Think I Just Grabbed Myself A Bargain!

[flix_cw]

As the topic title suggests, i paid £30 quid for this tank off gumtree http/www.gumtree.com/london/54/70835754.html . Comes with Arcadia T5 light, Sera internal filter and a Juwel 100W heater, plus substrate and rocks. Anyone got an idea how much that would all be worth new?

My friend has picked it up for me so i haven't seen it in person yet.

Has anyone had experience with the sera internal filter? And am i right in thinking a 100W heater is slight overkill for a 2ft tank? Advert says the gravel is "special plant substrate" but i don't know. Can anyone ID it?

Anyway, pretty pleased, and am planning on starting up a journal in the planted section, as a tank viewed from either side. Am going to need some input from some of you guys because i've never upgraded a tank before. My current tank is a 28L with an undergravel filter so i'm not sure how to go about seeding a new filter/fishless or fish-in cycle etc.

Cheers! Felix

 

[FreedomFighter]

Bargain!

And I think you'll need help from someone else to seed your filter.

 

[Biulu]

If you plant your tank heavy enough, you won't get a cycle and you can put your fish straight in.

 

[flix_cw]

I'm planning on planting it heavy. Trying to decide on how to scape it though but having trouble since it'll be viewed from both sides.

My 28L is mature, it's been cycled for a year now. If i got a small external filter couldn't i put some of my gravel into it to seed it, then maybe cycle by dosing ammonia?

 

[Tropicoll]

According to all readings I have done, there's very little of the beneficial bacteria in the substrate so that wouldn't work.

If you are able (and have the patience!), can you not keep the 28l running and do a proper fishless cycle on the 2ft tank?

 

[flix_cw]

According to all readings I have done, there's very little of the beneficial bacteria in the substrate so that wouldn't work.

If you are able (and have the patience!), can you not keep the 28l running and do a proper fishless cycle on the 2ft tank?

Well i hope there is some bacteria in the gravel seeing as it's an undergravel filter!!
But yes, if it takes about 6 weeks to seed a new filter, and about 6 weeks to do a fishless cycle (correct me if i'm wrong here) then it shouldn't make much difference i guess.

The only issue is that the new tank will sit in the same spot my smaller one is in, so i'll have to work out the logistics of that one since my flat is pretty small.

 

[Tropicoll]

According to all readings I have done, there's very little of the beneficial bacteria in the substrate so that wouldn't work.

If you are able (and have the patience!), can you not keep the 28l running and do a proper fishless cycle on the 2ft tank?

Well i hope there is some bacteria in the gravel seeing as it's an undergravel filter!!
But yes, if it takes about 6 weeks to seed a new filter, and about 6 weeks to do a fishless cycle (correct me if i'm wrong here) then it shouldn't make much difference i guess.

The only issue is that the new tank will sit in the same spot my smaller one is in, so i'll have to work out the logistics of that one since my flat is pretty small.

Surely if it's UGF then the majority ofthe bacteria will be under the gravel rather than in it?

 

[hillbilly]

Surely if it's UGF then the majority ofthe bacteria will be under the gravel rather than in it?

An undergravel filter works by drawing water through the gravel, so the gravel is the filter medium.

 

[Biulu]

I would go for planting heavily and not adding stock for a while,just the fish you have in your small tank. The small bioload together with the plants will ensure you don't get a cycle.

Ps: The junk you will find under your UGF makes for a great substrate. Don't forget to put it in...

 

[flix_cw]

Ps: The junk you will find under your UGF makes for a great substrate. Don't forget to put it in...

Really? I don't quite follow, just chuck it in with my plant-friendly substrate i plan to cap with sand?

I'm also not quite sure of the logistics of getting the crud out from underneath the UGF while keeping my fish in the same tank, because i can't transfer them into the new tank THEN put in the substrate. Bucket/bag them up i guess?

 

[Biulu]

Yes, you put your fish with tank water in a bucket. Remove the substrate and the UGF, and all the junk you find underneath is rich in nutrients; it is like compost. So you add it in your new tank, and cap it with the substrate you are planning on using.