Setting up a new tank

[Polardbear]

I've got a 75 gallon tank that I'm ready to set up. It's in place, filled with water, has been sitting for a couple of days to let the sand settle and the temperature to stabilize. I've got a new Emperor 400 gph power filter that has been running on my established/cycled 55 gallon for 9 days and another 300 gph filter that has been running on my quarentine tank since the beginning of January.

My plan is to move the two filters to the 75 gallon along with some bags of gravel from the established tanks and some of their ornaments and artificial plants. I'd like to do this today or tomorrow but my question is how many of the scheduled fish that are going in this tank should I move initially. In the quarentine tank that will be donating it's filter are 4 swordtails, 1 of whom can go in the 55 gallon but the other 3 definately have to go to the 75 gallon. I also have 7 young Cories (about 1 to 1.5 inches in size each) that are in a fry growout tank that no longer has any fry growing out in it that I'd like to put in the 75 gallon. Can I move the swordies and the Cories at the same time or should I wait on the Cories and just move the 3 or 4 swordies? If I just move the swordies will they produce enough waste to keep the bacteria going in this large tank? If I move everybody at once will it be to much for the bacteria to keep up with initially? I really don't want to make any of the fishies go through a cycling process.

 

[jflowers]

Really depends on how much filter media you moved over. IMO move all, 4 swords and 7 cories to the new tank. Its tricky, if you didn't move enough filter media, you will get a mini cycle and if you moved too much, some of the bacteria will die off.

Jon

 

[parker313]

With 2 filters and gravel, you should be fine to move the swordies and the cories. Cories are very low waste producers so they won't have that much of an impact. Just keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and if you do see a small cycle, water changes will minimize the impact on the fish.

 

[jflowers]

What parker313 said regarding water changes ^^^

Jon

 

[Polardbear]

O.K. so I began relocating the Cories and in the process of rounding them up discovered 2 swordtail fry in the growout tank with them. (Oops - thought I had moved them all out a week ago!) They are barely a half inch long (one's a neon and the other looks like it's going to be a marigold wag). I was thinking about leaving them behind in the growout tank as they're pretty tiny still but the fearless little tykes kept swimming into the net while I was catching the cories. So they got to go to the big tank. They look so funny now that they are swimming around in the 75 gallon. The cories are all sitting on the bottom just kind of looking around but the fearless little tykes are cruising all over checking everything out with perky little faces that they press up to the front of the glass whenever I come over. Gotta love those little swordies!

 

[WILDER]

Good luck with your new tank.

 

[Polardbear]

Thanks Wilder! The swordies and me really appreciate your previous help. Lupe and her friends from the quarentine tank will be next.

 

[Polardbear]

I moved the swordies to the big tank and they acted very strange. I floated them in a container of water from their old tank for about 20 minutes and then slowly added in water from the new tank, just like if they had just come home from a store. When I finally released them they all went straight to the bottom and went motionless. I thought perhaps they were just a little scared so I turned off the lights for a few hours to see if that would help. After about 3 hours the 3 girls started swimming around a little but the black male just stayed on the bottom, he was right on the sand under a plant refusing to move for another hour or two. I was getting quite concerned but then it occurred to me that perhaps the tank was too quiet for them, after all they just came out of a 10 gallon tank with a 300 gph filter on it (which they seemed to enjoy immensely). So I hooked up a couple of airstones in one corner and dug up a power head that I wasn't using and added it to the tank. Within 15 minutes of adding the power head the male was up and cruising around. I swear my swordies are going to make me crazy! No peacefull, serene fish tanks in my house, oh no, they want white water tanks or nothing!

I had hoped maybe to add some angels to this tank down the road (it's 26 inches deep). Do angels prefer quiet water or can they handle a lot of current? I can't have mopey swordies so the current has to stay. In fact, I think I'm going to have to get them a better power head soon.

 

[Polardbear]

Here's a picture of it now! Still need to hide a few things (like heater cords and airlines) but it's almost done. I still need to add the doors to the base cabinet but I'm holding off on that until I decide if I'm going to add a canister filter. Building the hood was more work than I though it would be but it turned out halfway decent. Not to bad for a free tank, completely rebuilt stand, freshly built canopy and only being allowed to purchase new sand and the lights for the canopy (which all came from Home Depot and were purchased with store credits from returned items). All wood and hardware were leftovers from other projects. O.K., I did buy the emperor 400 new but you guys won't tell on me! (Will you?? )

 

[Jo1980]

Great looking Tank!!!

Wish I didn't have to spend money...

 

[Polardbear]

Wish I had money to spend Cause then I could fill it up with more swordies!