40g tank! Switching from 10g!

[alia258]

The tank is exactly 39 gallons (saying 40g is just much simpler) and I want to switch from my 10g to the 40g an I'm hoping to avoid issue. The first question is wether 20Lbs of sand will cover at least 4" thick (that's how much I have in my 10g and it's very thick) the second question is how will my plants fare with the movement? I have swords of many sorts (melon, amazon, and micro) any then I have some anacharis and half dead frogbit which may or may not live. I don't have the exact measurements of the tank, but it looks about a foot long, 3-4 ft wide and about 1 1/2 ft tall. Plenty of surface area and ground area from what I see.

A * means that they're in my current tank

Next is the list of fish I want in it:
- 3 guppies (1 male 2 female)*
- 6 neon tetras*
- 4 black skirt tetras
- 4 "white" skirt tetras
- 4 albino cories
- 1 peppered Cory*
- 8 glo fish (2 blue 2 red 2 orange 2 yellow)
- 2 dwarf gourami (1 red/orange 1 blue/green/yellow)
-3 dwarf Otto cat/algae eater things (not sure of exact species, but they can live in a 10g safely for life)

And the plants:
-frogbit*
-Mexican oak leaf
-micro sword*
-java moss
-dwarf water lettuce
-melon sword*
-amazon sword*
-anacharis*

I also have about 15-20 guppy fry in a floating breeder box. Any ideas on my plan or things that might go wrong? And is there any chance of a mini-cycle? How would I avoid that?

 

[okapizebra]

You can just move your filter over to the new tank and run it in conjunction with your new filter. Then move all your fish over. It shouldn't cause a mini-cycle, but watch params anyways. Should instantly cycle your new tank.

 

[alia258]

I have a new digital thermometer that I can use on the tank. I just checked and the water says 78.5-78.4 and that's the best temperature for the widest range of fish ^^ I've gotten a few chemicals as well, some stress coat and live bacteria in those little tester bottles, I'm wondering if the live bacteria will be of much use at all though. I also have some dechlorinator in this yellow bottle and I got some algae remover stuff which will be of no use to me since I have the three Otto cats. I got a large siphon with the tank and a lid and a big filter with 5 extra cartridges to use, and so I've got some questions about the filters:
Can I use both the 10g and 40g filter cartridges in the 40g filter, or would it be a better idea to just use both filters?
Would putting the live bacteria straight into the larger filter help when I get my new fish to avoid a mini-cycle?

Oh and about the algae remover, is there any possible uses for that in the future? Like maybe if my tank has algae in the water column, will it work on that?

 

[librarygirl]

I wouldn't bother with the live bacteria. I've upgraded tanks twice now without issues, as long as you use the filter media from the old tank you'll be fine. Keep in mind once you start adding fish you may have mini-cycles but the upgrade itself shouldn't cause issues. When I've upgraded tanks I"ve added stress coat to the holding container I used for the fish (I added an air stone and heater in there too since uprading usually takes longer than expected) and the fish were fine.

You can either use both filters or just fit the media from the 10 into the 40 gals filter and then fill the rest of the space with new media. Also, what filter is it? If it's just rated for 40 gals you're going to want either a second filter or something larger. A good "rule" to follow is to have at least double the filtration for your size tank, so you'll want a combined filter capacity of at least 80 gals.

Also what are the dimensions of the tank? is it a 40 breeder or a 39 gal? I think you'll be a bit overstocked with all of those schools. I'd choose between the glofish or the skirt tetras. Also the peppered cory would do better with some friends of his own kind, so maybe up his shoal instead of getting albinos. Also not sure two Dwarf Gouramis are going to do well together long term (heard they can be aggressive toward each other), I'd just get one as a centerpiece but maybe others can confirm or refute this.

 

[alia258]

I've never heard of dwarf gouramis being aggressive but I'll look it up and check that out, I was under the impression that the dwarf version of the fish were non-aggressive. If I decide to just get skirt tetras, should I up those groups then? Like 6 black and 6 white? and about the fish when I switch the tank, would leaving them in a 5g bucket with the heater and both bubbler things be okay? I have some aquarium freshwater salt as well, I've never used it before, how helpful is it to the tank? I've heard that I prevents ich/ick and that velvet disease somewhere, is that true? That would help me when I buy new fish because I usually get an outbreak every time I get new fish and I have to treat with some harsh chemicals, and salt would probly be more natural to use in the tank as for the glo fish, I'll just scratch them off my list, but I was also considering getting 1-2 golden dojo loaches, any opinions on that? Oh and I'll get 4 peppered cories rather than albinos for my current Cory

The tank is just an average 39g, it held a large goldfish and those three mini-algae eaters I have. They had a poor amount of algae to eat because the previous owners didn't realize which species of fish they have. I'll take a pic of it later today and see if I can get you the dimensions of the tank ^^

 

[okapizebra]

I think all species of gouramis can be aggressive. They're all in the same family as bettas, so that should tell you something.

