Two Tanks, too many fish!

[Magicmarymac]

I have a cycled, horribly overstocked 12 gallon Eclipse and a brand new 36 gallon that I filled up today.

Into the new tank went dirty water from a 50% water change of the 12 gallon, the dirty filter from the 12 gallon (just floating in the 36), and a bunch of plastic plants from the 12 gallon.

The new tank has a substrate of Carib Sea Flora Max and Super naturals, 50/50%, a heater, and two filters. Oh, and I bought a new master test kit.

First question: Do I still need to buy Ammonia, or can I continue to add water from water changes on the 12 gallon?

Second question for after the tank is cycled: What order should I add the fish to the new tank.

I have (brace yourself):

Current 12-Gallon
1 Male Betta
7 Harlequin Raspbora
1 Neon
1 Cardinal
1 Dwarf bristlenose pleco female
2 Swartz cory
1 Bronze cory
5 Albino cory
3 Julii cory
1 Apple snail
23 Total

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Adding water from your 12g won't do you any (if much) good when it comes to speeding up your cycling process. Majority of your BB will
Colonize in the filter and on filter media, And some will grown On your Plants and substrate. If you don't want to deal with adding ammonia you can always use fish food as an ammonia source, however doing it that way is (it seems
Like it to me anyway) trial and error to figure out how much fish food will get you to a certain ppm of ammonia than just dosing a set amount of ammonia and knowing x mL's of ammonia will get you to 4ppm.

 

[librarygirl]

Are you adding all of the fish from the 12 gal to the 36 or just some of them?

Almost none of those fish are suitable for the 12 gal save the betta and the snail. I'd keep those in the 12 gal and move the rest to the 36. Adding water from the 12 won't do much to cycle it. YOu said you added some filter media from the 12 gal to the 36 which will help a lot, but probably won't cycle it instantly (especially since you'll need to keep some of the media in the 12 for the betta).

Since the 12 is so crowded I wouldn't fishless cycle the 36; you're probably best to move some media from the 12 gal into the 36 gal filter and then move the fish over to the 36. Test both tanks daily and do water changes as needed (when ammonia and/or nitrites rise over .25) until the tanks stabilize (the 12 might go into a mini cycle from removing media BUT since only the betta and snail will remain it might be ok).

 

[Magicmarymac]

Moving Fish



Thank you very much for responding!

Yes, I had planned to move all of them into the 36 and keep the 12 for a quarantine tank. Of course something would have to live in the 12 gallon quarantine tank to keep it going. Would snail(s) be enough to keep it cycled?

My Betta loves interacting with the corys, so I would like to move him too.

Would you move them all at once?

 

[Magicmarymac]

Two filters for 36

This Aqueon 36 gallon tank was a kit and came with a "Quiet Flow 30 Power Filter" and a friend had given me an Emperor 280. I have both running, but the Aqueon filter is LOUD and produces quite a current.

Any recommendations?

 

[tamtam]

I doubt the snails will keep a cycle, they have practically no bioload.

I agree with library girl on keeping the betta there with the snail. If you are absolutly set on putting everything in the bigger tank than you can move the 12 gallon filter right over to the bigger tank. Put all of the established media right back in the filter and run it on the tank with the new filter. In a few weeks the new filter should have enough BB built up to support the tank and then you are free to move out the old filter as needed to the QT. The 12 gallon filter will have enough BB to support the current stock/bioload so when ever you add new fish you will need to be sure to test and treat it like a fish in cycle and do water changes as needed but you can keep your 12 gallon filter maintained this way and have all of the fish together if it's what you really want.

Personally though I would keep the betta in the 12 gallon with the snail and get a new tank for QT. Then you can just cycle that new filter by piggy backing it on another tank that is cycled.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Clarification?

The 12 gallon is a Marineland Eclipse with a built in bio-wheel, it can't be moved to the new tank.

Um... Is "QT" referring to the noisy Aqueon filter? If so, there is no third tank in any foreseeable future.

And, since my existing betta will be moving in with his buddies, perhaps once they are all gone I could get a new betta for the 12 gallon!

Thank you very much--again!

Mary

 

[Magicmarymac]

Water Test Results

12-Gallon
10/5 via strip: PH, 6.0, Ammo n/a, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 140+, Hardness 425, Buff 0

After 50% water change:
10/6 via strip: PH, 6.4, Ammo n/a, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80, PH 6.4, Hardness 250, Buff 40
via kit: PH 7.0, Ammo 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80

10/7 via strip: PH 6.0, Ammo n/a, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80, Hardness 120, Buff 80
via kit: PH 7.0, Ammo 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80

36 Gallon (New) tank
10/7 via strip: PH 7.2, Ammo n/a, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80, PH 6.0, Hardness 120, Buff 80
via kit: PH 7.0, Ammo 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 80, PH 7.0

Is the 36 "ready" to receive the incoming fish from the 12 gallon?

