Upgrading Tank Size

[kuupritsu]

Hi everyone, I need a bit of advice with regards to setting up a new tank. I recently purchased a new 260L tank online second hand with a fluval 305 external filter, currently i have a 120L tank with a fluval u3 internal filter.
 
What is the easiest safest way to transfer my fish to the new tank. I have been told a few things such as use the dirty water from my old filter and pass it through into the 305 external, or run both filters in the tank for a while etc etc
 
Just wondered if anyone had any suggestions to help make the process safe for the fish and without too much hassle.
 
Thanks
 
Rick

 

[fluttermoth]

to the forum, Rick.
 
It's really quite easy;
 
strip down your old tank, putting the fish in a lidded bucket, cool box or something similar, keeping as much old water as you can.
 
Take all the substrate, decor and plants (and heater, if you're using the old one) from the old tank and put it in the new one. Move all the filter media from your old filter into the new one (that's the vital bit to preserve your filter bacteria).
 
Add the old water and fish into the new tank, and gradually top up with new water (making sure it's temperature matched and dechlorinated, of course!)
 
Doing it that way ensures that all the bacteria move over and it is, for the fish, not much more than a large water change. When doing major work like this on a tank, you should feed sparingly and test often for a week or so, just in case some of the bacteria die off and you have small ammonia or nitrite spikes which need a couple of water changes to sort out. Not feeding the fish for a couple of days before hand will help as well.

 

[l_l_l]

Hi there!
 
It is just an opinion I have but I'm thinking that if you use the same water, gravel and add the two filters on the tank at the same time, and let them act for a while, you'd be okay.
If I wanted to be super safe, I'd gradually add new water to the 260L tank instead of just adding it all at the same time.
I'd add bare minimum first, then gradually add.
Maybe like add 60L of water at first (gives you 180L) then 60L, then the rest..
 
I might be wrong tho because I am not really experienced.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yeah, running two filters at the same time is very unlikely to cycle the new filter.
 
As the current filter has enough bacteria in it to cope with the current bioload, there won't be enough free ammonia in the tank to feed another colony. Also, the bacteria cling on quite strongly to the media, so there won't be enough loose in the water to seed a new colony in the new filter.
 
Putting all the old media in the new filter is a far, far better way to go about it. Another advantage is that you can keep your old media in the new filter and, once the bacteria have had time to spread through the new filter (after about six weeks), if you need a hospital or quarantine tank in hurry, you can take the old media out, pop it back in the old filter and you have a cycled filter ready to go.

 

[kuupritsu]

wow awesome thanks for the help guys and gals, super quick. So if i understand you correctly fluttermoth i should add my old bio media into the new 305 filter or replace the media? I think you mean add them so i then have some ready incase i need to use the old filter again. Althought i do intend to sell it with my old tank.
 
I have ran two filters before and it worked ok but i might have been lucky, i obviously would rather do what is safer and benifical to the fish.
 
I intend to use all my original water and as much of the gravel and decorations as possible.
 
Thanks again for the help
 
Rick

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, add your old bio media to the new filter. Then top the new filter up with new media. That way the bacteria can spread into the new media. Being able to use it again in the old filter is just a bonus that many of us find comes in handy
 
If you want to sell the media with the filter, you'd have to wait at least six weeks before you could start removing it; might be best to either sell it without, or buy new to sell with it; your bacterial colonies are priceless!

 

[l_l_l]

Yes, add your old bio media to the new filter. Then top the new filter up with new media. That way the bacteria can spread into the new media. Being able to use it again in the old filter is just a bonus that many of us find comes in handy

 
If you want to sell the media with the filter, you'd have to wait at least six weeks before you could start removing it; might be best to either sell it without, or buy new to sell with it; your bacterial colonies are priceless!

True..
When I bought my filter second hand I asked the guy to not clean it before giving it to me.
He laughed and said he was happy to speak to someone who knew about the value of a "dirty" filter.

 

[kuupritsu]

Thanks for the help. Il just wait 6 weeks until I sell my older filter, as you said the bacteria is important. I will update how I get on and attach a pic of the fishes new home once sorted

 

[the_lock_man]

If you transfer the mature media into the new filter housing, and top up with new, that means you will have some new media left over. Sell that with the old filter housing.