Gina Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Hey, I'm new here so i'm not entirely sure if this is were i'm supposed to be posting my question or not...if it's not can someone please tell me and i'll move it Anyways, I recently bought 130 gallon aquarium because i recently inherited two 12 inch pleco's from my uncle. They were living in a 30 gallon tank for god knows how long, but I didn't feel that was humane so after a bit of saving and some bargain hunting I came across and bought the 130 gallon aquarium I have now. The only problem is that i don't have 8 weeks to cycle the new tank since the plecos are growing and since they are in such cramped conditions their tails are starting to curve into what i come only image to be a painful position. I filled the tank up last night and dechlorinated it as well as putting in 1/3 of the water from the 30 gallon tank (that i've had running for a couple months now) as well as some decorations (plants and a vase type thing) along with some of the gravel that was in the old tank. I also added some cycle. I was just wondering when would be a safe time to move my plecos and my other fish (3 platys and 4 skirted tetras) into the larger tank. I was considering keeping both tanks running for a couple of weeks but I just found out that it isn't safe (since i live in an unfinished basement there are no plug ins, everything has to be connected to a powerbar, and if I have too many things going at once it could start a fire). I was wondering if it would be ok to put the fish in the new tank within the next day or two (it's the weekend so i'll be at home to watch for any signs of fire and what not) since i've added some of the water from the cycled tank into the new tank-will the good bacteria be able to thrive fast enough to elimanate any dangerous ammonia or nitrate chemicals in the water? I tested the PH and it is about 7.5, the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite is currently at zero, but i'm guessing that's because there is no biological waste to create them. p.s-I will definetly wait until the tank has been completly cycled to add more fish to the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PintoHawk Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Going out on a limb here because I am still new to this whole fish thing, at least, new to doing it "properly". I have never owned an aquarium larger than 29 gallons, so I am not sure if the same rules apply, but I have been told that if you use previously cycled tank media (like the filter media, plants, gravel, water, etc) in your new tank during the cycling, it will cycle faster because you have added bacteria with adding all that stuff. That's about all I know. I don't know if bigger tanks cycle slower? It sounds to me like you are doing everything right, or at least on the right track. Your tests are good, at least that's a good start, and using the used stuff in the new tank to get the cycle going was a good move, too. Somebody more experienced will answer your question alot better than I can, soon. Good luck! (good for you with the Plecos!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkangel Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Aquarium water holds very little if any bacteria all the bacteria is in the filters and substrate, Any time I set up a new tank depending on size, eg:55gal. I would do a gravel sweep in my 72gal and collect that water into a 5gal pail. It looks disgusting but I dump that into the new tank then add the substrate over top of that, fill the tank half full pouring the water over a bowl or dish so you don't disturb the gravel and add plants. Top up the tank fire up the filter or filters I always use 2 per tank, Let the filters run for about 2 hours just to clear up the water a bit and for the heater to bring the temp up. I have put up to a dozen 3" fish in the tank the same day without any amonia or nitrite spikes. CAUTION What works for one may not work the same for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Posted April 25, 2008 Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Most of your bacteria live in the filter. I would simply move the old filter from the 30 gallon to the new 130 gallon as well as the new filter, and move the fish right away. The bacteria should be able to keep up with the same bio-load even though it's more water to cycle, and the new filter should colonize fairly quickly with the old one in there to give it a jump-start. Just watch your levels closely and do as many water changes as necessary to keep it safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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