In The Middle Of Cloning 55g, Need To Know If I'm Doing It Right

[Durbkat]

I am in the middle of cloning my 55g, so far I put about 10 pounds of gravel from my 20g and put it in my 55g and I took the filter from my 20g and put it in my 55g so it can put bacteria in my tank and the filter and in about 8 minutes I'm going to take 3 fish from the 20g and put them in the 55g after I acclimatize them. Then after I do that I'm going to wait 4 hours and add the last 4 tetras then tommorow I'm going to put my pleco in the tank if I don't have any deaths between that time. Am I doing everything right so far?

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Near enough, but I wouldn't wait four hours to add the 4 tetras, as bacteria may start to kill itself off. I added all of my fish over a time period of 2 hours after cloning my 180L with the filter media from my small 68L.

Everything has been going fine for my tank for over 5 weeks now, with no deaths. All fish are lively, eating well, and showing no signs of sickness or injury.

 

[SamUK]

jus a thought but couldnt you add some water from the other tank too?


or would it not help?

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

jus a thought but couldnt you add some water from the other tank too?


or would it not help?

Good suggestion, but water carries hardly any useful bacteria, its the filter mainly, and some say that the substrate (gravel, sand, etc) is also useful to add when cloning a tank.

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah I added gravel but the reason I don't want to add them all so quickly is because if something is wrong with the water say ammonia or nitrite shoots up and kills the fish I don't want all the fish that I love and care for to die because I'm trying something new by cloning a tank so I just wanted to wait 4 hours to see how they do before I add any more fish. But wouldn't the bacteria stay alive since there are 3 fish in it?

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Yeah I added gravel but the reason I don't want to add them all so quickly is because if something is wrong with the water say ammonia or nitrite shoots up and kills the fish I don't want all the fish that I love and care for to die because I'm trying something new by cloning a tank so I just wanted to wait 4 hours to see how they do before I add any more fish. But wouldn't the bacteria stay alive since there are 3 fish in it?

Are you adding the fish from the old tank into the new one? If you are adding them from the tank you used the filter in previously, then it will be fine to add them all at once. Do you understand what im trying to say?

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah I added gravel but the reason I don't want to add them all so quickly is because if something is wrong with the water say ammonia or nitrite shoots up and kills the fish I don't want all the fish that I love and care for to die because I'm trying something new by cloning a tank so I just wanted to wait 4 hours to see how they do before I add any more fish. But wouldn't the bacteria stay alive since there are 3 fish in it?

Are you adding the fish from the old tank into the new one? If you are adding them from the tank you used the filter in previously, then it will be fine to add them all at once. Do you understand what im trying to say?

Yes I'm adding the fish from my 20g to the 55g and yes I'm using the filter from the 20g in the 55g. If they seem fine after about 2 hours I'll add 2 more tetras to the 55g then tommorow I'll add the other 2 tetras then I'll wait about 3 hours and add the pleco. Will this be ok? Also in the 20g since there is no filter for oxygen will the fish in there now be ok with just an air stone for oxygen?

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

Yeah I added gravel but the reason I don't want to add them all so quickly is because if something is wrong with the water say ammonia or nitrite shoots up and kills the fish I don't want all the fish that I love and care for to die because I'm trying something new by cloning a tank so I just wanted to wait 4 hours to see how they do before I add any more fish. But wouldn't the bacteria stay alive since there are 3 fish in it?

Are you adding the fish from the old tank into the new one? If you are adding them from the tank you used the filter in previously, then it will be fine to add them all at once. Do you understand what im trying to say?

Yes I'm adding the fish from my 20g to the 55g and yes I'm using the filter from the 20g in the 55g. If they seem fine after about 2 hours I'll add 2 more tetras to the 55g then tommorow I'll add the other 2 tetras then I'll wait about 3 hours and add the pleco. Will this be ok? Also in the 20g since there is no filter for oxygen will the fish in there now be ok with just an air stone for oxygen?

Yes that will be fine, the way I have learnt is that you should continue adding fish from your old tank, without leaving a gap of anymore than 4 hours. I wish you look with cloning your new tank.

 

[Durbkat]

Thanks alot everyone.

 

[SamUK]

jus a thought but couldnt you add some water from the other tank too?


or would it not help?

Good suggestion, but water carries hardly any useful bacteria, its the filter mainly, and some say that the substrate (gravel, sand, etc) is also useful to add when cloning a tank.

i was thinking on the less technical side (the only one i kno lol).

takes a bit of the fishes home with them. Im sure the waters different in a fully established tank to the water in a tank thats been set up even a few weeks.


im stepping on to that technical side a bit there tho so im probably wrong hehe.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

jus a thought but couldnt you add some water from the other tank too?


or would it not help?

Good suggestion, but water carries hardly any useful bacteria, its the filter mainly, and some say that the substrate (gravel, sand, etc) is also useful to add when cloning a tank.

i was thinking on the less technical side (the only one i kno lol).

takes a bit of the fishes home with them. Im sure the waters different in a fully established tank to the water in a tank thats been set up even a few weeks.


im stepping on to that technical side a bit there tho so im probably wrong hehe.

You are right in a way. When cloning a tank its best to check your old waters PH and the new tap waters PH, if there is a big difference then using some old tank water, would be better than the fresh water with the PH they aren't used to. But generally, it shouldn't make to many problems, unless the PH is wildly different.

 

[Durbkat]

I think there about the same in the 20g the ph is 7.6 and I'm pretty sure the tap is the same but will add some tank water later on today also the 20g filter had alot of the water from the 20g in it so in a way water from the 20g was added to the 55g. I just got all the fish in a few minutes ago and they have already started schooling again and roaming the bottom of the tank but I gotta tell ya one of the tetras was freaking me out when he was just sitting on the bottom for a couple minutes but he stopped doing it when the other 2 tetras went over to where he was and got him to come play with them. I never realised how small they were till I put them in the 55g I can hardly find them sometimes with all the plants and length they have to hide.

 

[Fishkeeper2004]

I think there about the same in the 20g the ph is 7.6 and I'm pretty sure the tap is the same but will add some tank water later on today also the 20g filter had alot of the water from the 20g in it so in a way water from the 20g was added to the 55g. I just got all the fish in a few minutes ago and they have already started schooling again and roaming the bottom of the tank but I gotta tell ya one of the tetras was freaking me out when he was just sitting on the bottom for a couple minutes but he stopped doing it when the other 2 tetras went over to where he was and got him to come play with them. I never realised how small they were till I put them in the 55g I can hardly find them sometimes with all the plants and length they have to hide.

I am glad they are now all in. It is normal for tetras and most other fish to stay on the bottom, or hide away in plants when they are first introduced into a new environment. He was probably just shy, and getting used to his new surroundings, but im sure everything will work out for you.

Remember to keep us updated, OK?

 

[Durbkat]

Oh I will, in about 45 minutes I'll be adding the last tetras to the tank then I'm going to wait to either about 3 hours later to add the pleco or am going to wait till tommorow to add the pleco.

 

[prankster705]

Good you convienced your grandma, how did you do it??