I want 2 do this right!

[canis_lupus]

alright...i just bought another 10 gallon tank and the stupid 5 gallon is going back....i really hate it but that's besides the point. ok i have one 10 gallon tank going at the moment it's been going 4 3 weeks now....and it has fish.....all the fish survived and my guess is it's cycled because it's an older tank and has been cycled b4 but that's just a guess....(i don't have any test kits)

let's start at the top....this tank kit comes with an underground filter are these things as useless as i hear....well as a precaution i bought an aquaclear mini cuz that's the only filter i've ever used!

next i have 2 mollies in the 5 that is going back and i can keep them in my old 10 gal temporarily but that will mean that that tank will be overcrowded while i cycle the new one.....
should i use the 2 mollies to cycle the new tank? or use some water from the old one as well as gravel and filter foam

or should i got fishless but risk having my other tank overcrowded ) please help me!

 

[Alien Anna]

I vote for going fishless and keeping the other tank over-crowded.

However, you can vastly speed up the process if you're cunning. Assuming the old tank is fully cycled (we can assume that, can we?), take half of the gravel out of it and put it in your new tank. Spread is around a bit over the new gravel to make sure it gets a good spread of beneficial bacteria. Replace the old tank's gravel with some well cleaned new gravel (seeing as your filter is good you shouldn't notice a nitrite spike in your old tank).

Next, put some filter floss in the old tank (just floating inside an old stocking or whatever) and leave it there for 4 or 5 days. That should get nicely impregnated. Afterwards you can either insert it in your new filter, or just suspend it in the new tank. If you can also transplant a couple of live plants that would help too.

The old gravel should contain enough fish waste to "feed" the beneficial bacteria for a few days but anyway, put a tiny drop of ammonia or a bit of flake in the new tank. Keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite but don't worry if you don't detect either - it is possible to get almost instant "cycling" in such cases (in my experience).

After a couple of weeks you can introduce your mollies. Keep a close eye on the water parameters for a few weeks after that and you should be OK. Good luck!

 

[smb]

I don't like UGF's all that well. I have one in 1 of my tanks but that's only until I get done being lazy and swap it out. I know some that swear by them tho, so it's your pick.

I feel that the flow of oxygen isn't present enough in a UGF to hold major amounts of bacteira. One thing that some might not realize is, you need a good flow of oxygen for the bacteria to colonize and convert ammonia to nitrite. There is 7ppm of oxygen in water. Compare that to 200,000ppm of oxygen in air and you can see a huge difference. That's where a bio-wheel excels and I swear by bio-wheels because they use that oxygen to the greatest benefit. There will be a major colony of beneficial bacteria on a bio-wheel compared to a UGF, fluidized bed filter and a canister filter.

If you don't have any fish in the tank I would definately recommend a fishless cycling. Seed your tank with some gravel and filter media from your other tank. It's a lot better than cycling with fish and you can add a full load of fish as soon as it's done. You don't have to add 1 or 2 fish at a time.

 

[canis_lupus]

okie thank you it's probably best 2 do the fishless way for their benefit....d'u think my other tank will be ok with 5 guppy fry 2 guppies 2 platies and 2 mollies....they are all still young and not full grown especially the fry (only 1week old) i'll put some of my old gravel and stuff in plus i'm still not sure where to put the new tank ) thanks again! o and thanks smb 4 the info about the UGF....i've never used and don't want the hassle of taking it out so i'll just use the air pump to work one of my air stones

 

[smb]

thanks again! o and thanks smb 4 the info about the UGF....i've never used and don't want the hassle of taking it out so i'll just use the air pump to work one of my air stones

Your welcome.

You'll just have to remember when I post tho that it's only my opinion and there are others that use UGF's and love them. But I guess if they don't speak up...

You'll need more than just an airstone. You should get some type of biological/mechanical filtration like a mini-penguin with a bio-filter.

I can't answer your first question about all the fish being together. I have no clue at all about mollies.

 

[Alien Anna]

Guppies, platies and mollies together is all right in theory. My only concern is that mollies can be a bit bullying to other fish (generally in a non-violent way) and some breeds of mollie can grow pretty big - like 3.5".

However, since you have that 5 gal tank (just perfect for fry), I wouldn't be too worried although I do suggest you keep an eye on those yard sales for the next upgrade!

 

[canis_lupus]

i do have an aquaclear filter 4 my new tank...... um the mollies seem ok with the other fish....actually they're really scared but are starting to come around and all my fish are very gentle none of them even care about the new guys in my house i only have room 4 2 tanks so i'm going with the bigger one.....the 5 gallon i bought is sooooooo ugly that it has 2 go back thanks again.....hopefully i can get it set up 2day or tomorrow cuz then it's back 2 school