new tank...sooner than i thought...

[ilovemydragongoby]

so last night, my youngest son hit the tank with a really hard metal toy...now it seems that the tank is leaking from the top corner of the tank (i think he may have cracked the glass a bit) we were planning on getting a bigger tank in about 6 months, but now we're doing it tomorrow.

how do i go about moving my fish from a cycled tank to a brand new one without them going into shock or anything? am i going to have to start a new cycle again. or is there a way to speed it up?

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Welcome!!!

What you need to do is first decide what you want to do with the current decor and how you want to incorporate it into the new tank. If you want to put everything in the new tank then thats great because all the good bacteria is already attached to the current decor so you would be transfering it from the old to new with no problems as long as you keep it wet.

Once youve figured that out then you have to figure out if the filter you have now can support the new tank size. If not then you will need to get the new filter up and running on the new tank along with the old filter so you will have the good bacteria from the old filter seeding the new filter material. Again, do not let any of the seeded filter dry. Do not only hook up the new filter and put the fish in without the old filter, and depending on how big the new tank is and how much the old filter can hold you may see a mini cycle.

Before you move anything unhook the filter/heater/airstone etc.. Empty some tank water into a bucket and put the decor in there to keep it wet. Empty more tank water into another bucket (or the same if you dont have two) and catch all the fish and put em in the bucket. You now have about an hour to do your change so be quick.

Start moving the substrate into the new tank and scaping it the way you'd like. If you have new substrate try to have as much of the older stuff touching the water as possible so the bacteria can still help the new cycle along. Once you have done this begin filling and decorating how you like. Put both filters on there and run them side by side for as long as you can. Ideal time is a month, but unless you have a glass top its hard to have the top on and both filters, so you may have to go without a top for a while. Minimum time should be a week IMO.

Put the fish in the tank!! I skipped a few steps like adding dechlor, making sure water temp is right, rinsing new filter media etc.. so make sure you do that haha and finally...post some pics!!!!

If i forgot anything there will be plenty of good advice to fill in the holes

 

[logansmomma1228]

IMO you could put the filter media in the new tank filter, and add all the decor and substrate that you can in the new tank to get it cycled faster. My tank just cycled in a week with substrate, media and decor. You can always add new stuff and take out the old if you want to later... Bronco has some good tips for you up there as well.
Just keep an eye on your levels in the new tank, and if you do get a mini cycle plenty of water changes will help Don't forget the marine salt! Your goby needs brackish water

How bad is your glass cracked? Could you seal it with silicone?

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

its leaking out of one of the top corners and from the black rim that goes around the top...however...my boyfriend said thats its just condensation...

 

[BigJim]

How close to the top is the tank leaking? You could lower the water level below the crack for the time being.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

yes, i've lowered the level by about 2 cms for now. however, along the front, i do believe it is just condensation...and it still drips from the front rim that goes around it

 

[krap101]

Well, petco is having their tank sale, so it shouldn't be too big of a hassle to replace. If you use all the same decorations, substrate etc, I think you can safely avoid a mini cycle.

 

[Andrewz00]

i moved from an established 45 US Gal to a 90 gal with a new filter... i simply moved all the decor, substrate, etc... over to the new tank.... i also used a 30 gal bucket to house the fish for the move.... i used that water also. all together i used about 40 of the 45 gal... so it was basically just like doing a 50% water change in the end....

i also kept the old filter cartridge in a nylon bag stashed behind some DW for almost a month....

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

well, the only thing is we're completely switching up the tank, once we get the new one it's going to be brackish for my goby. We were looking at a 90 gallon. since i only have a 20 gallon now i wouldn't even come close to having enough decor to move into. (not to mention the 20 gallon is a "tacky tank" for my sons. you know sunken ship and it has the pebbles not sand) we are def going to be putting sand in it, and some real plants. and liven it up a bit, so i know it's going to be more work keeping an eye on it. and we also not sure what we are going to with the barbs once we get the 90 gallon, since they aren't brackish. the guy at my lfs said they can handle some salt, but i dont trust him after talking to everyone here...and it's really weird how he said that because he's a member of this site apparently. anyways thanks for all the help