Can I go from 10 to 29 gallons with no cycle?

[Kali]

Right now I have a 10 gallon tank that is a little crowded and unhealthy. Tank has been around for 10 weeks and has 9 fish in it and one shrimp. Me and my roommates want to upgrade to a 29 gallon soon.

If I set up the 29 gallon and add all of the stuff from the first tank, including filter, gravel, fake plants, rocks, etc, can I just put the fish in right away? (With say half the water from the old tank, and frequent water changes for the first few weeks after)

Or do I need to set up the new tank let it run and gradually transfer gravel, fake plants, etc and maybe put the old tanks filter cartridge in the new filter to get things started? How long should this process take if it can not be done instantly? Should I add ammonia if I do this?

 

[BigJim]

If you haven't heard it before, welcome to AA!

If you're transferring the filter with the old cartridge and the decor, you can just add your fish. There's really no need for frequent PWCs. Most of the bacteria will transfer over.

I'd caution you about using your 10g filter on a 29g permanently. I'd look at buying a larger filter to run simultaneously with your current filter to seed it. Don't be afraid to go oversized on the filter. I run an AquaClear 70 on my 29g. The filter is actually intended for 40g-70g tanks according to the box, but it does a wonderful job on my 29g.

 

[lionheart]

you might get away with it
depends on a number of factors
in my opinion you will undergo a mini cycle
as long as you put your substrate/gravel/sand/without cleaning it and your existing filter straight into 29gal with water thats heated to same temp as the 10gal
the bacteria will be fine
you will posibly just need to do 10/20% water changes as needed if ammonia rises while the nitrite multiply to a levels for the 29gal
the water from the old tank is not needed it holds very little if any good bacteria
most the good bacteria live on surfaces of tank substrate ornaments filter media etc

i would fill 29gal 3/4 way up as close to existing temp as possible dont forget to add water conditioner
then add heater then the filter
then the stock/fish
finally i would add the old substrate
scope it out in a container a little water will come wiv each scope thats fine
just add it but when placing in 29gal try and place it on to bottom of tank this way
you will get very little debris

if you wanna set up new 29gal using a fishless cycling method there is a thread which will tell you how to do this
the time scale varies for everybody but i would say 4 weeks min time scale for fishless cycle alot depends if you seed or not

 

[Fishyfriend09]

Right now I have a 10 gallon tank that is a little crowded and unhealthy. Tank has been around for 10 weeks and has 9 fish in it and one shrimp. Me and my roommates want to upgrade to a 29 gallon soon.

If I set up the 29 gallon and add all of the stuff from the first tank, including filter, gravel, fake plants, rocks, etc, can I just put the fish in right away? (With say half the water from the old tank, and frequent water changes for the first few weeks after)

Or do I need to set up the new tank let it run and gradually transfer gravel, fake plants, etc and maybe put the old tanks filter cartridge in the new filter to get things started? How long should this process take if it can not be done instantly? Should I add ammonia if I do this?

I don't see any problem with doing this, i done this myself in fact when i upgraded from my 29g to my 50g. Best thing to do is transfer the gravel and ornaments like you said and run the old filter with the new one. As far as i know transferring half the water wont do anything to help. It may also be an idea like i did to run the tank full for at least 24h to make sure there isn't any major fluctuations in the temperature, but apart from that it should be fine. Good luck =)

 

[Kali]

Thanks for the responses looks like an instant switch is the way to go.

 

[mgamer20o0]

you might get away with it
depends on a number of factors
in my opinion you will undergo a mini cycle
as long as you put your substrate/gravel/sand/without cleaning it and your existing filter straight into 29gal with water thats heated to same temp as the 10gal
the bacteria will be fine
you will posibly just need to do 10/20% water changes as needed if ammonia rises while the nitrite multiply to a levels for the 29gal
the water from the old tank is not needed it holds very little if any good bacteria
most the good bacteria live on surfaces of tank substrate ornaments filter media etc

i would fill 29gal 3/4 way up as close to existing temp as possible dont forget to add water conditioner
then add heater then the filter
then the stock/fish
finally i would add the old substrate
scope it out in a container a little water will come wiv each scope thats fine
just add it but when placing in 29gal try and place it on to bottom of tank this way
you will get very little debris

if you wanna set up new 29gal using a fishless cycling method there is a thread which will tell you how to do this
the time scale varies for everybody but i would say 4 weeks min time scale for fishless cycle alot depends if you seed or not

pretty much right on. i have done it with out any mini cycle. the more you move over the less chance of problems.

 

[LordErrorprone]

One problem is you would have to get more gravel, which would need to be cycled. About 70% of the gravel would be new.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Right now I have a 10 gallon tank that is a little crowded and unhealthy. Tank has been around for 10 weeks and has 9 fish in it and one shrimp. Me and my roommates want to upgrade to a 29 gallon soon.

If I set up the 29 gallon and add all of the stuff from the first tank, including filter, gravel, fake plants, rocks, etc, can I just put the fish in right away? (With say half the water from the old tank, and frequent water changes for the first few weeks after)

Or do I need to set up the new tank let it run and gradually transfer gravel, fake plants, etc and maybe put the old tanks filter cartridge in the new filter to get things started? How long should this process take if it can not be done instantly? Should I add ammonia if I do this?

No, transferring across right away would be the best way to go.

However, a little time spent *before* the move could be beneficial.

You'll probably need a bigger filter for the bigger tank. It might be a good idea to set that filter up running in the existing tank alongside the old one for a couple of weeks before hand. Then move *both* across to the new tank and again leave it a couple of weeks before you remove the old one.

 

[cabezon]

as long as you move the filter over, you wil be fine. the bioload is the same, but the water volume will be vastly greater. Your fish will love you.

the used gravel needs to be rinsed to remove the buildup of gunk. I would do that after you remove the fish. You could throw them in a bucket until you get the gravel into the new tank.

 

[Andrewz00]

im doing the exact same thing TOMORROW!!!! im going from a 45 to a 90 gal!

i plan on moving all the gravel, plants, rocks, DW..... i will also be including my old filter cartridges in a nylon bag stashed in the bottom of the tank for awhile....

the only water that will be moved is whatever comes with the gravel, fish and decor....

 

[lionheart]

as long as you move the filter over, you wil be fine. the bioload is the same, but the water volume will be vastly greater. Your fish will love you.

the used gravel needs to be rinsed to remove the buildup of gunk. I would do that after you remove the fish. You could throw them in a bucket until you get the gravel into the new tank.

if you rinse the gravel you will lose alot of the good bacteria
there will be more beneficial bacteria in the gravel
more than in the filter media imo
if you decide to rinse gravel
expect a mini cycle of sorts

 

[felixxx]

great thread! i too am upgrading in the next month or so from a 120l to a 540l. will it be a case of new water, old substrate etc. and in with the new residents? african lung + 4 small clown loach, i dont want to lose any loach!

~Thanks