The Next Step...

[AcidRainFalls]

So today was the big day I headed to the local pet store to pick up a few supplies. I bought some gravel, "start smart", a filter cardridge and some decorations (including some wood they had in their tanks.

I went home and cleaned the gravel and filled the 20 gallon tank with the hose. I treated the water with stress coat and aquarium salt. Then I put the filter with its new cartridge in and added the smart start once I had it running. The heater seems to be working, a bit early to tell, but I have a thermometer in the tank. The lights are working too.

So, I'm concerned I've done something wrong, I'm starting to think that smart start may have not been the smartest aquisition and I forgot water testing supplies.

I'm sure I've missed something or screwed up, but it's pretty much my first tank, save my 2.5 with 3 guppies who need this new home. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
-Christina

 

[Caliban07]

You have the guppies the tank now? Are you aware of the need to establish the nitrogen cycle in a new tank? If not, I suggest you google it. Basically your aquarium needs to establish a colony of friendly bacteria to remove fish harming toxins that are released from things such as fish waste, fish respiration and decaying organisms such as dying plants and rotting food.

You can cycle the tank whilst your fish are in and this is called a fish in cycle. Your going to need a test kit as soon as you can.

Don't add anymore fish as this will increase the toxin levels further.

Don't overfeed. Feed minimal amount once a day skipping a day every few days. Uneaten food will rot if not removed and of course, what is eaten will come out as waste increasing toxins.

Do. Change water as soon as ammonia (test kit) reaches and exceeds 0.25ppm (parts per million)

You're gonna have to monitor water parameters closely now for at least a month. 0ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and 5-20ppm nitrate are readings for a complete cycle. The only way to reduce nitrates is to change water thus diluting toxins with fresh water. Always dechlorinate newly added water first.

When you come to add more fish add only a few at a time and weeks in between.

The Good news is that some of the wood you bought from other tanks will already have bacteria on it provided it remained wet and was added to your tank straight away. The cycle can tank a month or more.

Good luck

 

[Caliban07]

Just re-read you post. You have 2 options cycle with fish or without. If you chose to do with fish, you should transfer your filter sponge or whatever media you are using in the smaller tank over to the new. This will contain lots of bacteria. Since you have the benefit of the used sponge and wood I would transfer the guppies of and follow the steps from the other post.

If you choose fishless cycle you will need to substitute fish with pure bottled ammonia or prawn/shrimp in the tank in a mesh bag to avoid mess.

 

[AcidRainFalls]

Thanks for replying so quickly. So should I take the filter out of my 2.5 gallon tank and put it behind the filter in my 20 gallon? The replace the filter in the 2.5 with a new one? and when exactly can I add fish. The pet store guy (who I am often weary of trusting) said a few days. I don't want anything to happen to my guppies and my weekly 50% water changes seem to be keeping them happy for now so I'm not in a huge rush. To be honest the whole testing idea is daunting and expensive, I would have to get the liquid test right? FInally when can I add live plants? I am basically lost from this point to the point where the tank is stable lol.

Thanks for Sharing all Your Wisdom,
-Christina

 

[rmiller]

If your bigger tank is cycled just take a bit of media from it and put in your little filter, instantly cycled. You'll be able to add plants and fish immediately. Before you just start shifting thing around let's make sure you're truly cycled in your bigger tank. How long has it been running?

Test kits are a bit of an investment up front, but the api freshwater masterkit is good for somewhere around 800 tests.

 

[Caliban07]

I agree with rmiller. I think we are unsure what stage your tank is at. Firstly, how long has the 2.5 gallon tank been running? And how long has the new tank been running? What ornaments do you have in the 2.5 and what ornaments are now in the larger tank?

 

[librarygirl]

So are you adding the guppies to this tank or is this a separate tank? If you want to add the guppies (upgrade) what you can do is move the filter (or just the media if it fits into the new filter) to the new tank and then add the fish. You'll want to get a good liquid test kit and test the water daily. It's possible that the media from their current tank will keep the new one cycled for the guppies. BUT as you add more fish the bacteria will need to adjust so you may get some toxin spikes so you want to add more fish slowly and test the water daily (fish-in cycle). Here's a guide that might help if you haven't seen it yet: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice