Fish Tank Dilemma

[allydawn17]

OK. Let me start out by saying the tank in question has been given to me, and i have been given false information about said tank. It is a 15 gallon hex tank (though it looks a bit smaller imo, maybe 10g) and its got 2 panda corys and a angelfish in it, all juvenile. I am in the process of setting up a 55 gallon for them, and as of right now its just sand and water. not cycled, no plants, nothing. When i was given this tank I was told it had been up for about 4 months, so long enough to have cycled. I tested ammonia the day I got it, it was 0, so I didn't test again. I've had the tank for 2 weeks, changed the water twice. Well today i noticed one of the corys acting a bit sluggish, so i did a ammonia test. The reading was crazy, somewhere between 4 and 8, I don't know how these poor fish are alive. I immediately did a 75% water change, now its at about 1.0. I called my "friend" who gave me the tank, and she confessed she had just got it a few days before she gave it to me, and her room mate had made her get rid of it. So the question is, should I move these fish to the 55 gallon right now? Or would the be better off staying in this tank while it cycles, while i plant the 55g and cycle it? Any advice is great, i just want to do whats best for the fish! 

 

[stanleo]

If you have the ability to move them to a mature setup than I say move them.

 

[Essjay]

I would move them to the bigger tank. Since neither tank is cycled, the bigger volume of water in the 55 gall will dilute the ammonia and nitrite from these three fish more than the 15 gall tank. In the smaller tank, you'll need to do water changes more often, while it'll take longer before they are needed in the bigger one.

 

[allydawn17]

I would move them to the bigger tank. Since neither tank is cycled, the bigger volume of water in the 55 gall will dilute the ammonia and nitrite from these three fish more than the 15 gall tank. In the smaller tank, you'll need to do water changes more often, while it'll take longer before they are needed in the bigger one.

Thanks, thats what i thought i just had to make sure. I'm going to move them asap, and i'll head out to my LFS for some plants and decor tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!

 

[stanleo]

Sorry I missed the part about the 55 being a new setup. Its still the better option. I wouldn't go over board with water changes. too frequent and that can stress the fish to the point where they have a harder time than normal to tolerate ammonia at any level. Not frequent enough and the levels will get too high for the healthiest of fish. Make a testing schedule 2 or 3 times a day and when the level so too high, do enough of a water change right then to cut that level in half.
 
Live plants will definitely help with absorbing some of the ammonia. Someone correct me on this cause this is just a guess but I think picking species that get their nutrients strait from the water column would be better for this than plants that get nutrients from the substrate. Like I said, that's a guess based on the fact that it makes sense only to me. Hope it helps and good luck!

 

[neutron20]

I would say that since the tank doesn't have any beneficial bacteria.. the fish are not in a safe habitat. You need to move them to a bigger tank that is ESTABLISHED. Quite a crazy story you have going here though.. It makes me nervous just hearing about fish in a NO cycle tank. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
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If only my children would love tanks as much as me

 

[allydawn17]

I would say that since the tank doesn't have any beneficial bacteria.. the fish are not in a safe habitat. You need to move them to a bigger tank that is ESTABLISHED. Quite a crazy story you have going here though.. It makes me nervous just hearing about fish in a NO cycle tank. Good luck and keep us updated.
 
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If only my children would love tanks as much as me

unfortunately, I don't have access to a larger established tank, and its been quite the week for me! I did move them to the 55 and I've been monitoring the water levels very closely, and the fish love the extra room. I've got it moderately planted right now, planning on adding a few more plants when possible. Fish seem very happy currently, hoping all goes well! Thanks for the help everyone