How Long For Filter Media To Rebound After Moving A Tank?

[wodesorel]

Hello!

Just a quick question. How long for the biological media to rebound fully after moving a 20 gallon tank? Just moved to a new house and will be moving the tank from my mom's today. Planning on bringing along 75% of the tank water and enough water from her tap (which is what was being used) to fill the tank up at the new house since the water parameters are so different. Figured it would cut down on the stress for the fish, and allow me to change the water over slowly.

Would like to set up the spare 7 gallon I have now that there is room for it. But I need to use the filter media from the 20 gallon so I don't have to cycle it. Just need to know when it would be safe to take the media from the 20 so there isn't any harmful effects. Using a HOB filter with carbon and two sponge inserts. Planning on taking one sponge for the 7 gallon.

Thanks!

Edit: Stock list would probably help, too.
4-9 black kuhli loaches
4-7 danios
1(?) neon

I'm not really sure of the total number of fish. The low number is what my mother tells me she's seen in the tank, the high number is the number that was in there the last time I was home - about a month ago. I'll find out for sure tonight. Yes, I'm planning on getting more danios and neons. (I had a killer snail that was eating the fish. It finally passed away three months ago. No, I'm not kidding. I thought it was some sort of disease killing the fish but I caught the snail eating a loach alive.) I knew I was moving and didn't want to restock until I would be with the tank on a daily basis.

 

[rdd1952]

How long do you anticipate it taking you to make the move? If you are just breaking the tank down, transporting across town and seting back up over a matter of 6 to 8 hours, the filter will be fine as long as you keep the media wet. The bacteria can easily make it 10 to 12 hours without any significant loss in numbers. I've accidentally left my filters off for 10 to 12 hours before and not had any problems at all.

As for stock, IMO the tank really isn't big enough for danios as they are very active fish and need more swimming room. If it's a 20 long, it may be ok but a 20 high is too small. Unless you have very good filtration, I wouldn't go with the high end of the lost you have. That would be a lot of fish for a 20 gallon, especially if you put in more neons.

 

[fry_lover]

How long do you anticipate it taking you to make the move? If you are just breaking the tank down, transporting across town and seting back up over a matter of 6 to 8 hours, the filter will be fine as long as you keep the media wet. The bacteria can easily make it 10 to 12 hours without any significant loss in numbers. I've accidentally left my filters off for 10 to 12 hours before and not had any problems at all.

As for stock, IMO the tank really isn't big enough for danios as they are very active fish and need more swimming room. If it's a 20 long, it may be ok but a 20 high is too small. Unless you have very good filtration, I wouldn't go with the high end of the lost you have. That would be a lot of fish for a 20 gallon, especially if you put in more neons.

i agree with you RD about 10-12 hrs and filter bacteria still surviving, i have had filters go off a few times for various reasons, i find that 12-14 hrs makes no difference and 24 hrs makes "some" difference, but it quickly recovers. And i test my water compulsively

I saw a post once where someone said once a filter has been off for over an hour there is a total wipe out of good bacteria due to no oxygen coming in, i didnt believe it then and i dont believe it now.

 

[wodesorel]

Grr... nice long post and I lost it...

It'll probably take about 4 hours to move everything and set it back up. I wasn't sure since everything would be disturbed if it would make a difference. I've had my felines turn off the filter a few times already without a problem so I know not having the filter running isn't such a big deal, but since the filter, the fish, and everything in the tank was going to be shaken up I didn't know if it would make a difference in the stress levels of the fish and bio filter in general to remove a part of the bio filter right away or not.

The big problem I have with the tank is keeping the kuhlis well-fed while not overfeeding and killing the rest of the fish. It is a 20 long, and has filtration for a 60 gallon. (It was supposed to be a snail tank in the begining, and those need at least double filtration.) The snails passed away from old age, and now it's a black kuhli tank. I added neons for some color and activity during the day, but they didn't make it because they overate (save for the lone ranger). The danios actually seem to be doing quite well in there. In all honesty, I'm waiting to get a fourth tank (which will be much larger) and keep "active fish" for the feline's enjoyment. (Need to wait until we get things like a couch before we spend the money on another tank.) That's where the danios will be moving to, along with the Lone Ranger if he's still there, and some new friends for them.

In the meantime, I'm still trying get ideas of what to do with the kuhli tank. I'm thinking of adding some dwarf frogs - I had two and I just loved them to death, and they have the same feeding habits of the kuhlis. I would love to get something a bit more flashy for the tank, but I just can't think of anything that won't kill itself in the long run. (Tried a betta in that tank a few times, but they are PIGS. If they don't overeat, they try to eat live ghost shrimp the same size of themselves and choke.)

So there'll be a five gallon with a betta across from the kitchen sink, a seven gallon with (?) probably guppies on the kitchen counter by the computer, and the 20 gallon kuhli tank in the bedroom. That leaves two kids bedrooms, a dining room, a huge living room, a bathroom, and a feline foster room open for more.... Bwhahahaha.

 

[rdd1952]

For the time you are talking about, you should be fine. Just keep the midia wet by floating it or what ever. Like fry lover, I think that even 24 hours isn't a major issue with the bacteria. Even if you lost 50% of your bacteria, they can still doube their nembers in about 24 hours so in a day, the colony would be back to full strength.

 

[wodesorel]

Thanks fry_lover and rdd1952!

We'll head out tomorrow and get some gravel, and get the seven gallon ready for new fish then! 3

The move went well. Thank heavens the fiance was with me! He can lift the heavy stuff. It took me an hour to get the stand into the house when I bought it, and he lifted it like it was nothing and carried it right out. Grrr.

There are 3 danios, 1 neon, and 6 black kuhli loaches left. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll be okay. When we got to the new house, all 6 kuhlis were white.... I'm hoping the stress wasn't too much. We'll find out in a day or so, I guess.

Thanks again!