Upgrading to a bigger tank

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

fishjamin

New Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2020
Messages
47
Reaction score
23
Location
Cheshire
Hi all,

I posted on here last summer as I was setting up my first tank, and I'm back for some more advice!

I currently have a 40l tank with 8 Neons and various snails / shrimp that all seem to be getting on fine. I know the tank is on the small side for the neons and its a bit of a nightmare as its a modular one with a compartment at the back that keeps running dry / getting fish stuck in it / getting clogged up so I'm going to be swapping up to a 120l Jewel Lido tank in the next few weeks.

The obvious initial question is - what can I do with the extra space? I'd like to add some more Neons and a feature fish or two ideally but gather anything too big may freak out the tetras. Feel free to advise!

The other question is about moving them over. I've read that reusing the filter material is the best way to avoid having to cycle again, however as it's a totally different type of filter I'm not sure if this is doable. If I move the plants, reuse the water, take the sand across and dump a bottle of surestart (or similar) in there, will this do it? Or, can i cut up the current filter sponge so it fits into the Jewel system???
 
Hi all,

I posted on here last summer as I was setting up my first tank, and I'm back for some more advice!

I currently have a 40l tank with 8 Neons and various snails / shrimp that all seem to be getting on fine. I know the tank is on the small side for the neons and its a bit of a nightmare as its a modular one with a compartment at the back that keeps running dry / getting fish stuck in it / getting clogged up so I'm going to be swapping up to a 120l Jewel Lido tank in the next few weeks.

The obvious initial question is - what can I do with the extra space? I'd like to add some more Neons and a feature fish or two ideally but gather anything too big may freak out the tetras. Feel free to advise!

The other question is about moving them over. I've read that reusing the filter material is the best way to avoid having to cycle again, however as it's a totally different type of filter I'm not sure if this is doable. If I move the plants, reuse the water, take the sand across and dump a bottle of surestart (or similar) in there, will this do it? Or, can i cut up the current filter sponge so it fits into the Jewel system???
AnalysisTypical valueUK/EU limitUnits
Hardness LevelSlightly Hard
Hardness Clarke7.56Clarke
Aluminium<23.2200µg Al/l
Calcium35.1mg Ca/l
Residual chlorine - Total0.70mg/l
Residual chlorine - Free0.64mg/l
Coliform bacteria00number/100ml
Colour<1.8120mg/l Pt/Co scale
Conductivity2582500uS/cm at 20oC
Copper<0.01142mg Cu/l
E.coli00number/100ml
Iron<21.4200µg Fe/l
Lead<0.86110µg Pb/l
Magnesium4.89mg Mg/l
Manganese<6.7550µg Mn/l
Nitrate17.650mg NO3/l
Sodium15.1200mg Na/l

Water data for my area before anyone asks!
 
Dwarf cories , dwarf pencil fish and apistogramma as the feature fish to go with the neons?
I have juwel rios and the filter compartment is huge so you can add all your used media, plus plants and substrate for a quick cycle.
 
From the table, the figure you need is hardness Clarke 7.56. This is not a unit used in fish keeping, so we have to convert it to the two units which are used. Ignore the words 'slightly hard'. Water companies always make water sound harder than fish keepers would consider it. Your water is soft.

Your hardness = 6 dH and 108 ppm.
 
Just one thing to bear in mind - the Juwel Lido 120 may be a 120 litre (32 gallon) tank but it has a small footprint at just 61 x 41 cm (24 x 16 inches) so it needs to be stocked with fish suitable for the average 60 litre tank because of the small swimming length.
 
Interesting point about the tank shape - I've also considered the Rio 125 although it wouldn't fit as well in the room. Would this make a noticeable difference to the type of fish I could have?
 
The Rio 125 is 20 cm/8 inches longer than the Lido 120 so yes, it would make a difference to fish.



If you look at the minimum tank dimensions on Seriously Fish for the fish you want, it will tell you if you need to go for the Rio or if the Lido would be OK.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top