musical fishtank?

[crazyred]

Okay, I'm getting ready to play musical fishtanks a little and I need some advice.

I have my 29 gallon (fish list in my signature) up and running and it's pretty overstocked. I was going to put all the platies in my 55 once I got it planted and seeded so as to avoid much of a cycle, but I saw some blue parrots (2) a variation of a platy for sale at Aquabid that I HAD to have. I have been in love with these fish since they featured them in a Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine article.

Here's the problem, the parrots will be here before I can get my 55 planted. Should I:

a. Go get some Biospira and use as much filter material from the 29 as humanly possible and go ahead and move the regular platies out of the 29 into the 55 and plant it later (all it has in it now is the gravel and 2 big pieces of driftwood). I would put the blue parrots in the 29.

b. Go ahead and put the blue parrots in the 29 with the regular platies, oversotcking it just a little more and risking a mating between these beautiful blue parrots and my plain platies until I can get some plants in my 55 and make sure it's not going to cycle before put the plain platies in there.

I'm getting plants very shortly after I get these fish, I just don't know which option is better in the mean time. Can anyone advise???

 

[rich311k]

I would put them in the 29. Slightly overcrowding is easily managed for a short time.

 

[crazyred]

Thanks rich....that would definitely be the path of least resistance. i'm getting plants for the 55 almost the same week so they shouldn't be in my 29 for more than a week or two at the most. I think this will be okay...any one disagree?

BTW, here's a pic of the fish I'll be getting. It's a Xiphohorus variatus as opposed to the Xiphophorus maculatus that are the typical common platy. I'm so excited aobut these blue parrots!!!


Image courtesy of the Calypso Organizaton: http://www.calypso.org.uk/Photolibrary/40 New World Fishes/40 New World Fishes.htm

 

[severum mama]

Wow, I can see why you had to buy them! If you're worried about them breeding with your regular platies, could you just use a tank divider in your 29 for a few days until you get your 55 gallon set up? Or would they be ok in your 10 gallon until your 55 is up and running?

 

[Menagerie]

Since the plants only take up nitrates, putting the platies in the larger tank would be less stress on them and you can easily plant around them. The plants will not help you avoid the cycle, only established media will. Two fish in a 55 will hardly give off enough ammonia to do anything for a l o n g time. Since the 29 is fully stocked--I'll bet there’s plenty of a bacterium and some can be used immediately in the 55's filter. That will be more than enough to support two little fish.

I see I read it wrong (but I still stand by my advice)

a. Go get some Biospira and use as much filter material from the 29 as humanly possible and go ahead and move the regular platies out of the 29 into the 55 and plant it later (all it has in it now is the gravel and 2 big pieces of driftwood). I would put the blue parrots in the 29.

Because you will be replacing 2 fish for 6 fish bacteria can be removed from the established filter and you will not see a mini cycle in the 29 gal and 6 fish in a 55 is still minimal that whatever bacteria you pull from the 29 will sustain the tank and again you will not see a cycle. You won’t need biospira, as you already made your own

 

[rich311k]

After rereading this again. I have to say that Menagerie's plan makes sense to me. Pull some media out of the 29 slap it in the filter for the 55 and move your platies now. Everything should work out just fine.

 

[crazyred]

That's a great idea. So, six platies shouldn't cause a horrendous ammonia spike in my 55? I don't want to lose any of my sweet platies, they've been great fishies! I gues the name of the game will be rigorous water testing and preparations for PWC's.

I might beg to differ on the plant cycle idea since I've read this article http://rexgrigg.com/./cycle.htm It leads me with the impression that you can avoid a tank cycle altogether if your well palnted enough as the plants will absorb ammonia as well.

Will my platies be scared in my 55 without plants? There is two humongous pieces of driftwood in there for them to hide under and I have plants coming in that same week.

I can't do a tank divider because my opaline gourami is a big girl and needs the whole tank to swim through. I'm not overly worried about them interbreeding...it wouldn't be that big a disaster since it would be a one time event and wouldn't happen once I seperate them, but I would like to go ahead and get all my plain platies out of there, that was the plan all along, I've just had to move it up to sooner rather than later with the purchase of these blue parrots, but I could not pass them up on Aquabid. Man, they are good looking fish.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and if I put any of them in my 10 my ACF in there would probably eat them for dinner. He's always hungry and can fit just about anything in his mouth (except, apparently, for my dwarf gourami )

 

[rich311k]

The platies will be fine without plants for a few days. You could always move one or two with them if like. You are correct plants will use the ammonia produced in a cycle. As far as I know they prefer it to other forms of N.

