What To Do After Replacing Leaking Tank?

[Mark Z.]

Last night, I came in to find my 55-gallon aquarium leaking.
 
Luckily, I was able to get to the store and buy the last 55-gallon aquarium they had. I was up until 1 a.m. swapping them out.
 
I drained the old one, put the fish in a smaller holding tank, set up the new one with the plants, sand, rocks and driftwood from the old one and reconnected the filter, heater and air stone. I treated the water with water conditioner and Stress Coat and added the fish to the new aquarium.
 
In my mind, I am thinking that in effect, I performed a 100% water change. (along with the glass around the water). Everything else is the same.
 
This morning, the tank is very cloudy. The parameters are all at 0, but that is because the water is all new. Should I be concerned with anything? I don't need to cycle my tank again, do I, because the filter media is mature and I kept the rocks and sand in old tank water until placing them in the new tank.
 
Any suggestions? Is there anything I should be prepared for?
 
Thanks,
Mark

 

[Mark Z.]

I checked on the tank a while ago and most of the fish were at the top gasping for air!
 
I did an 80% water change and they seem better now. The water still is a little cloudy. I am pretty concerned. I won't be home tomorrow to keep an eye on it.
 
Any suggestions as to what is going on and what I can expect?
 
Mark

 

[Mark Z.]

Well, the water is getting even cloudier and some of my cichlids are just sitting on the bottom. Any idea what is going on? All the levels are at zero.
 
I don't know what else to do. I couldn't have left the old tank as it was, because it was leaking bad. I had to get this new tank. I thought that because the filter media was established, that there would be no problem.
 
Anybody have any ideas??

 

[nic1]

Did you rinse the tank before using it?
do you have any carbon you can put in the filter?
I would do massive water changes every day, enough so that the fish are up right and make sure you get some carbon so it will filter out any thing in the tank.
get an air stone in there too.... If you can try and clean the substrate, you could of disturbed some ammonia filled air pockets when you moved it.

 

[Baccus]

As nic1 suggested did you rinse the new tank first? Any tank that has been in a shop has the potential to have all sorts of chemicals get into them just from cleaning the shop.
When you had the fish in the smaller holding tank did you by chance also keep the filter running on this smaller holding tank while you swapped everything over? If not there is a chance that you lost quite a lot of your good bacteria from the filter. And the established bacteria that would have been living on the gravel/ structures in the tank have also been potentially buried after you swapped that over to the new tank. Just stirring up the substrate can cause a shift in the types of bacteria since anaerobic bacteria would have been at the bottom of the substrate out of easy oxygen areas while other aerobic bacteria would have been out where the oxygen was freely mixed through the water column.
 
It sounds like you are having an algae bloom which shouldnt normally really worry the fish, but the fish not behaving normally says to me to keep up the water changes,probably around 50-60% if possible.

 

[Mark Z.]

I wiped down the new tank with wet paper towels, but i didn't rinse it.

 
I had an air stone in the holding tank, but not the filter. The filter was off for no more than an hour and a half. (Fluval 406). I kept the sponge that I have around the intake tube in with the fish.
 
I just took one of my other Fluvals from the other tank and added it to the 55 gallon out of desperation. I also have two air stones going as normal.
 
Thanks for the tip about the carbon! I didn't think about that. I may have some somewhere, I hope! I will also do another big water change tonight.

 

[AbbeysDad]

This is most likely a bacterial bloom of faculative (decomposition) bacteria. As mentioned, the substrate is an eco-system in itself with a natural order of layering. By transferring the substrate everything became mixed up, including the organics in play resulting in a bacterial bloom. A few partial water changes and a few days, it should clear up.

 

[Mark Z.]

I added another filter from another tank and it seemed to clear it up pretty quickly. I also put carbon in that filter.
 
I did two huge water changes today and will do another tomorrow. 
 
So far, I think I will lose one or two cory cats. Everyone else seems OK now, I hope.
 
Thanks!
 

 

[nic1]

Cant you put the suffering cory cats into another tank for now? They will suffer the most as they are bottom dwellers. You can transfer them back in a couple of weeks when everything is all good again. I find it easy to catch mine by putting in some of their favourite food into the back of a long jar and letting them swim in, then I scoop it up.

 

[Mark Z.]

The cories and all others are doing fine now!
 
Thanks for all the advice,
Mark