New Aquarium And Fish Transfer Concerns

[daizeUK]

I would definitely use the old filter, or put all its media in the new filter.  Since the new tank hasn't been cycled the fish really need it immediately.  An uncycled tank is more likely to kill them than any diseases you might transfer over.
 
If you need to clean the old filter media, rinse it gently in a bucket of used tank water or dechlorinated water.  Never wash filter media in water straight from the tap as the chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria.

 

[snazy]

As Daize said above please use the old filter if you still have it or just move all the media from the old to the new. It's the media that contains the needed bacteria.  Cycling any new filter takes between 4-8 weeks and sometimes more and the fish don't make it in most scenarios. They would have been better off in the old tank if that's the case.

 

[hobby5]

Just some remark: all the usefull bacteria are substrate bound (in your filter or at other surfaces like plants and glass), so there is no point in transfering the old water, except in keeping the parameters (pH, hardness, etc.) stable.

 

[daizeUK]

The old water was transferred to lessen the shock of moving the fish from a tank with OTS into clean water.  Normally you wouldn't need to move the water but in this case there was a good reason.

 

[hobby5]

The old water was transferred to lessen the shock of moving the fish from a tank with OTS into clean water.  Normally you wouldn't need to move the water but in this case there was a good reason.

I know and I acknowledged that in my comment, but OP seemed to think all the usefull bacteria had been transfered too and that was not the case as they are substrate bound.

 

[Zeira]

Alright,
 
I lost a few fish in the process, including both females, but it has now been 36 hours since I've lost a fish. Ammonia and Nitrite are good, and the remaining fish seem very happy in their new environment.
 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, I warned you that it was a strong possibility that they wouldn't all make it.  The fact that several are still is a nice thing. 

 

[Zeira]

Yes I still have thirteen fishies!

 

[snazy]

Well, honestly, this was a group mistake of us all not making it clear when commenting.  If you had moved the old media in the new filter it was highly unlikely you would have lost any fish.
You are dealing with an uncycled tank at the moment. That's like two months of possible ammonia/nitrites so it's early to tell who'll survive.
Sorry to be so harsh but I just feel we could have prevented that.

 

[Zeira]

I'm confused. I did move the old media into the new tank. I used new substrate but I brought over 5 big rocks and three plants that I rinsed thoroughly in the old tank water, so as not to kill the bacteria with chlorine.
 
I did not use the old filter, because when I took it apart to rinse the sponge was almost completely decomposed into a black mush and the coal bag had broken open and spilled the coal all over the bottom of the filter. Plus the fan was jammed with calcium buildup, so I just used a new filter.
 
I think temperature might have been an issue, I discovered that the heater/thermometer from the old tank was not actually functioning and the water was just getting colder and colder to the touch. When I put in a new heater and turned it on overnight I found the fish considerably more active in the morning, and now they use the whole tank instead of staying in the top inch or so of water.

 

[daizeUK]

'Media' is the stuff inside the filter, it's not the rocks or anything else that was in the tank.
Eagle was recommending that you should fishless cycle the new tank before transferring the fish, which would have given them the best chance of survival.  If the media got thrown out then we have to assume you are in a fish-in cycle now.  It will be very important to keep a close eye on your ammonia and nitrite in the weeks ahead.

 

[Zeira]

Alright, can do.
 
How can I control the levels if they start getting too high? Cycle out the tank water?

 

[daizeUK]

I would treat these fish as quite sensitive given the conditions they've been living in so my recommendations would be to do a 50% water change as soon as ammonia reaches 0.5ppm.  Others may recommend allowing it to go higher or lower but that's what I would do.
 
You should also add 3g of salt every time the nitrite levels rise by 1ppm, this will help the fish to cope with the nitrite levels.
 
I would do a 30% water change once per week as a minimum even if the readings look perfect.