Some advice on transferring to a new 55?

[Proteus55]

I'm starting up a new community, unplanted 55, and have an established old 37 with a single surviving Silver Dollar. The 37 has lots of pink granite rocks, lightly dusted with algae and is run by an older Penguin bio-wheel. I will be running an Eheim 2217 on the 55 and wonder if I should pack the bio-wheel material and maybe the cartridges into the Eheim media to help recycling. Or, I could just drop the cats into the tank for a week or two. I am going to a new sand substrate (pool-filter 20#) so won't be using the old gravel. I thought keeping the rocks would held cycling too . I could run the old Penguin simultaneously with the Eheim, but it is loud and the wife is complaining. Does this sound logical? The old SD will likely be part of this in-fish cycle. Of course, I will monitor ammonia levels and do the water changes.

 

[tnfinfan]

Sounds familiar. I set up a new tank, dechlorinated the water, and let it run for a few days to be sure the new heater was working properly and the tank didn't leak (bought it used). Then, I moved the biowheel, a big rock, and a couple decorations from an established (but small) tank over to the new tank along with the three fish from that tank. I just stuck the biowheel down into the biological filter media inside the canister. And then I tested and tested and tested for a week before adding any more fish. No ammonia, no nitrite, just a very slow rise in nitrate. I figured it was time to begin stocking. I have since added fish a few at a time waiting a week or so between additions. The bacterial population is keeping up just fine. I intend to leave the biowheel in the canister so that I can restart the little tank at will.

 

[Proteus55]

That sounds like it worked well! I will do the same.