# Faster way to get new tank ready?



## mclaren880 (Mar 28, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

I am new to the aquarium world, and i am about to move to move to a new place that has the space for me to upgrade my 10g tank to a 75 gallon tank (just picked it up this past weekend). The problem, is that we don't have much time between our new lease beginning and our old lease ending. I would prefer to not have to go through all the hassle of moving the 10g tank so it can be used for a few days, and then load them into the new tank. 

We previously used a 3 day cycling packet that seemed to work well (the 3 tetras and 2 platies we bought after the 3 day cycling period all lived and seem to be thriving, now several months later). Sadly, the best i can hope for with the the new tank is to have it set up Friday evening, and then Sunday Evening we will likely need to move the fish, so that's only 2 days.

Is there a way to have the new tank ready faster? Does buying water from the LFS speed this up? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!


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## zaneypop (Apr 3, 2012)

I would take some of the substrate and water from your existing tank and use in the new tank. The major challenge is that you are going to such a much larger tank. I would also pick up a fish like Zebra Danio to help get the good bacteria going. 2 days is just not a lot of time. Tetras and Platies are pretty hardy fish.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

Use everything you can from your 10 gallon including the filter. Your tank will likely still mini cycle but if you ONLY put in the fish that are in the 10g right now it should catch up quickly. Then just test and do wc as needed and wait about 2 weeks before you add any more fish.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Summer said:


> Use everything you can from your 10 gallon including the filter. Your tank will likely still mini cycle but if you ONLY put in the fish that are in the 10g right now it should catch up quickly. Then just test and do wc as needed and wait about 2 weeks before you add any more fish.


+1 good advice. The good bacteria live on all surfaces of the tank like the gravel and decor. The biggest mount of good bacteria are in the filter. These bacteria are already supporting the fish you have so if you move most of this stuff over to the new tank they will continue supporting that fish load. There may be a small die back causing a mini cycle but it shouldn't be a big deal. The bigger tank will need a bigger filter so just run both filters for a month or two and then you can take out the small one.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

With their high turnover, etc, a lot of pet stores have hitch-hikers in their water. I avoid pet shop water getting into my tanks like the plague. It's a great source of ich, velvet and unfriendly bacteria.
Follow the advice of summer, zaneypop and snail - it's the best thing to do. And be patient - when you are up and running, it'll take that tank at least 6 weeks to get up to speed. You can focus on the new place, and get to the fishtank filling after.
The cycle products seem like snake oil to me - I don't think the average ones you buy do much. I don't think they do harm, but I'm skeptical.
My only question about the advice offered is about the suggestion of buying danios to cycle - you can cycle with the fish you have, or if you need a couple more, a fish you want after.
A lot of people talk as if a new, barren tank is toxic. It isn't. It just takes a lot of management until the necessary bacterial cultures become established. You can put fish into a tank straight out of the store, with a brand new filter and decor. You just can't do it with no problems, and you have to be willing to work your butt off to keep the environment from becoming toxic to your fish, as the bacterial colonies respond to the food your fish provide them with. You can change 40% of the water daily like a big pet shop or importer will, or you can go very slowly, and allow the tank to cycle while lightly stocked with regular, weekly 25% changes. The second route makes more sense to me, although patience isn't always a hobbyist's strength.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello mc...

You can have fish in a new tank from day one if you want. A 75 G can have at least a couple of dozen small fish, provided you set up the tank with filter, heater, gravel and some plants and of course filling the tank before getting the fish. I'd recommend a couple of very hardy fish like Zebra Danios or a "Livebearer" like a Platy.

A simple "fish in" cycle will give you some activity in the tank right away. All you need to do is get a water testing kit and monitor the tank water every day. Just check daily for ammonia and nitrites. When your test reads a trace of either of these pollutants, just change out 25 to 30 percent of the water. That will return the tank properties to the "safe zone" for the fish. When several tests read zero ammonia and nitrites, you can add a few more fish and start testing daily again.

The cycling process takes four to six weeks, but you have the benefit of having some fish in the tank right away.

Just a thought.

B


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## mclaren880 (Mar 28, 2012)

Thank you everyone! I'm starting to think i need to figure out a way to not have to deal with this till i'm fully moved in.

Has anyone had any experience moving say a half full 10g tank? We are moving only a mile down the road, and we can do it all on backroads so we can go really slow the whole time. Would this put undue pressure on the tank and possibly break it?

Thanks again, i really appreciate all the help, here.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Should be fine, just leave enough water in the tank for the fish.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I would put the water and fish in containers then move the mostly empty tank.

the resetup at the destination point.

You might want to take a look at the methods in the link in my signature. seems to work very well for new tanks and very rapidily for already established tanks. but still I recommend a week setup with the plants before adding fish. In your case you can just keep the fish in the old tank during that time.


my .02


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

BBradbury said:


> Hello mc...
> 
> You can have fish in a new tank from day one if you want. A 75 G can have at least a couple of dozen small fish, provided you set up the tank with filter, heater, gravel and some plants and of course filling the tank before getting the fish. I'd recommend a couple of very hardy fish like Zebra Danios or a "Livebearer" like a Platy.
> 
> ...


I think you may have misunderstood she already has a cycled tank so there is no need to go through a full cycle again.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

mclaren880 said:


> Thank you everyone! I'm starting to think i need to figure out a way to not have to deal with this till i'm fully moved in.
> 
> Has anyone had any experience moving say a half full 10g tank? We are moving only a mile down the road, and we can do it all on backroads so we can go really slow the whole time. Would this put undue pressure on the tank and possibly break it?
> 
> Thanks again, i really appreciate all the help, here.


It is usually a bad idea to move a tank with anything in it but a 10 gallon is probably small enough to be okay. When I moved house I put all the fish in a plastic food cooler which also keeps the heat in but I was several hrs away. Moving fish turned out to be much easier than I thought so don't worry to much, as long as you have a plan it won't be too much hassle. You don't need to worry about keeping more water than you need for moving the fish because the good bacteria is in the filter and gravel not the water.

We could suggest some step by step instructions if that would help. Do you have everything you need to set up your new tank, filter heater etc? Do you want to get the fish into the new tank as quickly as possible or do you have space to set up the 10 gallon as well until you are sorted? Do you want to do something different with your new tank like have it planted or will it be similar to your old tank just bigger?


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## mclaren880 (Mar 28, 2012)

Thanks everyone. I ended up just waiting a week, focusing on the move, and setting it up this past weekend. Now i've been adding some cycling additives, and then i'm going to put my Platy's, tetras, and frog into the tank Wednesday evening (the stuff is a 3 day cycling mixture). I'm thinking about buying another dozen or so guppies or something so when the time comes to add the more sensitive cichlids, the tank should be good to go.

The problem i have now, is what to do with all my old fish when i add the cichlids. I'm going to get an Electric Blue Jack Dempsey, and some other cichlids in the 75 gallon. I'm going to get them all as babies, but how how will the other fish fare in this setup? I'm assuming i need to get ride of them...

Thoughts? What is the appropriate way to get rid of fish that won't work in the new setup? I'm not too heartless to give them away, but i am not heartless enough to flush em or anything.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The best way is to not get them in the first place. Just use ammonia instead. Your tank will cycle faster and less of a headache in the long run.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

Instant ciclid food ?


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