Going From 10 Gallon To 29 Gallon

[Dawson14]

Are there any potential problems doing this? Im moving all the gravel (after cleaning), plants, decorations, filter, heater, etc over the bigger tank. However, I was wondering if the giant water change would kill them? Im putting all 10 gallons from the old tank into the new. So they will have 33% old and 66% new. I put in start right and dechlorinator into the tap water. Its been going for a day or so. Will there be changes in the stats? Moreover, Ive had a sick angelfish for a week now, hes just started to get better thanks to Maracyn (nothing else worked). Would it be alright to move him or would it be too stressful?

 

[rdd1952]

If you move everything, you should not have any problems. Just don't add any new fish for a while until everything settles in. When you add the new water, just check the pH of the tap water and the tank water first. If there is a big difference, add new water slowly so you don't raise or lower the pH of the tank water too fast and cause problems. How slowly would depend on how much difference there is between the 2.

You will need to move the angel with the filter. Otherwise, he would be in an unheated and unfiltered tank. Keep in mind that the filter you had on the 10 gallon won't be large enough to give you the filtration you need on the 29 gallon. Same goes for the heater.

 

[mikster]

Fish should be fine, as long as you've used the old filter media from the 10 gallon in the 29 gallon, the water wont make a difference, the bacteria is in the filter, as long as the temperature swing wasnt too big then the fish should be fine. Would keep the ill fish in a separate tank if possible using some of the old filter media, although the meds might have killed the filter bacteria any ways, im not sure if that med affects the filter bacteria, im sure someone else will advise you on that.

 

[DazedNCoNfUsEd]

How long has the 10 been setup and running?

You're main concern is the "good bacteria", which isn't in the water but in the filter media. The most important thing is not to put new media in when you transfer the filter, you honestly hardly ever need to change your filter media. Most people just rinse it in TANK water and put it back in.

If you haven't already then I wouldn't clean the gravel either, as it also holds a significant amount of the good bacteria. As long as you don't add any more fish then you should be okay. I would maybe watch how much you feed them, maybe once every other day for a couple of weeks, to let the bacteria colonies catch up. And keep an eye on your Ammonia and Nitrite levels.

What kind of filter do you have? Make sure the filter and heater will be sufficient enough for the bigger tank.

 

[rdd1952]

water wont make a difference

The main reason for moving the water is if there is a large pH difference between the tank water and the tap water. It would make acclimation a lot easier on the fish.

 

[Dawson14]

Thanks for all the replies. Heres all the info that you guys asked about

Filter Media: Its a week old. I replaced it when the tank got moved back to my dorm. The old one was disgusting.

Power Filter: I actually bought a Whisper Power Filter thats designed for a 20-40 gallon because I planned on getting a bigger tank when funds accumulated. I just twisted the knob on the lowest setting so it didnt make the tank too turbulent.

Heater: Same thing, Oversized for the tank by 10 gallons( preset to 78-80 degrees...Can't change it) . However, I do have another heater from a used tank that I bought that can heat up to 40 gallons of water.

Tank Duration: Its been up and running sicne late July 2006.

Gravel: Havnt cleaned it yet, but I KNOW there is tons of fish poop that needs to be cleaned. Sicne gravel contains good bacteria, I thought maybe I could use the tank syphon to suck the poop out of the water and filter it through an old t-shirt and then dump the clean water back in the tank. Does that sound ok?

water wont make a difference

The main reason for moving the water is if there is a large pH difference between the tank water and the tap water. It would make acclimation a lot easier on the fish.

The pH in the old tank is the same as in the new tap water. For some reason the pH is high and wont go down. I did put some neutralizer and sodium biphosphate in both tanks though. Hardness was pretty high too.

 

[mikster]

Yes sorry i assumed that he didnt alter his ph in anyway ie carbon dioxide, ro water, bogwood, ph buffers etc so the ph of the tap water should be the same as in his tank providing he does fairly regular water changes. I apologise for making such assumptions which may have lead to people thinking i mean the water of a tank doesnt make any difference in any situation.

 

[rdd1952]

The pH in the old tank is the same as in the new tap water. For some reason the pH is high and wont go down. I did put some neutralizer and sodium biphosphate in both tanks though. Hardness was pretty high too.

I wouldn't worry about the pH unless you have fish that are extremely delicate. Most all fish can adjust to any stable pH but struggle with one that is constanly fluctuating. Using adjusters can cause that. What you have done is probably the best way to adjust pH but you're better off just letting it be. My 2 tanks have been running for over 2 years. Untill about a week ago, I hadn't tested the pH in either tank in over a year. I only tested then because of a thread about pH being low. My 29 gallon (tetras and shrimp) is at 6.2, my 75 gallon (tetras, angels, SAEs, corys and a pleco) at 6.8 and my betta tank at 7.2. All fish are doing fine. It's just too much trouble to try to keep it at a particular level.

If your pH is higher than your tap water then you have something in the tank that is raising it. Certain rocks, such as limestone, and substrates, such as crushed coral, will raise the pH. You can do the fizz test on rocks. Put a few drops of vinegar on the rock. If it fizzes, then it will raise your pH.

 

[Dawson14]

The pH in the old tank is the same as in the new tap water. For some reason the pH is high and wont go down. I did put some neutralizer and sodium biphosphate in both tanks though. Hardness was pretty high too.

I wouldn't worry about the pH unless you have fish that are extremely delicate. Most all fish can adjust to any stable pH but struggle with one that is constanly fluctuating. Using adjusters can cause that. What you have done is probably the best way to adjust pH but you're better off just letting it be. My 2 tanks have been running for over 2 years. Untill about a week ago, I hadn't tested the pH in either tank in over a year. I only tested then because of a thread about pH being low. My 29 gallon (tetras and shrimp) is at 6.2, my 75 gallon (tetras, angels, SAEs, corys and a pleco) at 6.8 and my betta tank at 7.2. All fish are doing fine. It's just too much trouble to try to keep it at a particular level.

If your pH is higher than your tap water then you have something in the tank that is raising it. Certain rocks, such as limestone, and substrates, such as crushed coral, will raise the pH. You can do the fizz test on rocks. Put a few drops of vinegar on the rock. If it fizzes, then it will raise your pH.

pH for both tanks is 8.2. Dont understand why because Ive used bottled gallon water for the 10 gallon and tap water for the 29 gallon. However, the hardness is significantly lower in the tap water than the bottled water in the 10 gallon tank. Can difference in hardness kill fish?

 

[rdd1952]

Bottled water should have 0 hardness so the water in the 10 gallon tank should be very soft, not harder. The hardness can kill fish in extreme cases or with very delicate fish but most fish can adjust without problem. There has to be something in your tanks that is raising the pH and KH. Some of the decorations are definitely having an effect. I suggest removing each and doing the fizz test.