swapping tanks what to do ?

[goodgy]

swapping my tanks over is it possible to straight swap everything in one go or do I have to fully cycle the new tank ?

 

[Britty]

If your existing tank is well established and you just move everything across then no you wont have to go through a whole recycle.

This is assuming you dont go cleaning your filter, decorations or substrate and that your filter is capable of processing through a larger water volume if you are upgrading to a significantly larger tank.. Move them as is.

Depending on how old or dirty your substrate is you may go through a mini cycle as you will kick up and carry over a lot of the anaerobic muck and bacteria. This should be short lived though.

Also carry over some of the tank water.

 

[Plantaholic]

Yeah, if similar tank sizes and using same equipment shouldn't be a big deal. Leave fish in old tank, transfer 50% of water to new tank(don't vacuum gravel just pull water from the top), remove decor and carefully scoop and transfer substrate to new tank. May do a good gravel vac as you go, with the end of the syphon hose going into a bucket but strain it with a fish net, and carefully add the water back to the tank you are switching out of to allow yourself more time to vaccum(position the heater so it is submerged and can stay on if you do this, as the water will cool down if taking it out and adding it back!) . Let the substrate settle in the new tank, then fill it all the way up with new treated water and transfer and turn on the equipment and let it run for awhile. Once its full and at temp. switch the fish to the new tank and your done! I wish I had a new tank :.-(..

Edit: and to be safe, test water daily for the next week to be sure you don't get any ammonia spikes if the bacteria doesn't do so well in the move!

 

[goodgy]

That's for the advice very helpful !

What would be the go if changing from 2 sponge filters to possibly a canniester filter ??

 

[Luananeko]

That's for the advice very helpful !

What would be the go if changing from 2 sponge filters to possibly a canniester filter ??

Take the sponges from your sponge filters and put them into the canister filter's baskets along with new bio-media. This will allow your old sponges to seed the new filter. Then do the same steps described earlier

After 2-4 weeks you should be able to pull the sponge filter sponges out of your canister filter, as the beneficial bacteria should have spread through the rest of the filter by then.

 

[Plantaholic]

That's for the advice very helpful !

What would be the go if changing from 2 sponge filters to possibly a canniester filter ??

I would say just run both the new filter and both of the old filters in the new tank for a few weeks or so. Then remove the old ones, probably one at a time and allow the bacteria to move/grow in the canisters filter on its own. And again to be safe, test as you remove the old filters, to be sure the canister is established.