The five gal bucket thing should work fine.

Salt is kind of controversial. Some people swear by it, others think it's a complete waste. Personally I only think it's useful when you actually have ich. Why have a constant stress on the fish by having salt present? JMO.

I looove golden dojo loaches. I think I remember telling you about them on another thread before? Mine has so much personality and is just one of my favorite fish.

 

[emerald76]

You'd need 6 cories and 6 loaches

 

[alia258]

I think that theres a slight outbreak of ich present in the current tank, although its hidden in some decor, one guppy fry got I on the tail (which I had to cull because he wasn't swimming correctly and his tail was falling off) and so I was thinking that I'd add salt during the first time I filled the tank and let it leave in the pwcs (since the box said that it doesn't evaporate)

Why would I need more than three dojo loaches?
And also, I believe that 5 Cory cats is plenty, no need for one extra when there isn't enough space.

 

[alia258]

I think all species of gouramis can be aggressive. They're all in the same family as bettas, so that should tell you something.

I googled dwarf gourami, and it said that in rare cases the fish can become unpredictably aggressive, but often only appears during spawning. Since I just want 1 male, I think that any aggression can be avoided. If the fish comes home aggressive and continues for a few days, then I'll switch the fella out in hopes of a calmer fish, and if that doesn't work I'll drop the wanting a gourami. Every fish is different, I've heard of Berta's housing safely with community fish even, you just never know what to expect ^^

 

[okapizebra]

Well, they're mainly aggressive towards other gouramis or similar species such as bettas.

Loaches prefer to be in groups. They're not shoaling or schooling, they are just more comfortable when others of their species are present. Honestly though I see no reason why you NEED to have six, I have one single dojo loach and he is as active as ever and whenever I see them in stores they are never even near each other anyways. I think you'd be totally fine with 1 or 2, and I say this from personal experience so take it how you will.

 

[JennaSimpson]

I have had a couple of dwarf gouramis and a male and female betta in a tank and they all did great together; sometimes fish work together sometimes they don't. It just depends on the fish and environment (ample hiding places, ect.)

 

[alia258]

I'll be getting two then, since that was my original plan ^^

 

[blert]

If you are moving over your plants don't use the salt. That is what quarantine tanks are for. Use the old ten gallon to treat the fish.

 

[Coursair]

Dojo Loaches can get a foot long and quite thick. They are peaceful but the dig. If you want plants that could be bad. They also prefer cool water.

They are a great fish, but you should read up if you are considering getting one.

 

[okapizebra]

The golden variety generally stays thinner than the others. Definitely no where near comparing a foot long dojo to a pleco.

Mine is about 4 inches and he's never dug up anything in my tank and I have live plants.

 

[Coursair]

The golden variety generally stays thinner than the others. Definitely no where near comparing a foot long dojo to a pleco.

Mine is about 4 inches and he's never dug up anything in my tank and I have live plants.

Good to hear from a Dojo owner. I sold them and they were very active and grew fast. I'm told like most eel type fish they can be escape artists also.

 

[alia258]

Maybe getting just one dojo will be good for my tank? I already added the salt, but less than was said to add on the box, I put in 6 tablespoons when it said 8. I'll be doing a pwc tomorrow or the day after, and I'm hoping tomorrow or Monday I can get some new fish! I was considering an angel fish, any thoughts or opinions on that?

 

[alia258]

I have officially done the switch of the tank last night! They're all healthy and everything seems to be in order and I think we're ready to add more fish

 

[librarygirl]

Great! I'd test the tank for a few days though to make sure there's no spikes before adding more fish. ALso keep in mind that the bacteria you have now are just enough for your current fish load; as you add more fish the bacteria will need to adjust so you'll likely see some ammonia or nitrite spikes, so add fish very slowly in small amounts, test for a week or two, only when ammonia and nitrite can stay at 0 on their own then you can add more. You mentioned Ich though; if there's Ich in the tank I'd eradicate that first before adding anything else.

 

[alia258]

Great! I'd test the tank for a few days though to make sure there's no spikes before adding more fish. ALso keep in mind that the bacteria you have now are just enough for your current fish load; as you add more fish the bacteria will need to adjust so you'll likely see some ammonia or nitrite spikes, so add fish very slowly in small amounts, test for a week or two, only when ammonia and nitrite can stay at 0 on their own then you can add more. You mentioned Ich though; if there's Ich in the tank I'd eradicate that first before adding anything else.

I added salt and a small amount of medication, because there was an outbreak a long while ago, which I got rid of, then last week, it reappeared but left on its own pretty much (there was still a trace amount of the med in the tank) and so the med and salt is just a precaution, as far as I can see, all the fish are physically healthy.

If I get a single angel fish, will it be non-aggressive? I heard that a pair can nip tails during spawning. And how will it fare with the dwarf gourami?

I was also wondering if anyone could give me a list of the fish from my wanted list from hardiest to least hardy, so I could add them as safely as possible and avoid as much trouble as I can during an algae spike