Transferring Tanks: 29G -> 75G

[jhj]

Hello All :

I just bought a 75G tank and am going to transfer the inhabitants of my 29G tanks into the 75G. I will be taking the Aquaclear 50 that I had on the 29G and will be running it in tandem with the brand new Aquaclear 110. I will not be transferring the gravel but am thinking of transferring most of the water from the 29G to 75G. The fish that will be transferred are: 1 Pearl Gourami, 2 Rainbowfish, 2 clown loaches, 1 clown plecco, 1 rope fish. I Will also be transferring my java fern, java moss, java lace and annubias.

My question relates to cycling, since I will be transferring the old filter to the new tank, would I have to worry abouyt cycling the new tank? If so how long do you think it may take (since a good amount of bacteria are already on the biological media of the old filter and bacteria grow exponentially)

Any help would be appreciated. :dive:

 

[beatle]

The cycle involves colonizing bacteria on the filter, and to some extent, the gravel. The tank itself does not cycle, it's just the filtration. Your bioload is going to be the same in a 75g as it is in a 29g if you're moving the fish from one to the other. The bacteria colony should already be acclimated to your fish, so you should be able to move everything to the 75g without an issue. If you see any spike at all, it'd be due to the fact that you're not transferring the gravel.

 

[rrkss]

In normal tank conditions the bacteria in your filter double every 24 hours to meet the bioload. I doubt you willl see a spike. If any wastes do buildup, you have 75 gallons of water to dillute them while the bacteria catch up. It does not hurt to test the water for the first week or so to make sure everything went smoothly

 

[TetraFreak]

Also, if you're not transferring the gravel, perhaps siphon off as much "GUNK" from the gravel for the new tank as well. The extra gunk from the old tank should help get the new filter established in a more timely manner as well.

 

[Holly9937]

I would not add any gravel (unless you wanted to) or gunk from the bottom. Transferring the filter will be sufficient. I moved over the filters from a 35g and a 50g onto a 180g and had no problems. Just make sure you dechlorinate the water before you put the filter on so the untreated water doesn't run through and kill off your good bacteria.

I would run the new filter (or transfer all the old filter media to it) for several weeks before removing the old one, just to be safe and allow the new filter to become well established.

congrats on the new tank :clap: