new 10g - what to do?

[klfvilla]

Yesterday, I was visiting my parents and my Dad gave me the old tank I used to have when I was a kid. I couldn't believe it actually still existed (I'm closing in on 40 here!). Its a little dirty and smelly but I think it will clean up. A couple of years ago, they had some fish in it and he had updated the hood so it now has a Penguin Biowheel mini and the lighting is a 19 watt 20" fluorescent. The only tank I have running is my 5g half-hex with live plants, a male betta, a male dwarf platy, a gold mystery snail and some baby pond snails that got in there accidentally. I suspect my 5g is a little overstocked. Plus my platy is definately lonely. He tries to physically rub up against the betta all the time. My first impulse was to clean up the 10g, transfer everything into it from the 5g and close down the 5g for the time being but I am not convinced. If I do transfer everything including filter and gravel to the 10g, will it be considered immediately cycled? Or my other option is that I could seed the 10g from the 5g, leaving the 5g running and inhabited, cycle the 10g fishless and once cycled, move out the platy and the pond snails and leave just the betta and the mystery snail in the 5g?

 

[rsanz]

The latter option seems more feasible. Seed the 10g, wait until it has cycled, and then transfer everything over.

 

[Que]

I'd go with the first option. Most of your good bacteria is in the filter, on the plants and in the gravel. There's some on the snail shells too. The only bactreia you'll be leaving behind is on the tank walls. So if you transfer all those things over as they are (don't clean them at all ) then you will either have a mini cycle (I doubt it) or you'll be fine. Either way I doubt you'll have much trouble.

Q

 

[Flying_Diamond]

I'd go with the first option. It will be very close to cycled with that stuff in it, you could keep the 5 gallon set up though, and get another betta to put in there.

 

[klfvilla]

Thanks for the advice. I spent some time today cleaning the 10g. It came up very nice and no leaks. My 9 year old daughter has been begging to have her own betta - she loves our family one so much - so I think I will transfer everything I have now to the 10g and give the 5g to my daughter for a betta and a mystery snail to eventually reside in. Once I have my little gang safely in the 10g and the water tests fine for one week, we'll chat about adding to my stock. Definately, my dwarf platy, Pig, needs a dwarf platy friend or two but I'll have to make sure they are boy friends since he is a boy himself.

 

[Rbishop]

I would put all in the 10, and run the 5 gal filter on the 10 also. When you are ready to set up the 5 for your daughter, just move the filter back.