OK- here are step by step -
1. You will need containers that have not been use for cleaning etc. in which to park things during the transition. The good bacteria can live anywhere in a tank there is a hard surface and a way to be not in much light. The substrate and decor etc all qualify. You are going to park the fish for one. You may need to keep other things wet.
2. Cleaning a used tank depends for what you need to clean or make safe. This should be done outside!!!!
-To remove the white stains some tanks get you need something acid. You can use vinegar on a spot basis and elbow grease. I do this . If you are capable of working with muriatic acid which is dangerous, you can simply fill the tank with water, add a bit of acid and let it sit for a while. This will remove all but the most stubborn buildups. Anything left and you can try a razor blade if that fails, use a diluted solution of the acid and use a Qtip or similar to apply the solution and then in a minute or so, try the blade again. Then rinse down the tank. Always wear rubber gloves when working with acid, even when diluted. You can try this with a lot of white vinegar and filling the tank with mostly water. But the stuff really stinks and you need to be sure the tank is well rinsed.
- To sterilize the tanks and remove other stains, you will need bleach. You will need about 3.5 gals for a 55. Do not use any bleach with anything in it- not low spalsh either. You can use concentrated. Usually a supermarket's store brand is the best bet. Fill the tank as full as possible adding the bleach to the water as you do. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then empty it and rinse it out. The bleach evaporates so if you sit the tank inthe sun and let the water evaporate, it will all be gone. You can also use dechlor which costs money of course.
When cleaning the tank you can also clean the lids by putting them inside the tank for each step above.
2. Now for the move. A new 15 gal, (or close) Rubbermaid (Rm) can be used and can come in handy down the road as a temp tank.
- Fill the (Rm) with dechlored water close to the temp. of the tank water. Put in an airstone or if you have a hang on filter put that on it and turn it on. This is where you are going to park the decor and fish.
- Now you need to have on hand additional substrate for the greater area of the 55. It needs to be rinsed in advance. You need to have a way to fill the 55 with water in a controlled way and not cold water either. If the 55 is being set up any distance from where the 30 is, then you will need a clean bucket. You want all the tank contents and new things near the new tank. Any new decor needs to be rinsed and ready to go.
- If you move all the substrate, all the filter media and all the decor to the new tank and all the fish, it will be fine for them. The key is not to let things dry out.
1. Lower the water in the 30. You can even use it to fill the Rm. (remember to unplug the heater_. If you want you can put it into the Rm and use it there while moving. Leave enough water in the tank to keep the fish and decor wet. You can add new dechlored warm water if you need more water in the Rm.
- Leave space in the Rm for the water to rise when you add the decor and etc. if you laeave too much spoace yyou can add more water.
2. Put the filter on the Rm and run it, of you cannot do this, then move all the media from the filter to the RM. In this case you need to have an airstone running in the Rm. If you added the heater and had to use the airstone, put them near each other.
3. Remove all the decor from the 30 and put it into the Rm.
4. Remove the fish from the 30 and put them in the Rm.
5. Add the new cleaned subtrate to the 55. Spread it out across the bottom. Then add enough water to cover it.
6. Remove all the substrate from the 30 and spread it out on top of the new substrate in the 55. There is a lot of good bacteria in the old gravel, especially the top 1/2 inch. Ideally the top of the old substrate should be as close the being the top of the new suvstrate as you can easily get it. Cover it with water as you go. This water need to be dechlorinated before it is added!!
7. Now add more dehclored water to the 55. As you raise the water level you can pause to place the decor where you want it. Once you have all the decor in the 55 and have it pretty much filled, you can move the filter onto the 55 and start it up. Put the heater in as soon as the place you want to put it will be covering it with water. Let the heater sit for about 5 minutes submerged and then plug it in.
8. As long as the tank is a cent temp. and the filter is running OK, Move the fish into the 55.
9. Give yourself a pat on the back. Then get to work cleaning up all the stuff left behind.
I suggest you do not feed the fish until the next day. I would also check for ammonia once or twice after the move to insure all is well. I doubt you will seen any ammonia but if you see more than about 25 ppm. change a bit of water. I would test at about 8 hours and then at between 18 and 24. If the is no ammonia showing by then, you wont be seeing any.
