Transfering From 1 Tank To Another.

[dafrnhm]

I'm glad this was posted. I'm looking at upgrading from my 180 litre to a 400 litre and I was thinking how this would pan out, I thought why can't I just emulate a water change but actually change tanks, so put all the extisting water into the new tank and then top it up with fresh dechlorinated water and get the filter back on, as far as the fish are concerned its just a water change... turns out I was right for a change. Go me.

Only thing I'm stuck with now is the filter power, I am running a Fluval U4 at the moment but doubt this is enough for a 400 litre. During my tank change could I just fit the existing filter and run the new filter alongside it for a few weeks to allow the bacteria to spread. Then take away the old filter.

Sorry to kinda hijack but it saves starting a new thread and its still kinda relevent to your post

 

[KittyKat]

Only thing I'm stuck with now is the filter power, I am running a Fluval U4 at the moment but doubt this is enough for a 400 litre. During my tank change could I just fit the existing filter and run the new filter alongside it for a few weeks to allow the bacteria to spread. Then take away the old filter.

Yes, run the filters parallel for 6 weeks. The alternative is moving all the media from the Fluval into the new filter.

 

[dafrnhm]

Well I am not sure if I want a internal or external filter yet, I am going to do some research on the pros and cons. Most tanks I see that truly impress me have external filters, dont know if this is coincidence or if they offer any benefits but we shall see. I'm just worried about it leaking for some reason, I dont even know if leaks are common with external filters but thats what I'm telling myself.

 

[sausagewinkle]

Hijack away. I dont mind

 

[coldcazzie]

The advantage of an external is that you have less space taken up in the tank (therefore more room for the fish to swim) and that usually you get a lot more room for media than you could feasibly do with an internal filter. With the size tank you'll be upgrading to, I think it's unlikely you would be able to get a single internal filter that would be sufficient - you'd have to have at least 2.

As for leaking - well, if it's brand new then either it's broken (in which case you should get a replacement) or it's been set up wrong. If it's second hand then it's more of a risk... I guess it's personal preference really. Despite my external leaking when I first got it (due to me not setting it up correctly!) I would still rather have an external than an internal: I prefer the cleaner look of tanks that are not full of equipment, and as such I'll be buying an inline heater and diffuser when I have enough pennies. But that's just me.