NEED MOVING/TANK UPGRADE HELP!!!

jaycup13

ok so here is the situation. I currently have 2 10 gallon tanks. Both are well established and very natural...lots of plants. I am moving In two months and don't want the 2 tens to come, Instead i plan on comb. both into a 55 gallon.(all fish work well together) Here is the problem...Should i start up the new 55 my the house i will be moving FROM to get the gravel and filter cycled..not to mention have a proper amount of water to fill the 55 upon moving. If i went this route would i want to remove gravel as well as water when moving the tank? Or should i wait to set up the 55 at the new home, cycle it there, and try to move both 10's while getting the new 55 up and running. My idea is this, please tell me if it wont work... Set the new 55 up at the old house, get it cycled and start adding my fish slowly until all have the new larger home and it is stable...About two months right??... Than when move day comes.. Go as normal and hope for the best. I am really stressing over this and ANY help, comments, experiences and even other questions are welcome.. THANK YOU !!!!!


Jake

Melissa

well if you set up your 55 at your house, and then move it to your new house it will still cycle when you move it. And its not good to use the water, its better to just drain it and start with new water. And you would have to remove the gravel. It will be to heavy and instable to move a tank with gravel in it. so no matter what you will have to take everything down. IMO its just easier to wait and set it up at the new house.

jaycup13

Please people...i need all the help i can get here. Really concerned about the move and getting the two 10's to combine well. Any ideas or suggestions would be great!!!! I have about 2 months before move so that should be enough time to get a plan and fallow through...??

jaycup13

One more thing....If i didnt use about %80 of my old water to fill the tank after the move...how would i get tap water to the temp. chem levels, and ph all to where i need them before i get the fish in? What would i do with the fish while the new 55 "re-cycled"?? So lost........

Amphitrite

Hi jaycup13 and welcome to the forum :)

How far are you moving? It would be easier to help you plan ahead if we know how long the journey is between both places.

Also, have you tested the tapwater parameters in the new place you are moving to? That would be useful information to have, as you will be able to assess how different the water is from the water you are currently using.

jaycup13

I am moving about 15 minutes away. the tap water at the old house is perfect, greathardness, ph of 7. no contaminates to speak of. the town in oregon where i live is huge on water saftey. So yeah, 15 minute move, and i plan on getting the water info from the house i am moving to for you today, Thanks for actually taking the time to tell when what you think!!!!

magic_marty

How about doing what we did when we went to a 55 from a 20..
We took all the decor and gravel from the 20 and placed it in the 55 (without doing anything to it like washing or such) and took the canister and moved it to the 55 without any changes to it also, witch helped preserve the biological goodies.We kept everything in tank water and didn't let anything dry out.
It appears we are having a mini cycle but it seems to be progressing very quickly...


Good luck...

Rue

Can you start the new tank now?

If so, I'd take 1/2 the nice, dirty gravel from each 10 g tank and put it in the new tank...along with a little dirty water...then I'd take the old sponge filters from the old tank (when it's time to change them) and put them in the new filter...and then I'd add the fresh water...

...go ahead and move 1/2 the plants as well...

With any luck, the new tank will be cycled just as you move...

Rue

p.s.

If you don't want to have the old gravel in the new tank, that is, if you're redecorating...

...someone suggested (thank you!!!) putting the old gravel in pantihose...that way you'll still get the bacteria in the tank, but won't have to clean out the old gravel...

If you do it this way, I don't see why you couldn't put all the new gravel in at the start, and then just lay the pantihose filled with gravel on top...

jaycup13

yes i can get the new tank started now in my old home...and have about two months to get to ready and cycled...then go with the move as normal. but the question is....do i wait to set up the new tank at the new house, and try to find a temp home for all my friends while the tank becomes safe(up to 45 days) OR should i get the new 55 cycled and introduce the all the fish to the new home, let it get settled then move??? I feel like if i don't get the new tank up and running before the move then,
A: i wont have enough proper water to fill the tank for my friends when i move
B: My wet buddies could be swimming in a tupperware for up to two months before there new home is safe.
My idea was to get a portion..80% of the gravel in the new tank, growing some bacteria so that the new isn't nearly as stressful. thanks