How to start a new tank??

[Seashellz]

I have a small crack in my current 10 gallon tank (glass) and need to think about starting a new one immediately - the problem is I don't know how to do that.

I don't have a lot of space, time and on a tight budget right now, what and how should I do this?

 

[Mebbid]

You can just pick up a new 10g tank, siphon the water out of the old tank, and switch all of the equipment and decorations over. Voila! new tank

 

[Khuligirl93]

Is there actually water leaking out of the crack? Sometimes a crack does not necessarily mean you need a new tank. My 10g has had a small crack in it for years and I have never had a problem with leaking water.

 

[Stotts]

My 65G has a nice chip on the corner, it's been there for about 3 months now and it's holding up fine! So maybe you don't even need a new one?

 

[Mebbid]

My 65G has a nice chip on the corner, it's been there for about 3 months now and it's holding up fine! So maybe you don't even need a new one?

A chipped corner is usually okay but a crack in the glass can be bad. There is a lot of pressure on glass and even a small crack can potentially fail and cause a failure of the tank. Avoiding 10 gallons of water on the floor, dead fish, and burned out electrical equipment is absolutely not worth the $10 - $15 for a replacement 10g tank

 

[Stotts]

A chipped corner is usually okay but a crack in the glass can be bad. There is a lot of pressure on glass and even a small crack can potentially fail and cause a failure of the tank. Avoiding 10 gallons of water on the floor, dead fish, and burned out electrical equipment is absolutely not worth the $10 - $15 for a replacement 10g tank

Lol buy a can of flex seal! That'll do the trick!.....clearly kidding don't do that haha

 

[Seashellz]

Oh wow ok lot of replies here, no water is leaking and I'm not exactly sure how longs its been there maybe this is not the biggest deal it the world. Thank you so much for the info however- how long should I wait for the water to stabilize in the new tank?

 

[Ian086]

A chipped corner is usually okay but a crack in the glass can be bad. There is a lot of pressure on glass and even a small crack can potentially fail and cause a failure of the tank. Avoiding 10 gallons of water on the floor, dead fish, and burned out electrical equipment is absolutely not worth the $10 - $15 for a replacement 10g tank

I completely agree. Is it worth all the hassle, if it does burst. If it was in a shed or garage, i'd say keep it but if it's in your home, it's not worth the risk imo. For the few dollar to replace it and the potential damage($$$) it could cause. Not worth it.....

 

[Coyne]

Get the new 10 gallon tank. Remove some of the water from the old tank... Enough so that it's light enough to move and you're able to place the new tank in the same spot.
Add water and water conditioner to the new tank. Move/add any gravel or decorations. Swap the heater from the old tank to the new and let it set until the water is the temperature you want. The old tank should be fine without it for a few hours.
Once the temp is set then swap the filter over. Now you're tank is ready for fish.

 

[Seashellz]

The tank can be ready in just a few hours?

 

[Toad]

Yup. Think of it as an odd sort of water change.

 

[Seashellz]

Sounds good I don't have space to let a whole other tank cycle for 2 weeks

 

[mistersprinkles]

The tank can be ready in just a few hours?

The tank can be ready in 1 hour. Keep all the water. Dump it out into 5 gallon buckets. take all your rocks/wood/plants out. Dump the substrate into the new tank, even it out, pour the water in (which should still be pretty warm) and put the heater and filter on the new tank and turn them on. Make sure you keep the filter media wet while you change tanks so the beneficial bacteria don't die. And get a couple of fish bags to keep your fish in.

 

[Seashellz]

Thank you to everyone who submitted I got my new tank up and running- my fish are so happy and I feel som much safer about tank. Upon inspection of my old tank I also found out it was chipping in the corners and the glue was wearing away.

Thanks again, I am so glad you guys helped me with this