Will This Work?

[lgreenmk]

OK, am getting either an Eclipse Explorer 2 gallon or a Mini Bow 2.5 gallon this afternoon for my male betta.

A few questions:

1) I am due to do a water change on the current 3 gallon tank. If I then put that water into the new tank, will that help cycle it? Current tank is four weeks old and fish are doing well.

2) Will any of the current members of the three gallon community go well with the betta in his new home? I would like to more evenly distribute the fish so that there aren't so many in the three gallon (the fish store didn't tell me I would be overcrowding the tank). He mildly flared (but did not go after) the guppy earlier (I moved him into this three gallon tank last night because his bowl kept getting overcome with brown algae after only five or six days.

 

[Ron]

If the water in the old tank is due for a water change and is dirty then don't put it in the new tank. Even if you did it really wouldn't help cycle it, since most of teh bacteria is in the filter, gravle plants, ext. I would just have the betta in there, he'll kill teh guppy. And teh 2 gallon isn't enough room for any of teh others to be in there with him. Good Luck,
Ron

 

[lgreenmk]

Ok, that makes sense.

But, with the Eclipse 3 being four weeks old, can I put that filter in the new tank if they are the same size (I believe the Eclipse 2 uses the same filter)? Will that help? If so, how long before I should change that filter out (since it's already four weeks old)?

 

[Ron]

yes, putting the cultured filter in there will work wonders! The filter cartrage can stay in there for at least another 4 weeks. I usually change mine every 12 weeks (3 months) You can rinse it with tank water to get some of that slime off of it, that will help a lot. Make sure that the water has no clorine in it though. Good Luck,
Ron

 

[Inchworm]

Hello. lgreenmk

You have the right idea going, here. The only thing I would add to Ron's advice is to suggest that you also take some of the gravel from the first tank and add it to the second one as well. A lot of bacteria live in the top half inch of so of the gravel.

Just wash the gravel and put it into the new tank, holding back about 1/3 of it. Take that much from the first tank and skatter it on top of the gravel in the new tank. Replace the gravel you took from the first tank with new gravel and just stir it a little bit to mix.

Your tank is not too heavily stocked so it will get back to normal quite quickly. And you have an already cycled second tank, quick as that!!!

 

[lgreenmk]

Well, here's what I did.

Got the Eclipse Explorer (2 gallon tank). Uses the same filter as the Eclipse System 3, so I rinsed my System 3 filter in tank water, then put it into the new tank system. Used distilled water (found out earlier I have hard water in the other tank). I didn't use any of the other tank's gravel because I have a different color gravel for this tank.

Put in the Aqua Plus (dechlorinator) and the Cycle. Just tested the tank water (3 hours new) and tested in range on everything except alkalinity, which is a little low (80, ideal range is 120-180). Hardness was moderate. The tap water I had used before read very hard in a four week old tank. Think I'll used distilled water from now on.

 

[fishenergy]

When I transfered my fish from my 2.5g to my 5g, I used all the water from the 2.5g and filled up the rest of the way with new water, used all the old gravel and added a little new, used old filter and cartridge. Worked out perfect, no problems at all.