Changing tank?

Question

What would be the best way to switch tank from a 75 to 160 with out losing all my fish, Im useing all my same sand and rock and of corse will add more sand to the new tank , im just worried about my fish. 2 lion fish 1 foxface , diamond goby panther grouper, morish idol and 1 harlequin tuskfish, i plan on using all the same filters and water but my question is how long before i can put my fish back in since the old stuff is cycled aleady

Answer 1

Moving everything as quickly as possible would be the best bet. The longer the filter goes without ammonia from the fish or nitrite from the first stage of the cycle, the more of the bacteria that will die.

Nice sounding tank btw, I love Morish Idols. Awesome looking fish.

MM

Answer 2

I agree with MM - since your tank is already cycled and you shouldn't be introducing any more bioload when you move to the larger tank, you'll already have enough bacteria to do a fair job with the water quality. The larger volume in the new tank will help to dilute any ammonia and nitrite while your bacteria recover from any losses during the move. Just try to keep losses at a minimum by keeping all the sand and rock under water when you move them so they aren't exposed to any air - same with your filters - don't let them out of the water. Plastic ziploc bags or buckets are handy for this. And make sure there's enough water in the new tank when you put the rock and sand in so it's all underwater there too.

If you're planning to set the new tank up where the old one was, use well-cleaned rubbermaid tubs, plastic garbage cans, or an old picnic cooler as temporary holding areas while you move the tanks.

Sounds like you've got an impressive collection of fish!

Answer 3

How do you plan to set up the new tank if you are using all the stuff that is in use in the other one now? Sounds like you just need to transfer everything to the other tank and add some extra water.

Answer 4

Here's a great article that should answer a lot of your questions.