10 years down the drain! Please Help!

clohmaier

I have a 10 year old 55gal and i have recently been upgrading it bit by bit to get ready to switch over to a 90-125gal

my first dilema:
I thought i could skip the cycling process by putting a new filstar filter(that will be used for the new tank) in the 55gal but using the old carbon and used sponges before switching tanks
there is no air in the filter and it sits about 3 inches below the surface (no waterfall effect) its been this way for 2 weeks. is this sufficient airation? (without an air pump) I am use to my biowheel so i'm a bit concerned

Second dilema:
I had a 15 year old marble angel that just passed away. I was crushed and i did something i know better than doing... I went searching for another even though i will be switching tanks in a few months. I ended up coming home with a young koy angle and a young pearl angel. (both about 3.5 inches and very placid. Now they are in the new tank and my existing black angel (about 6inches) is attacking my new pearl. I don't know what to do! after only one day his tail is shredded. so now i have him in a breeding net box for the day.
should i put the two new babies in my spare 10 gal by themselves until they start to bulk up and i have my new tank running? or are they doomed? My tank has been established for years! grrrrr
i guess it would probably help if my tank was planted, i know they would love it but i have buenos aires tetras and thay consume anything that hits the water like little devils!

what a nightmare!

herefishy

I will answer the last question first. It's funny how we know better than to do something by experience, but figure, "Well, it will be different this time" and it isn't. We need to think with our heads and tell our hearts to shutup. I have done the same thing many, many times. So, you are not alone in making this mistake. And the answer is......... segregate the fish. When the new tank is set up there will enough room that all should be well.

The second question is a little more complicated. By using "seeded" equipment, that is, by using equipment that has been used on older tanks, you do not "cycle" the new tank. What you will do is shorten the time it takes to the bio-bed to establish itself. You are essentially introducing established bacteria for seeding purposes, The bio-bed still must multiply and get established. How much quicker is it? I wish I had a crystal ball or some magical formula to tell you. Tanks can take up to 12 weeks or more to cycle. You shouldn't have that long, but it's possible.

clohmaier

actually the second question was is there enough airation in the water :)
if the filter sucks the water below surface and spits it out below surface there is movement in the water but no bubbles and no surface contact.


and i guess i will have to put the pearl in the 10 gallon for now :(
I hope he will be ok, i had to bleach it since it was my hospital tank so now it is bacteria free
I'm hoping if i use some of the gravel from the big tank and some of the old sponge that it will have sufficient bacteria (considering there will only be the one fish in the 10 gal) and hopefully if it does cycle it will be under control and not harm the litte guy.

boy am i feeling sheepish

clohmaier

noone knows?

herefishy

Areation does not come from blowing tons of bubbles into the water. The oxygen transfer process happens at the surface. By pumping "tons of bubbles" into the water, you break the surface tension of the water allowing for the transfer.

clohmaier

ummmm, ok still confused i know what aeration is :)
are you farmiliar with the canister filter i spoke of? there are no bubbles, and no surface contact, in fact you cannot hardly tell that there is any movement unless you put your hand below the surface. I i just thought that the surface would have to be more disturbed to have proper aeration. is this correct?

scottysgirl

It would help if you told us what type of filstar. If it is an XP3 that is not going to be enough filter for a 100 gallon tank, but an XP4 would, which one are you using?

clohmaier

ummmm... ok... did you read my post? i was never questioning the filtration. Its an XP4 but that really doesn't matter. I wanted to know if it was sufficient aeration