New Aquarium, Water From Old Tank

[!!serious error!&#33]

Hi, i have just bought a fluval roma 200L tank and i have a cycled juwel rio 125L tank up and running , i want to transfer the water and fish into the new tank . But the new tank comes with new external filter and i would be using new filter media with cycled water, is this ok? and i would be adding 10L of treated water a day until i hit the 200L mark would this be ok also? Thanks for your time.

 

[markandhisfish]

if youre planning on adding the fish straight away you need to be running the mature filter alongside the new 1 or add the mature media from old filter to new. you can add as much mature tank water to a new filter as you like it wont make a blind bit of difference as you dont cycle the tank you cycle the filter which is where all your bacteria develops not in the water. hope this helps

 

[!!serious error!&#33]

Thanks markandfish for your time replying, but one problem is that the juwel filter is an internal sponge filter and the fluval is media , but i will start the new filter up in the old tank for a couple of days along side the old one. When i transfer the water will the bacteria be ok in the new filter as it is a canister and still hold the water in so the bacteria doesn't die , the whole changeover process will only take at least half an hour

 

[markandhisfish]

im not too clued up on sponge filters to be honest. running the new filter alongside the juwel internal will be a good idea will need more than a couple of days tho more like a few weeks to seed propperly . maybe you could cut a piece of the sponge and put it in the external to help speed things up while the 2 are running side by side. failing that there is a list on here somewhere of members willing to donate mature filter media .

another possible option if you want the new tank set up straight away ( best to get more experienced opinion on this 1 ) the juwel internals can be removed by slipping a slim bladed knife down the back to cut the blobs of silicone holding it in place , fix it into place in the new tank run the external alongside ( pref with some mature media if possible)

during a filter transfer as long as the media doesnt dry out bacteria should be fine. example i bought a 2nd hand external from a guy that lives about 20 to 30 minute drive from me he bought it round we hooked it up and all bacteria survived so i had the bonus of buying a cycled filter!!

where abouts are you? if you can get to colchester and your filter will hold bio-balls ( small brown textured balls around the size of a big ) pea and cramic tubes ( not sure what that type is called its like litle ceramic tubes around 10 mm long and 5 to 6 mm diameter. i can let you have some mature media for the new external to help you on your

if im too far away the list om members who donate mature media is in the pinned threads at the top of new to the hobby

 

[!!serious error!&#33]

Ok Mark , i live in Cardiff so a bit too far to colchester mate , but many thanks indeed , top man. Right i'm gonna go for the option you came up with about putting some sponge into the new filter as i really don't want to cut the black internal box out as i want to sell on the juwel rio 125. I'll start tomorrow buy cutting up some sponge and leave it for a week or so ,then i'll put the new filter into the new tank with new water for 3-4 days and do some water tests. I've seen the list for people willing to donate mature media , but no-one in Wales , i'll put a thread out to see if there are is anyone from wales out there. I'll let you know how i get on and thanks for your time again , cheers Mark ,i like the ideas mate........... Richard

 

[markandhisfish]

no probs mate good luck with the new setup

 

[raptorrex]

Ok Mark , i live in Cardiff so a bit too far to colchester mate , but many thanks indeed , top man. Right i'm gonna go for the option you came up with about putting some sponge into the new filter as i really don't want to cut the black internal box out as i want to sell on the juwel rio 125. I'll start tomorrow buy cutting up some sponge and leave it for a week or so ,then i'll put the new filter into the new tank with new water for 3-4 days and do some water tests. I've seen the list for people willing to donate mature media , but no-one in Wales , i'll put a thread out to see if there are is anyone from wales out there. I'll let you know how i get on and thanks for your time again , cheers Mark ,i like the ideas mate........... Richard

there is every chance, providing you keep the Juwel filter after removal, that you tank will be more sought after, without it fitted.

 

[Schmill]

I'll start tomorrow buy cutting up some sponge and leave it for a week or so ,then i'll put the new filter into the new tank with new water for 3-4 days and do some water tests.

Just to clarify exactly what you need to do here, as it seems you may have a little misunderstanding and I would hate for you to get 90% there, only to lose it all at the last hurdle

Put some sponge from the old filter into the new filter, (it doesn't matter how dirty it is, don't wash it, you want to take as much bacteria as possible over).
Run the NEW filter on the OLD tank along with the filter that is already on the old tank.

After 1-2wks (2wks better to be sure);

Move fish into buckets with some OLD tank water.
Transfer as much water from the OLD tank to the NEW tank as possible (not for the bacteria, but for the fish)
Top up NEW tank with fresh dechlorinated water.
Connect NEW filter to NEW tank.
Make sure NEW tank is at correct Temperature, then transfer fish into NEW tank.

Test water for a couple of days to make sure you get no ammonia or nitrIte spikes.




There is no point in getting the new filter all 'bacterialised' (ooo new word ), and then moving it over to the new tank, and leaving it for a few days with no fish if that is what you were intending to do? If you do then all the bacteria you have grown in the filter will die off as there will be no 'food' for them without the waste that the fish produce.

 

[!!serious error!&#33]

Hi schmill, what you just wrote was exactly what i was tending to to. Today i removed some sponge from the cycled tank and put it into the new external canister, then i set up the new filter with the old filter running with it onto the old tank, i have also added some bottled bacteria. So when the time comes i will transfer all the water and the fish and new filter at once.Then add some treated water as you said , then testing for a couple of days. cheers schmill. thanks for the concern.