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Switching tanks.........how should i do this?


Gir(s.i.r)

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ok i have a 10 gallon tank...and on this tank.....algie...is EVERYWHERE!!!!

so i decided to ditch it...buy some new gravel...and buy a 20 gallon (not the long ones....one of the tall ones...

once i get everything ready...how should i transfer the fish....

i mean like...in this way ill b able to get more fish and things for the fish.....considering that i need money...i have already made 40 bucks shoveling snow.....my uncle....who by the way is a Fish fanatic and gives me all this cool stuff i can use....he offered me the 20 gallon tank so im deciding i should take it......how long do you think this should take? or should i wait till summer vacation so that i have an entire day to do it...

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Don't ditch the tank - set up another one as well.

If you boil the gravel and clean the tank with salted water it will get the algae off. Thow out any live plants though. Plastic plants can be boiled as well or soaked in bleach - making sure you then rinse them very very well before putting them back in the tank.

A tall tank will hold less fish than a long one and limits you to what you can put in it. It is the total surface area that helps you figure out the total number of fish you can have. Long tanks have a much bigger surface area. Tall tanks are not suitable for the more streamlined and schooling fish, like barbs, tetras etc as they like to swim about lengthwise and they can't do this so well in a tall tank.

Angels, dwarf gouramis, Siamese fighters all do well in tall tanks.

Usually, you would set up a 2nd tank using half the water from the old tank to start the cycle in the new one.

What sort of filter is in the new tank? Can you run it on the current tank for a couple of weeks at least to get the bacteria started? Then you can just shift the fish from one tank to the other quite quickly.

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A couple of months ago I did a "major" clean out in my tank. Took everything out cleaned the glass SOME new gravel. SO long as you dont use clean everything you should be sweet, like Caryl said "use 1/2 old water"

And if you need something to keep teh fish in temporarily while you take down 1 tank & set up the other... A week before you want to do the change, Go to Bunnings and get some big plastic rubbish bins (about 60l or 15 Gallons). Give them a good clean and rinse using fish water. Leave them to dry for a week and then before you put the fish in rinse them again with fish water. Then fill them out of your tank. I kept 2x 7 inch silver sharks in a rubbish bin like that for a couple of hours while I did the clean, they didnt seem to mind.

HTH

John

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i only have one bin....i nvr go to home depot....if i go in ther...id get lost in seconds....i prob. only need 2 bins total...so i only need to buy 1 bucket/bin

thx...oh....my mom said no boiling stones.....does this mean i should just go out and buy some new gravel....maybe even a new bottom gravel filter flooring thingy(i cant remember what yall call them)

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It certainly looks like you'll need to buy new gravel then. However, if you have a BBQ you could boil them up on that, I'm sure you'd be able to find an old battered saucepan or pot of some sort at your local Op shop for a $1 or so!

Or you could soak them in a good strong solution of bleach for a couple of days then lay them out in the sun for a week, rinse them thoroughly before you put them back into the tank - that should do it! That is if it's not snowing where you are at present :wink:

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that plan sounds great and all...but i dont think my fish will survisve that long in a pale...hmmm...i think i should replace the gravel right? then take the old gravel...do your idea with it...and put it in a bag in case i ever need it again....what if i wanna keep the good bacteria but wanna get new gravel....would replacing gravel effect the bacteria?

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HB is right there is is bacteria in the gravel. In fact EVERY where, gravel, water, filter. What you could also do is get an air driven corner filter from the LFS - or you might have one lying around. When i set up a small 10gal tank I put this filter in to my big tank (50g) for a week. This created a "seed" of bacteria that I put into my new tank. I also used 1 bucket of water from my big tank (when i did a water change) I then put in some plants and wood. And about a week later some fish.

HTH

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ok...i got the product 'cycle' over a PetSmart(which yall may nvr of heard of)...and i got 25lbs of new gravel....im getting the 20 gallon long tank on wednsday and im setting it up on thursday.....i took a before picture and as soon as it is all set up ill take a after picture and how you guys like the change....not to mention i can then buy more fish since its a large wider tank :)

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Gir, just thought I'd let you know.

As this site is NZ based,

the terminology of "long" and "high" means absolutely "jack" to us.

We use the terminoligy of litres and sizes, Length x Width x Height.

We can use inches and feet, but we have converted over to metric.

We also ca use gallons, but not USA ones, they are too small. :P, but with these we have also converted to litres.

So I guess we'll have to get you a bit of NZ education.

Alan 104

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yea....i guess i do need some NZ education :(

but guess what....the switch of the tank was a SUCCESS :) :) ....

i have already started adding 'cycle' to it and im also using some other kind of amonia/chlorine killer :) ..the guy at my local pet store said i should use a very hardy fish as a "test" fish...though i think thats very mean to do :evil: ....but anyways....all is going well.....i didnt get that "before" picture....ill just show you how big the tank is through pic...and then ill post my new one....i havnt added decorational stuff like big rocks....plants...so on so on...

hmmmmm, theres like...thousands of mini-dots all over my tank :-? ....dont know if they are air bubbles or what? but...ill get those pics up soon :)

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Depends on how dirty they are and where they come from I guess. If you bought them from a store then all you need to do is give them a good wash but if you find them in the river or sea or they've been in soil for years then probably a boil up would be good - but then your mother won't let you boil them will she?

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