you may have to set it lower.

Omg so good to know! So I wound up getting the 300 bc I wanted to use the 100 currently in the tank and the 150 pro that hadnt broken when the other pro did. But somebody threw the 150 out and I worried 100 wasn’t strong enough. So I wound up accidentally buying two $36 dollar heaters when they’re $$22 online so I’ll return one bc I don’t need both. I was not pleased lol but I figured If I’m getting a new one I might as well get one strong enough for the largest tank I’ll wind up with. Or at least one that’s very strong to combine with a weaker for the largest tank. Still bitter it was thrown out lol. But thank you so much! I came home and fell asleep yesterday AFTERNOON at like 630 so just now about to put fish into the transport vessel. I’m using this is this okay? Or awful?

 

[Slvikan]

Hahahaha to dechlorinator. I love you. You know how hasty I get!

 

[Slvikan]

Also I’m mostly excited for Lacey bc the rest hide. I think they would prefer having dithers but we shall see later!

 

[Slvikan]

OH WAIT! So all my filter stuff is so old. Can I put new carbon in or should I keep the old in bc of bb. Want to put new in bc I’m putting wood in so for the Tannins!

 

[angelcraze]

That looks good for transport
You won't need to bring too much water with them, it just helps for similar water parameters and acclimation. But BB is mostly in the filter and it will multiply to the other surfaces in the tank within a couple days. BB will be in the carbon too, but if it is 'old' it sometimes does the opposite desired effect by leaking the stuff back into the system. You can swish the other filter media in old tank water to get the clog and debris wiped away, but keep everything else. Tbh though I don't use carbon, so I don't know very much about it. Maybe it would be better to wait a week to change new....

It's a big job to move fish, that's when the small things get overlooked. At least it works that way for me haha!