 

[Svenix]

About the apple snail keeping the 12 cycled, I believe it will but it would probably be good to add another one. I cycled my 10 gallon tank with just one diffusa apple snail in exactly a month.

 

[librarygirl]

WOw 80 nitrates? Have you tested your tap water for nitrate? That's pretty high; I would expect that in the overstocked 12 but if the 36 has it too then it might be your tap water, or did you use water from the 12?

If you're going to move everything over then either put the media in from the 12 into the new filter and then fill the rest up with new media OR run the 12 gal filter along with the new filter on the 36. There's no need to keep the quarantine (QT) tank cycled in itself if you aren't using it. You can always pull some media from the larger tank to cycle the quarantine when needed or you can run an extra filter on the 36 and then pull that off to cycle the quarantine when you need it. A snail alone won't do much to keep it cycled enough for fish anyway.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Thank you so much for responding!

Yes I moved dirty water, a moss ball, and plastic & silk plants from my 12 to the 36.

I also dropped a used filter pad from the 12 into the 36, however I can't move the actual filter mechanism as it is shaped specifically for the Marineland Eclipse 12 tank and will not hang onto the 36.

I will test the tap water and both tanks when I get home tonight. My Python has a crack in it, but I can use an old siphon and bucket to do water changes until I have new parts.

I will wait to hear back from you before I move any fish.

Thank you again,

Mary

 

[Magicmarymac]

http://www.petmountain.com/product/aquarium-power-filter-parts/11442-504159/eclipse-12-motor.html

The 12 filter.

 

[librarygirl]

Can you cut up the filter pad so it'll fit in one of the filters on the 36? If not, the next best thing would be to secure it to the intake tube so the bacteria are pushed into the filter directly. If you're going to move all the fish over you'll want as much media from the 12 as you can get into the 36 to keep it cycled for the fish you have now.

Test the tap water and let us know all the levels. I'm curious to see if the tap has nitrate specifically or if the nitrate is just high in the 12. Typically you want to keep nitrates low for fish too; <20 is optimum, < 40 good; anything over that can be problematic for some fish.

Also if you are moving media over into the 36 you'll want to add the fish soon; the bacteria need an ammonia source to survive.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Using test strips:
NO3
Tap water 10
12 gallon tank 80
36 gallon tank 20

NO2
All 3 zero


Using API:

Ammo, all 3 zero

Nitrate
Tap 5 ppm
12g 80 ppm
36g 60 ppm

 

[paytertot]

Test strips are inaccurate and unreliable honestly, you need to get a liquid master test kit, API is a good brand.

Edit- just saw something about using an API test.. I'm assuming you only have the ammonia test in liquid form..?

 

[Magicmarymac]

I'm sorry, I have the whole master API test kit, but thought I was asked only for the ammo and nitrate results tonight -- and for the tap water.

My apologies for any confusion I may be causing. I was using the test strips, (which were given to me), as a control--to try to compare to the API. Also, I don't have ammo test strips.

Oh dear. I will run a full set of tests tomorrow using the API.

Thank you for your feedback and for your patience.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Oh. I was able to cut apart the used filter and placed the pad in the Emperor filter.

Thank you.

Mary

 

[Magicmarymac]

36 am
Nitrate 80
Nitrite 0
Ammo 0

Off to work…

 

[Magicmarymac]

10/10. AM
API Master Kit

36 gallon
Ph 7.6, ammo 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 40,

12 gallon
Ph 6.8, ammo 0, nitrite o, nitrate 80

This morning I moved the five albino Cory cats into the 36. They are about four years old.

 

[Magicmarymac]

These are the readings after 50% water change of the 12 gallon and moving fish to the 36 gallon un-cycled tank from my overcrowded four-year old 12 gallon cycled tank.

10/13/12 Test Results from strips and from API Master Kit

36 Gallon Tank
PH: Strip 7.2, Kit 7.6
Ammo: Kit .25
Nitrite: strip .55, kit .25
Nitrate: strip 40, kit 80
Hardness: strip 120
Buffering: 80

12 Gallon Tank
PH: Strip 6.4, Kit 6.4
Ammo: Kit 0
Nitrite: strip .5, kit 0
Nitrate: strip 40, kit 80
Hardness: strip 250
Buffering: 80

Interesting, no responses.