Switching from 20 to 30 gallon!

[ilovegoogle33]

Hey everybody! First time posting here!

I currently have a 20 gallon tank. My brother is big into fishtanks and he has helped me a ton along the way, but he's not quite sure my best option here.

I've got pretty good water aside from a bit of an algae problem, so I don't want to introduce any of that water into my new tank. My brother has a 20 gallon of PERFECT conditions—as perfect as you could get, I suppose. He said he would give me around 5 or 6 gallons to use just to get a nice base.

What would be my best bet for the rest of the water? I know tap water is good simply because it has a lot of chemicals in it already that are necessary. Should I maybe do another 15 gallons of tap water and then the remaining 10 gallons with some spring water?

Thanks in advance for the help!

EDIT: Forgot to list my contents! I've got 6 neon tetras, 3 algae eaters, a creamsicle molly, a while molly, two yellow platys and 3 silver cory catfish. Main reason I want to upgrade is basically because it's getting a bit crowded between the fish and the two decorations and two Amazon something or other plants. lol

 

[jondamon]

I'm not fully understanding your question.


Tank water holds very little of the beneficial bacteria that's needed.

Are you going to be moving the occupants of your 20g into the 30g?

If so I would fill your 30g with dechlorinated tap water add your 20g filter to the tank along with any decor or plants that you want to move also and then acclimate your fish into their new tank.

You could use some old tank water from your 20g but its really not needed.

Then by moving your filter across along with the occupants you would have an almost instant cycle in your new tank.


Jon

 

[librarygirl]

I don't think algae comes from water, necessarily. Lots of things play a role in algae including lights and nutrients in the water, etc. What lights do you have on the tank? How long are they on each day? Does the tank get direct sunlight? And what kind of algae? Brown? Green? Is it on the plants/decor or is it in the water itself (e.g. green water)? More info will help us pinpoint what kind of algae it is and what might be causing it.

 

[ilovegoogle33]

I'm not fully understanding your question.


Tank water holds very little of the beneficial bacteria that's needed.

Are you going to be moving the occupants of your 20g into the 30g?

If so I would fill your 30g with dechlorinated tap water add your 20g filter to the tank along with any decor or plants that you want to move also and then acclimate your fish into their new tank.

You could use some old tank water from your 20g but its really not needed.

Then by moving your filter across along with the occupants you would have an almost instant cycle in your new tank.


Jon

This is the exact answer I was looking for. Perfect! Thank you very much, Jon! Yes, I'm using the exact same fish and plants and all. My dad is taking my 20 gallon tank for himself. Sorry I was not clearer.

 

[librarygirl]

This is the exact answer I was looking for. Perfect! Thank you very much, Jon! Yes, I'm using the exact same fish and plants and all. My dad is taking my 20 gallon tank for himself. Sorry I was not clearer.

oops I misread then lol Yep pretty much what Jondamon said. If you move the filter from the 20 gal to the 30 it should stay cycled. You might need a larger filter though since a 20 gal filter won't be sufficient for a 30 gal tank. So you could get a larger filter and move the media from the 20 gal to the 30 gal filter or run both the old filter and the new one on the 30.

 

[ilovegoogle33]

I don't think algae comes from water, necessarily. Lots of things play a role in algae including lights and nutrients in the water, etc. What lights do you have on the tank? How long are they on each day? Does the tank get direct sunlight? And what kind of algae? Brown? Green? Is it on the plants/decor or is it in the water itself (e.g. green water)? More info will help us pinpoint what kind of algae it is and what might be causing it.

Sorry I was not clearer.

My tank used to sit directly under my window which received sunlight for the better part of the day (stupid, I know). I moved it around 3 weeks ago and the water has been getting clearer. It was really green though. The tank is 100% out of direct sunlight now. It has a timer light, which is on from 10 AM until 10 PM. There isn't really any algae build up on any plants, glass or decor whenever I do a cleaning; it's really just the water.

I actually have a 30 gallon filter already, not sure why.. haha So I lucked out with that!

 

[jondamon]

Sorry I was not clearer.

My tank used to sit directly under my window which received sunlight for the better part of the day (stupid, I know). I moved it around 3 weeks ago and the water has been getting clearer. It was really green though. The tank is 100% out of direct sunlight now. It has a timer light, which is on from 10 AM until 10 PM. There isn't really any algae build up on any plants, glass or decor whenever I do a cleaning; it's really just the water.

I actually have a 30 gallon filter already, not sure why.. haha So I lucked out with that!

IMO you would be better served to get a second filter.

I run a fluval 206 canister on my moderately planted 50g but I also use an internal fluval U2 filter inside the tank as an extra mode of filtration.

More filtration is a good thing.

If you currently have a filter rated for 30g I would look at running a smaller internal filter too maybe something rated for 10-20g as not only more surface area for bacteria but should one filter fail (it does happen) then you have a backup until it can be repaired/replaced.

Good luck moving everything.


Jon