Help! Cycling but pressed for time!

[Max Thomas]

I recenty purchased a 40 gallon tank this past Saturday for my two goldfish (1 year old black moor and a six month old red cap oranda) at the moment they are in a twenty gallon with a (unfortunately) failing filter and airstone. The water in there gets dirty pretty quick.

So I planned to cycle the new tank for a week before moving them in the following Saturday. Then I read that people say give it 2 to 3 weeks before moving fish.

Here's the problem- I leave for the other side of the state (I live in Michigan) to petsit my sister's animals while she and her family are on vacation. I'll be gone for a week and a half. And I leave next Sunday. My elderly mother will be here to feed the goldfish but she can't handle a water change. The bigger tank with a new and working filter will keep the tank from getting to dangerous levels when I'm gone for that time (I'll do a water change immediately after I get home)

So my question is- Will it be safe for me to move my fish into the new tank after it cycles for just 1 week?

 

[dougall]

Move the filter over and everything else that is movable too.

lighten up on feeding, increase (or start) frequent testing of water

be sure your mother isn't going to overfeed

don't make big changes right before you go away, otherwise... you know, Murphy's law

 

[myswtsins]

After checking all your new equipment is working and not leaking, move everything possible from the old tank over to the new tank and then the fish right away. The filter, substrate, decorations all have beneficial bacteria on them (the filter media mostly though) and by transfer that to the new tank it is practically an instant cycle, there may be a very small mini cycle but shouldn't be anything the goldfish can't handle.

Make daily food portions in baggies or pill boxes to ensure mom doesn't overfeed and honestly they could go that long without any food what so ever so feed VERY lightly, especially because of this new change.

As a safety net you could also have her add (and you before you leave) a dose of prime every other day to neutralize any ammonia (or nitrites, nitrates).

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I agree. By moving everything from the old tank to the new, the only thing that is effectively different will be the extra water volume.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Like all the excellent suggestions above, once your decor and equipment are moved from the 20g to the 40, your cycle should be instant, but you should verify it with a test kit. In regards to your initial comment of "giving it 2-3 weeks to cycle", cycling just doesn't happen by itself. You have to give it a constant ammonia supply and monitor water parameters regularly until you know the tank produces nothing but nitrates.

For a week, I personally wouldn't feed the fish at all. To me, if you can't be there to monitor things, it's safer not to feed. Feed them just before you leave.