Urgent - need advice with transferring fish -

[bleeding]

I currently have a 20 gallon tank housing a ton of livebearers and a betta which is completely overpopulated. I just picked up my 55 gallon tank to transfer them into and ordered an Eheim 2028 canister filter. The filter probably wont be here until next week. The water conditions in my 20 gallon are horrible. My ammoina is off the scale (highest reading is 6) and the nitrates and nitrites are crazy high. I guess I had anticipated getting the tank and filter before my population got this bad, but thats beside the point.

The 20 gallon has one of those cheap hang on back filters from walmart that is for the 20-40 gallon.

Then, the tank sprung a leak, and I need to get them out quickly.

My question is, can I go ahead and put the fish into the 55 gallon and put that small filter on it until the new one arrives? I had read a sticky thread that mentioned not to do this if your water conditions were not optimum.

Should I transfer all 20 gallons of water into the new tank and then fill it with clean water. I will not be transferring the substrate (rocks) to the new tank, I am using sand and laterite for the 55 gallon.

Is this going to cause cycling problems, or will the bacteria in the filter take over and help the new filter, and if so, will the new much larger filter clean up the ammonia and nitrate spikes?

I welcome any and all opinions and ideas! Thanks for the help!

 

[purblind]

IMO I would transfer them. If your 20G has high ammonia readings b/c of overstocking then transfering them to a larger tank would be a good idea. However, if the ammonia reading is due to the tank being cycled, there is little you can do at this point but find someone else to take the fish, even the LFS or cross your fingers.

If your issue isn't the latter, transfering the filter and the water would be a good idea. The new water will dilute the ammonia a bit and give the BB a better chance of catching up to the system.

I'd also consider taking some of the old gravel and put it into the new tank using a media bag/container.

 

[Cathy G]

My ammoina is off the scale (highest reading is 6) and the nitrates and nitrites are crazy high. I guess I had anticipated getting the tank and filter before my population got this bad, but thats beside the point.

Even in the 55 you are going to have to do water changes. Weekly water changes. You are in trouble right now because your fish have probably gotten used to terrible water and if you acclimate them to the new/good water too fast you will kill them. On the other hand if your ammonia really is off the charts, that is killing them right now...

If your 20g is leaking, depending on how bad it is, you might not have a choice. It the leak isn't too bad, I'd do a 20% water change now. Then late tonight, do another. Tomorrow morning another... tomorrow night another. Etc. Until you have little ammonia and nitrite. Try to get them out of that situation as gradually but as fast as possible.

If the 20g's leak is too bad, well you don't have a choice. They go into the 55. Put 1/2 the dirty water in with the fish, then add to it say 5g's at a time, once every 30 minutes... Put the old filter on the back of the 55.

You'll have to do lots of water changes in the 55. Read up on cycling a tank if you don't know what that is all about and watch for disease. Poor water quality is a fish killer.

(Oh, if they go into the 55, put in whatever plastic plants/rocks, decorations etc you had in the 20. There will be some good bacteria on it.)

Cathy

 

[kmgriff72]

Your bacteria is not in the water, it is in the filter media on the substrate, decorations etc... I think you need to get a filter and put your existing media in it and then transfer over some substrate and maybe decorations until you can get it cycled. Either way, I think you will have a cycle but right now your fish are in danger anyway with an ammonia of 6. You can use some of your water since they are used to it but also use clean water (kinda like when you do a water change). Keep it to as little stress as possible. It will be hard to do since you are going to a new tank etc.... Keep checking your water parameters like if you were cycling with fish and do water changes to keep levels down. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[DaisyTattoo]

What kind of test kit are you using? This could make a difference. I would agree with what Cathy said as well. If the fish are used to the conditions then putting clean water in there will kill them. If they haven't been living this way for a long time, then I would say not to move the old water with them since the good bacteria doesn't actually live in the water, it lives in the filter media and in the substrate and on decorations and such. You would probably be better off to slowly acclimate them as you would if they were new fish if you do it this way though.