Getting Another Tank

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I'm just in the process of getting another tank 2ft (hopefully pick it up today), I'm just wondering what sort of space a crayfish would need, would 2ft be to small, also are they difficult to keep, don't want to bite off more than i can chew lol.

Also, just spoke to the woman i'm picking the tank up from, it's got water and gravel, filter, heater etc and a couple of chinese algae eaters (argggghhhhh) in it, she's gonna disconnect it and empty it, would i have to cycle the tank once i get it or should it be ok as long as i dechlorinate the water???

(Got the tank for free from a thing called freecycle. It's where people are getting rid of stuff and don't want to throw it, all to do with recycling) i've seen loads of fish tanks on it and this is the first one i've managed to get. google freecycle and there might be a group near you. Everything is free. There is a main freecycle site for the uk, you should be able to find a local one near you.

 

[mark.w.jones]

The waste from the Chinese Algae Eaters will have enabled a certain amount of bacteria to remain alive in the filter although as soon as you remove them, the bacteria will die off relatively quickly. Make sure she leaves the filter running until the last minute when you come to collect and don't let her clean the filter out too zealously or with tap water as can sometimes happen when people are getting shot of a tank. If the filter is left off for too long a period, over 24 hours then a lot of the useful bacteria will also die off and you may get an ammonia spike. Transport filter in a bucket of tank water if possible or pour tank water through it every hour or so, especially if you've got a long car journey. Set everything back up at your house ASAP. If you don't want the algae eaters consider donating them via this website or phone around a few LFSs to see if they'll take them off you. Try your best to donate them somewhere as euthanising fish that you just don't want anymore is very much frowned upon.

All the best

 

[-SPB-]

The waste from the Chinese Algae Eaters will have enabled a certain amount of bacteria to remain alive in the filter although as soon as you remove them, the bacteria will die off relatively quickly. Make sure she leaves the filter running until the last minute when you come to collect and don't let her clean the filter out too zealously or with tap water as can sometimes happen when people are getting shot of a tank. If the filter is left off for too long a period, over 24 hours then a lot of the useful bacteria will also die off and you may get an ammonia spike. Transport filter in a bucket of tank water if possible or pour tank water through it every hour or so, especially if you've got a long car journey. Set everything back up at your house ASAP. If you don't want the algae eaters consider donating them via this website or phone around a few LFSs to see if they'll take them off you. Try your best to donate them somewhere as euthanising fish that you just don't want anymore is very much frowned upon.

All the best

Thanks for the advice. When we got to the house though she was being very thoughtfull in her own right and cleaned the whole setup. Tank, gravel, filter, the works. So any good bacteria that was there will now all be gone. I'll phone around my local lfs's and see if they want the algae eaters. They are quite a small size now so they should not be any bother.

 

[mark.w.jones]

They will all also be quite dead from ammonia poisoning soon as well. Not your fault I know. Try to find somewhere for them then you can fishless cycle the tank without them.

 

[erialc100]

How long does it take for a cycle to complete, you say the amonia will kill the fish, are there any fish that can cope with it.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Not without regular water changes. About 20% every day roughly, although to be certain you need to get a liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate to see what your levels are at to guage how often and how much to change. It will probably be a few weeks before the bacteria grow back to cope with the waste from your CAE. They may survive without water changes but this would be terribly cruel as they would be exposed to exceptionally high levels of ammonia which would certainly damage them long term.