# Deal on 75gal tank with fish



## Jim 642 (Nov 2, 2012)

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Buying 75gal African Cichilds tank. Comes with canister filter lights decor complete setup off of Craigslist owner said if i want i can have about 12 fish he has in tank now. If i don't want fish he will take back to LFS. Right now I'm having trouble with my fish dieing just have some neons and 3 panda cats left. Tank i have now is 38gal i will take neons and pandas and put in a 10gal tank for now. Will clean tank & filter should i just use plain water to clean tank. My plan is to take 3 or 4 buckets to bring fish back. Going to clean 38gal tank out today & tomorrow and fill back up with tap water. I'm gone to pickup his tank & fish Next week. So here is my problem how to get 38gal tank ready for fish will they be ok in small tank while i get 75 ready. He said to put salt in water and do i need to put start up are something in water. how to setup 75 will leave same gravel he has in it & same media in canister filter will that help with cycle or use start up for that to. When i put fish in 75 do i a acclimate in a bucket he said some are 5or 6'' to big to put in bag. Hope i'm not geting in over my head Thanks for any help you can give me all any suggestions are welcome. Jim.


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## Brian757 (Sep 24, 2012)

I will tell you to stay away from Craigslist ads for tanks.
I have been burned by tanks and have had them break on me. I am not saying this is true for all, but I have just had bad personal experiences.

I would either wait for a store to do a $1-per gallon deal, or just try to save up and purchase a new tank. If you don't plan on having it for long, you could purchase a tank off of Craigslist and re-caulk the whole thing for precautionary measures.

But for longevity, I would definitely purchase a new tank. I have heard that tanks usually last for 15 years, and then you must either re-caulk or trash it.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If you keep the existing filter active(don't drain it and start it up ASAP{even in a different tank like your 38} and the bacteria should be in full function.Then you can take your time setting up 75.100% new water will not be a problem.The filter and bacteria in it are most important.
I'd buy a nw tank myself just to not have scratches and shorter life.


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## Jim Albright (Jan 22, 2013)

To the bandit----is it true once the existing filter dries, all the bacteria is pretty much dead? How long do you have once a filter is shutdown to save the bacteria?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Jim Albright said:


> To the bandit----is it true once the existing filter dries, all the bacteria is pretty much dead? How long do you have once a filter is shutdown to save the bacteria?


That's a good question.If the filter is not completely dry I would think there is still some bacteria available.If the filter is completely dry I might still be inclined to think there is some form of "seed" in there although the bacteria will not be on demand but possibly help to speed things up.
How long an active flter an last without a nutrient source will vary on how strong the bacteria are(filter with only two fish not so long,filter from major population may last acouple days,in the right temp,but would prefer some food{nutrients from fish}).


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