New 120 Litre Tank

[Dm45]

Hi all, I havent been fishkeeping long, i have got a 60 litre tank at the minute with 4 cardinal tetras, 3 black phantom tetras, a guppy and a small bristlenose catfish in it. I am about to get a 120 litre tank that someone doesnt want anymore, but it hasnt been used for a while so it would need cycling. I thought rather than have two tanks running at once, would it work if I put the fish in the new tank, put my old filter in the new tank as well and get a load of the old gravel and suspend it in the new tank? The old filter is a pf2 which says up to 90 litres so its a bit short of the new tank, but with the gravel and the new filter I was thinking it would be ok. Or am I wrong and have to have them running separetly until the new one has cycled?

 

[Wills]

If you move all of the fish over to the new tank with the old filter media in the new bigger filter box you will be fine. Very few bacteria live outside the filter casing as thats where the richest oxygen content is for the bacteria to survive and multiply.

So in the 60 liter tank you have x amount of bacteria that supports x amount of fish but no more room for the bacteria to grow but in the new tank you have x amount of bacteria to support the same x amount of fish but more room for the bacteria to grow and a larger concentration of water to distribute the nitrogen cycle through.

I would hold off adding any more fish for a few weeks though. I upgraded in a similar manor but ran into problems when I added some fish about a week in - I would wait maybe 2 or more weeks.

Wills

 

[Dm45]

Great thats what I was hoping. Thanks for the quick reply.