A New Used Tank and All

[Ditchwitch]

I have a friend that is selling me a complete tank that has everthing including the fish. The question I have is can I add just the declorinated water, put the original gravel(not clean or rinsed)? It is a 70 gallon tank

 

[AquaNut]

Hi Ditchwitch and welcome

I have acquired several previously enjoyed aquariums, complete with fish, and this is how I recommend you move it.

First, get a couple of plastic garbage cans, rubbermaid containers, or picnic coolers. I recommend you purchase new ones for this purpose, but I've heard of others sterilizing containers they already had on hand. Pour lots of boiling water all around the inside of them to sterilize them. You could use just one container, but as it's a 70 gallon tank, I'd advise you to use at least a couple, so you can move as much of their water as possible. You could use a whole bunch of ice cream pails instead, if that's better for you.

When you get to your friend's place, remove any decorations/wood/large rocks that are in the tank first. Then, start to siphon some water into one of the containers you've prepared. If she has live plants in the tank, remove them and put them in your container of water. Now, you should be able to net the fish and put them in their own water in the container. Bear in mind that water weighs about ten pounds per gallon, so don't put more in the container than you and another person can carry. Proceed with siphoning the fish water into the other container(s) you prepared. The more of their water you can move, the better (if you can move 50%, that would be fantastic).

You will need to siphon all the water out of the tank before you can move it. As for the gravel.. Personally, I wouldn't try to move a 70 gallon tank with gravel still in it. If you apply uneven pressure to the bottom of the tank when lifting it (hard to avoid if it's full of gravel), you'll 'flex' the tank and pop the seal. It's reparable with silicone, but not something you want to deal with while the fish are in a garbage can or cooler. This said, remove the gravel and put it into the non fish-holding container(s) of water. A lot of really important nitrifying bacteria lives in the gravel, and if you can keep it alive, so much the better for the fish. Ditto goes for whatever kind of media she has in the filter. Keep it in the tank water for the move so that the bacteria stays alive.

If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say nitrifying bacteria, you should probably visit the beginners section and read about cycling a tank. By moving the fish with their water, gravel, and filter media, you shouldn't really need to cycle.

When you get to your place, you can set up the tank, then put the gravel back in, along with some of the tank water. Pour a bit of tank water into a separate container and give the filter media a good rinse. It will need to be free of gunk to clear the water after you pour it in. Be prepared for it to look disastrous at first, as it stirs up old debris in the gravel etc. It should settle/clear within a very short time (not sure exactly... no more than an hour IME). I'd then add some dechorinated water to bring up the water level some more. Then add the fish, and lastly, the water they travelled in. If your tank still isn't full, top up with dechlorinated water. I'd leave the tank lights off for a few hours and don't feed them during this time. They will probably be somewhat stressed from their ordeal.

Good luck!

 

[Ditchwitch]

Thanks alot for the info.