Might be getting 60 gallon tank today

[Elisabeth83]

I might be getting a 60 gallon tank today (or sometime this week) and i'd like to know how to go about moving everything over from my 30 gallon.

Should I put as much water from my 30 gallon into the 60 gallon? If I put a piece of sponge from my older filter into my new filter will the tank be basically cycled? or should I let the new filter run along side the old one in the 30 gallon for awhile? If so how long?

When I am moving my fish over..should I bag them up and float them in the water so they can adjust if theres a temp difference or can I just net them and put them in the new tank straight away?

I know this will be stressful for the fish...what can I do to minimize the stress? I know keeping the lights off helps...but is there anything else?

Thanks

 

[freddyk]

Should I put as much water from my 30 gallon into the 60 gallon?

I'm going against the grain here and telling you that no, you don't. I have never done so myself and never had an issue with moving the fish. You'll be using the same water that you already use, you'll be dechlorinating it, and unless you seriously neglect the 30 gallon, the fish won't even notice the transition (neglected tanks tend to plummet in ph and rise in nitrates, so the large change would shock them, in this case). Adding water won't help with the bacteria because they're not free-swimming. So, assuming your tank is kept well, why not start off with a fresh, clean tank? On the other hand, most people will tell you to use the water, which will cause no harm if you want to go through the effort.

When I am moving my fish over..should I bag them up and float them in the water so they can adjust if theres a temp difference or can I just net them and put them in the new tank straight away?

Just get the second tank up to the same temperature as the first and you can simply move them. You'll want to run the new tank overnight anyway to add oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, so during this time the heater will do it's job.

If I put a piece of sponge from my older filter into my new filter will the tank be basically cycled?

Put all of the sponge from the old filter into the new one (or simply run the old filter on the new tank for a couple of weeks) and yes, it will be basically cycled, not to mention having double the water volume to act as a buffer. This is exactly how I've always done it.

I know this will be stressful for the fish...what can I do to minimize the stress?

Leave the tank alone except for daily tests off toxins for the first week or so. You'll be amazed at just how resilient fish can be!

 

[dragoon459]

well lucky you getting a 60g...........u suck u know.