But 6 platies in a 55 is a low load and if you move some media with them you should see little or no cycle.

 

[crazyred]

Okay, that makes me feel better....I have plenty of media to move since I have two filters on my 29 that triple filter that tank, and I saved the old filter floss in the tank when I changed it out last time to put in the media basket of the 55. I will also put a handful or two (whatever I can grab) and put it in a media bag on the gravel in the 55. Now I know what I'm doing tonight. LOL

 

[TwoHobbies]

I would move one of the complete filters ( you have two ) over to the 55 to start it. I did this with a 20-55.

It was planted first then I moved 2-3 fish every two weeks and never saw a cycle.

 

[crazyred]

How long did you leave the filter that you moved on the 55? One of my filters in an internal filter that would move pretty well, but I would want to put it back on the 29.

Here's how I have my filters set-up on my 29:

I have a Penguin 170 with bio-wheel. Instead of the carbon pad I used the bio-pad that came with the Aqua Tech 30 (that I converted to a Penguin 170 by adding the biowheel ), flipped it around so it would fit behind the bio-wheel and I have an old piece of filter floss from my last filter maintenance that I was saving for the 55. Then, I have a Whisper 20i internal filter. I have the bio-pad that came with it and I yanked the carbon pad off of the frame, cut the floss in half, dumped the carbon out and put the floss on one side and a cut-to-fit bio-pad, that came with another Aqua Tech that I bought for parts, on the other side of the carbon frame. So, basically all my filtration is biological with only one mechanical...the little piece of floss in the internal...which also has bacteria on it.

What would you move? Also, the HOB on my 55 is a Penguin 350. Would the biowheel off the Penguin 170 fit here and work? I realize the the 350 Has two biowheels, but putting one on that's heavily colonized would go pretty far I think.

 

[TwoHobbies]

I had two HOB aqua clear 30's on the 20g. I moved one to the 55 and purchased a xp2 and ran it on the 20g with the other HOB for two weeks before moving it to the 55g.

I believe the trick was to add the fish to the 55 very slowly (only 2-3 every two weeks). It was a very painless process. (worked great for me).

The 55g still has the HOB and the xp2. The twenty is torn down...... ( I'm just waiting for mts to kick in)

 

[crazyred]

I don't think I have that kind of time. My fish will be here probably Tuesday and I need to move the platies between now and then.

Should I grab some Biospira to add to the transfer of the filter media just in case?

 

[TwoHobbies]

Ok If I have this right....Move one filter along with 6 Platies now, and add 2 more on tues to a new 55g. I think you will be just fine.

They are all small fish, just check for ammonia, I don't think you'll see a spike, but if you do ......a couple of PWC and your good to go.

OH and no more fish shopping for a couple of weeks.........

 

[crazyred]

Yeah, LOL no more fish shopping until the 55 is 100% ready. No, just the 6 platies are going to the 55...I'm keeping the blue parrot platies in the 29 to keep them from intermingling. I want to breed them and sell the fry...these fish are hard to find!

Yep, filter media, handful of gravel and 6 platies....shouldn't be a disaster. Should I do it now in the next couple of days or wait until the other fish come in next week?

 

[RoK]

I don't see why you couldn't do it now, as long as you have some media ready to transfer.

 

[crazyred]

Yep, media is ready, willing, and able....LOL. I filled up the 55 tonight. I'm going to let it run for 24 hours and put the platies in tomorrow.

 

[crazyred]

musical fishtanks *UPDATE*

I got my blue parrots (X. variatus) today after a long, difficult struggle of chasing down a mailman in town of 60,000 people with only a street name as to his location (stupid USPS ). They were supposed to be shipped to my office, but they shipped to my house instead and he wouldn't leave them because they required signature. Good thing, it's 100 degrees down here!!! 8O I just had to find him because I knew that he wouldn't be back after the post office until after it closed and the fish had already been in the bags for 2 days!! 8O They're fine!

I got all the regular platies out of my 29 and into my 55....hopefully I won't have a huge spike of ammonia and 'trites. In the process of shipping, my female blue parrot gave birth to two fry that are alive and well! SCORE. I can't wait to turn the lights back on my tank and admire my new purchase.

 

[rich311k]

Congrats and kudos to your preseverence. I hope everything goes well. We expect pictures soon.

 

[crazyred]

I'll try my best to get pics....these little boogers are FAST!! LOL