Friends tank broke!

[Readysetcali]

My friends 5yr old threw a ball and cracked her fish tank. She had a male dwarf gourami and two Dalmatian mollies and one albino cory cat. She wants me to hold on to them until she gets a new tank and cycles it but will they be okay with my glofish?(5 of them) I only have a ten gallon and I know that would over stock my aquarium but she has no where else to keep them. I have another 10 gallon that I have been working on and it's almost done cycling (am 0; Ni 5; Na 10) I don't want to add them to that because its not done cycling but I also don't want to overstock my other aquarium. Can someone please help me with the better solution?

 

[didysis]

Temps need to be good for all fish of course.

 

[Readysetcali]

Temps need to be good for all fish of course.

I got a new heater earlier (one broke a few days ago) so both tanks are at 79 degrees. I just need to know which tank I should put them in. It's only temporary but I don't want to over stock and I don't want to hurt the fish in a partially cycled tank.

 

[LyndaB]

She can give you her filter and you can hook it onto the spare tank you have. Voila, instant cycle.

 

[Readysetcali]

She can give you her filter and you can hook it onto the spare tank you have. Voila, instant cycle.

She has had the fish in a two gallon bucket for two days because we don't talk much so she didn't know I had a tank (we happened to run into each other at the store) she has been desperately searching for someone with a tank. But to the point, they tank would not hold water and she knew about the cycling process but she didn't know that if the filter dried out it would kill all the bacteria. So the filter is pretty much worthless. Everything is dried out. She was very disappointed when I told her this. :/ so pretty much I'm stuck between putting them in an almost cycled tank or overstocking a tank (temporarily)

P.S My glofish are back to normal now tat the temp is good

 

[LyndaB]

Can you take any of your filter media and put it into the other filter?

 

[severum mama]

I'd overstock the 10 gallon, as long as you are sure she can get a new tank soon. You will need to do A LOT of water changes, but IMO you can make it work.

 

[Readysetcali]

Can you take any of your filter media and put it into the other filter?

I don't have sponges or anything so I would have to use the filter cartridge. And I'm afraid if I do that it will cause a mini cycle or cause my tank to crash and have to cycle again. I already have some gravel in some pantie hose on the side of the tank I did that a few days ago but it still isn't fully cycled.

 

[Readysetcali]

I'd overstock the 10 gallon, as long as you are sure she can get a new tank soon. You will need to do A LOT of water changes, but IMO you can make it work.

So if I do daily 25% water changes you think it will be okay? (they aren't fully grown I forgot to mention that) but do u think my ammonia will spike and cause a mini cycle? (my tank just got done cycling less than a week ago) and I did a fish in cycle.

 

[LyndaB]

You've got a good plan. Hopefully, she'll get herself set up with a new tank really quickly.

 

[Readysetcali]

You've got a good plan. Hopefully, she'll get herself set up with a new tank really quickly.

She wants to cycle it before she gets them back. She tried a fish in her first time and failed several times so she likes the fishless cycle. But as soon as my blacklight tank is done cycling I'm moving my glofish into there and then they won't be over stocked any more. How long does it usually take to finish Cycling after nitrates show up?

 

[LyndaB]

The entire process is 4-6 weeks, everybody's tank seems to be different. You're pretty close when the nitrates start appearing.

 

[Readysetcali]

The entire process is 4-6 weeks, everybody's tank seems to be different. You're pretty close when the nitrates start appearing.

Okay. Now this may sound stupid but since it's so close do u think I could go ahead and add the glofish? They did amazing when I did the fish in cycle and my nitrites aren't that high. At about 5. And I can add aquarium salt to lessen the effects of nitrite burn if it dramatically spikes. This way I don't stress them out by over stocking them and then stress them again by switching tanks. This way they are just stressed from the move and some nitrites. Good idea or horrible?

 

[LyndaB]

I would just keep them in their existing tank until the nitrites are lower in the other.

 

[Readysetcali]

I would just keep them in their existing tank until the nitrites are lower in the other.

Okay. I just don't want to stress them any more. They already got stressed because of the temp drop. Now they are gonna have a crowded tank. Then very soon a tank switch.

 

[blert]

If you are close to the Space Coast in Florida I'll help you out. I have a ton of seeded media. If not, hit your LFS tonight (not a 'big box', a 'mom and pop') and tell them you have an emergency and ask for a handful of media from their system. Put that in your empty tank, raise the temp for the night and add the fish tomorrow after you lower the temp a bit.

 

[Readysetcali]

If you are close to the Space Coast in Florida I'll help you out. I have a ton of seeded media. If not, hit your LFS tonight (not a 'big box', a 'mom and pop') and tell them you have an emergency and ask for a handful of media from their system. Put that in your empty tank, raise the temp for the night and add the fish tomorrow after you lower the temp a bit.

I already added the other fish. I will go to my lfs. I am no where near you. Haha. But I added these fish and instantly one of my glofish is upside down still breathing. Gahh! What happened?

Edit: okay so I just put her in a bowl with aquarium water and she's swimming around fine...rebellion? What the heck just happened?

 

[HeatherW]

I am not an expert my any means, but I think what i would do is move them to the almost cycled tank. check your water in there, do whatever water changes you need to make the tank safe for your fish and just finish your tank doing a fish in cycle. it is not that hard. it just requires daily testing and water changes as needed. since you are close to cycling on that tank it shouldn't take too long for it to finish up and then you have everyone where you need them to be.
can't remember all your details, but I think you said you are putting 2 mollies in a 10 gallon (from your friend) this is going to cause you to do water changes anyway - they have a big bio load. you will be fine - just daily water tests on all your tanks

 

[blert]

Keep in mind, the cramped conditions are going to stress all the fish considerably.

 

[Readysetcali]

I am not an expert my any means, but I think what i would do is move them to the almost cycled tank. check your water in there, do whatever water changes you need to make the tank safe for your fish and just finish your tank doing a fish in cycle. it is not that hard. it just requires daily testing and water changes as needed. since you are close to cycling on that tank it shouldn't take too long for it to finish up and then you have everyone where you need them to be.
can't remember all your details, but I think you said you are putting 2 mollies in a 10 gallon (from your friend) this is going to cause you to do water changes anyway - they have a big bio load. you will be fine - just daily water tests on all your tanks

I know. She had a 55 gallon tank. I decided to take your advice. After ten minutes with the other fish all of my glofish were hiding and annoyed so I moved them. (the gourami was picking on the glofish. I thought they got along?) but they seem much happier now.