New tank Transistion

jasonwilks

Hello, I have a 180 gallon fresh water tank made from acrylic. I am upgrading to a 180 gallon starphire glass tank from glasscages.

Currently I have like 10 fish in my tank, some are big fish. One is like 8 inches long and 2 inches think. Anyway, I have been dealing with a cloud problem for the past 5 months in this tank. It seems like no matter what I do I cant get rid of the cloudiness. Ive tried algea removers, heavy particle/metal combiners, frequent water changes, sometimes even like 98% water changes (did like 10 of them), nothing ever worked.

But Im about to get this starphire glass tank replacement tank on June 2nd. And I would like to know if I should transfer any of the gravel/water to my new tank so I dont have to wait long for the bacteria to develop? Is this going to transfer the cloud as well? Should thoroughly clean the gravel first?

Anything else I should consider while doing the tank change?

Sorry I am a newbie to all this stuff!

Tazman

Transfer all the gravel into the new tank after removing the fish to temporary housing such as a pale.

Water, you want enough to keep the fish in while you do the transfer.

Transfer all the gravel, filter and heater (if its fully submerisble, get it in the tank as soon as possible and once you have the gravel in, start filling the tank and treat the water with dechlorinator. As soon as the heater is covered, turn it on, so it starts heating the water. If you can get it up to temperature or at least near before adding the fish in.

The water may take a day or 2 to settle and may be slightly cloudy..this is tiny particles in the water settling.

It would not be advisable to wash your gravel as a large amount of good bacteria reside there and as such will be killed off if you wash it unless it is in tank water from the old tank. You might have to check the water daily in the new tank to make sure a mini cycle does not occur. If you notice any ammonia / Nitrites be prepared to do daily water changes until it settles down.

While transferring the filter, you want to keep the media wet in old tank water prior to it going on the new tank, this is important as there is only a limited time before the bacteria will start dying if out of water too long.

With regards to your current cloudy issue, it could be free floating bacteria / algae. How long do you have the lights on in the tank for?

jasonwilks

Should i make sure the gravel is still all wet when doing the transfer, or could I let the gravel sit in buckets to dry for a week or so?

[quote=Tazman;1085526]

Water, you want enough to keep the fish in while you do the transfer.

Transfer all the gravel, filter and heater (if its fully submerisble, get it in the tank as soon as possible and once you have the gravel in, start filling the tank and treat the water with dechlorinator. As soon as the heater is covered, turn it on, so it starts heating the water. If you can get it up to temperature or at least near before adding the fish in.

The water may take a day or 2 to settle and may be slightly cloudy..this is tiny particles in the water settling.

It would not be advisable to wash your gravel as a large amount of good bacteria reside there and as such will be killed off if you wash it unless it is in tank water from the old tank. You might have to check the water daily in the new tank to make sure a mini cycle does not occur. If you notice any ammonia / Nitrites be prepared to do daily water changes until it settles down.

I use undergravel filters, no canister filter yet, thats coming later.

I have my lights on the tank for about 7 hours a day, with some natural sunlight shining through too. Ive tried turning off the lights in the tank for a whole week and that did not help at all.

Ive tried many products and I have no idea how to get rid of the cloudiness in my current tank. And I am mostly scared that I will transfer that same cloud to my new tank.. ??

Tazman

Generally undergravel filters are not used much now because they can be a trap for waste, cause water issues and may possibly be why you can never get your water clear.

Hang on the back(HOB) and Canister filters are a lot better.

If you are going to be using all the gravel from the old tank in the new then just transfer it straight over, if it dries out, the bacteria die and you basically are going to cycle the tank again. The natural sunlight if it is quite a lot could also be a cause for near continous free floating algae which may be another reason your water is cloudy.

Can you provide a picture of the tank as it is now, to get a better understanding of what it looks like?
If you do not know how to upload a picture, I can talk you through it.

jasonwilks

I own an Eheim pro 3 canister filter, but it is currently not hooked up, and the reason why was I thought it was the problem causing the cloudiness 5 months ago. I took it out and that never helped, and I never got the motivation to reinstalling it.

Here are some pics of the aquarium that I just took:

Fish Tank Pictures