Transporting Tank

[GTS_MAD]

Hey Guys,

Just purchested myself a 4ft tank soooooooo happy.
Just got to get it home, its been running for 3 years so well matured it has an external filter.
It looks like it had an algee issue before as glass is green and the some of the gravel is green to.

Couple of q's.

Whats the best way to transort the tank i mean should i keep the tanks water and also what about the filter it is external to.

Should i clean the whole tank, and should i replace the gravel or use this stuff due to bacteria.

Any help would be great!

 

[AdamM]

Personally i would probably fully scrub the tank (no chemicals). The external filter i would leave the water in and seal it and then once i got it home i would fill the tank with water (detoxified) and start the filter and let it run for a few days to a week, testing at appropriate intervals.

 

[GTS_MAD]

but i take it, it should be cycled as it had been running for 3 years, so dont i use the tank water?

 

[mattlee]

the longer the filter is left without an ammonia source the less bacteria will be in it as they will eventually die off. keep it in tank water while you transport it home give the tank a good clean and the gravel i would personally ditch and get new substrate to suit what look or fish your after. fill the tank with dechlor water and add any plants, ornaments etc then when its at the correct temp for your fish transfer them into their new home. if the pH, temp etc is the same as their current tank then you may get away with a simple transfer but personally i would put them in a bag and transfer 1 at a time as if they were new, if you dont have any bags you can use a bucket and add water to that then transfer them just make sure the temp is the same. when all fish are added as long as the previous owner had a similar amount of fish you should be ok just keep an eye on water stats for a couple of weeks. if the owner had less fish you could find yourself in a mini cycle until the filter can catch up.

 

[GTS_MAD]

Yes owner had 3 fish in the tank left,

So if i just leave the filter as it is as its an external filter, it will have water in there.
So i wont need the tank water then?

 

[AdamM]

i wouldnt take it as you really never know what is in their water (no offense to the seller)

 

[erk628]

If theres algea stains on the glass and as long as its glass and not acrylic and while theres no water in it I found using a razor blade will clean the glass up nicely.

 

[OldMan47]

A tank that has been running with fish in it has a mature filter, no matter how badly it was cared for. The tank water that exists today is almost meaningless. The bacteria do not live mainly in the water, the largest part by far are in the filter. You could clean the tank well, add new proper temperature water and then add the fish back into the tank and start the filter. I would not worry much about the water in the filter as long as there is enough to keep the media moist during the trip.

 

[GTS_MAD]

well its an external filter so it will have water in there anyway wont it?

 

[waterdrop]

well its an external filter so it will have water in there anyway wont it?

Yes, since you're working with the previous owner to prep it for transport etc., be sure to mention that you intend to keep water in the external cannister filter to keep the media wet. I completely agree with OM47, the important part is the wet media, not the tank water, which can be simply emptied down to the gravel. Package any decorations separately so they won't move and break the glass. If the three fish have been the only fish for a while then the bacterial colonies will have dropped to meet this level of bioload and you will eventually need to do your fish additions starting perhaps one fish at a time, depending on size, with a week or more inbetween.

I'd think rinsing unlikely to get green algae stains off the gravel. Probably you should just hope that it gets randomized and turned under when you rinse the gravel and if you don't have a new algae problem yourself then the old green stains may eventually wear off and disappear. Of course, you could replace the substrate but that would be pretty expensive with a big tank like that. Another thought: you might want to find small brushes and do a nice clean of the impeller and its area on your first filter clean. Also a filter hose clean may be in order.

 

[OldMan47]

It certainly will have water in it. So what? The fish have been living in that water all along and will not be harmed by a little of it in the new tank.