My Newish Tank

[dalewatkinson]

ok can some1 tell me whats going on with my new tank its been going for about a week.
the nitrate is at 0ppm
ammonia 0.25ppm
nitrite is at 0ppm?

what should i add to the tank its got a sand bottom and 1 plant in
should i add some gravel from my old tank? or some of my guppies?
ive put in the old cotton wool pad that was inside the filter
anything else i need to add?
sorry if this is going over old ground
cheers dale

 

[SJ2K]

If you put all the media from the old filter into the new one (not just the cotton pad), then you can move all your fish over straight away

 

[dalewatkinson]

the old media is too small ive got an exturnal filter now not just a small side 1 like the old pump
any other ideas??
maybe clean the old pump out and put water in the new tank

 

[SJ2K]

I dont think it can be too small All you need to do is chuck it in on top of the media in there, doesnt have to be a perfect fit aslong as its alongside the new stuff

 

[dalewatkinson]

yeah but wont that take all the bugs out of the old tank?

 

[SJ2K]

What bugs do you keep in it? Lol, its a method used by fish keepers the world over it eliminates the need for a long cycling process.

 

[dalewatkinson]

lol by bugs i mean the guys in the media that rid of the waste
so if i take old media out and put in the old tank will this make the water bad in the old tank?

the tank still has fish in it and will have fish in it even when new 1 is running

 

[SJ2K]

The 'guys in the media that rid of the waste' are what you need! Lol, its that bacteria which is crucial to transfer over in order to keep the fish alive

I didnt really understand your second line there sorry, sounds like your talking about putting the mature media in the water? No it wont make it go bad but it wont do anything. Just take the old 'bug ridden' media and put it in your new canister filter (make sure its kept wet), plug it all into your new tank and turn it on, done, add fish straight away and relax

 

[dalewatkinson]

and add new media to the old tank? will that be ok?

 

[SJ2K]

Ahhh I see what you mean now! So you want to keep the old tank running with fish in it? Not just transfer it all over into the new one?

 

[dalewatkinson]

thats what i mean yeah sorry its a little long winded there i spent most of my school days looking at my teachers leggs.

 

[SJ2K]

Lol, ok, well then your best bet is to carry out a fishless cycle (Article about that at the top of the New To The Hobby page). You can use small amounts of your old media to help speed up the cycle also

 

[dalewatkinson]

ok so did the test results look ok for a tank thats a week old>?

 

[littlest]

Are you adding ammonia to the new tank? you need to keep topping up the ammonia in the new tank (assuming you are doing a fishless cycle). You can't cycle tank without ammonia as it is a food source for the bacteria (the guys in the media that rid of the waste).