New tank

[Fishlover5297]

I've recently set up a new tank using some water from my old tank and then topped it up with new I also squeezed the gunk from my sponge filter into the water an have let it go clear so my question is can I transfer my fish into the new tank after only 2 days of the tank being set up?

 

[rmiller]

If its sat with no ammonia source for a couple days the bacteria you squeezed in may have died off already. You can check to see if the bacteria is still alive by adding ammonia to your tank and testing after 24 hours. I would dose to 2 ppm and see if it drops to zero within 24 hours.

 

[Fishlover5297]

The temperature is at 32 Celsius which I'm worried about and am trying to get it back down to below 30 but will it harm my fish is I put them in when the tank is that temperature?

 

[Masha]

The temperature is at 32 Celsius which I'm worried about and am trying to get it back down to below 30 but will it harm my fish is I put them in when the tank is that temperature?

Yes that is very high. It will mean that the water is probably very low in oxygen too. Best to get it down to about 26 or 24, depending on the fish you plan to keep.

Sometimes it's good to heat a tank up that much - e.g. when treating an outbreak of ich for a certain period of time- but you would certainly not want it that high as a normal thing.

 

[Masha]

...on the other hand, if you plan to do a fishless cycle, it's good to have the temperature high while the fishless cycle is in process as the bacteria like that warm water. Just cool things down before you put fish in.

 

[Fishlover5297]

My tank has a lid and I've turned the heater down but the temperature is still way up so what can I do to lower the temperature without putting cold water in?
I do have another heater that would be better and plan on swapping them round tonight

 

[Masha]

Don't worry about it too much. Tanks to take a long time to cool down. I've actually found that - depending on the room temperature - it can take a lot longer to cool a tank down than to heat it up.

Is there a reason why you need it to be cool by a certain time? It's best to just let it take it's own time. Turn the heater down and forget about it till tomorrow. If it's still too hot, turn the heater down some more

 

[Fishlover5297]

Already turned the heater down but the tank is still too warm

 

[Delapool]

Already turned the heater down but the tank is still too warm

I assume air-conditioning is out? Taking the lid off could help if room temperature is lower. Just curious on why colder water can't be used?

 

[Fishlover5297]

It can I just wondered if there wa another way to do it instead

 

[Delapool]

It can I just wondered if there wa another way to do it instead

Aquarium chiller as used in saltwater tanks. Bit expensive though

 

[okapizebra]

You can put some ice in a bag and float it in the tank.

 

[jtez]

You can put some ice in a bag and float it in the tank.

It's not very effective, but honestly sometimes this is all you can do. I'm in Australia and more often than not the tap water in summer is just as hot as the overheated aquarium. My tanks been between 31-35 for the past week now, air con isn't helping. Right now ice is the only thing I can do without a chiller, so +1 to this advice.

Also leaving lights off can help reduce heating

 

[Tank-o-Fish]

Why the hurry? I know you are probably eager to put some fish in, but it's really better to take things step by step. I went through the painfully long process of fishless cycling some time ago, but I'm glad I did. Patience is a virtue when it comes to keeping fish.

The temperature will come down on it's own. If not, turn the heater down some more. In the mean time, you can check if the tank really is correctly cycled by putting in pure ammonia (or an other source of ammonia). Chances are it will take some time.

 

[Fishlover5297]

My tank is still at 31 degrees Celsius and the heater is turned way down could the heater be faulty?

 

[Masha]

Unplug the heater, see if that makes a difference.

 

[rmiller]

It could be. Since you don't have fish yet you could remove the heater and see if your temp drops. It won't be an instant thing. Once its down to a more reasonable temp put the heater back in and see if it over heats again. Just make sure to feed any bacteria you have with either fish food or ammonia so you don't lose any you have already.

 

[Fishlover5297]

Thanks I have another filter that I know works fine but is in my old tank with the fish so if I take the heater out and it drops then I may put the good heater in and try to figure out what's wrong with the other heater