PENEJANE Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 How can I tell that the tank is ok to put fish into?. Its a very small tank (5.7lts) which I am going to use as a hospital/fry rearing/ breeding tank. I took water from my main tank and put it in there to help the filter get a good start but the filter was running to fast and almost creating a wourlpool in the tank so my husband and I did all sorts of things to restrict the flow from the pump to slow it down. Now that this is finaly done the water went all cloudy. I only have a pH test kit but was wondering when will it be safe to put fish in. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Best thing to do is to have the filter running in your existing tank for a week or 2. You can fill your tank with water from an existing tank and use it straight away. as long as you do regular water changes in new tank you will be ok till your filter is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PENEJANE Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 this filter I can't put into my other tank as its a filter thats in the lid when my main tank won't support that. Its just a hood with light in it. Totaly not compatable. I did a 50% water change on the little tank today but I guess that to be on the safe side I should give it another couple of days to settle. Would it be wise to do a water change every day for the next 2-3 days or just leave it from the one I done today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 What about taking the media out of the new filter and putting it into the old for a while, even hanging it in the tank with water flowing over it would do. The cloudy water will settle down in a few days, I wouldn't go too hard out doing water changes (esp if you dont have any fish in there) cause it will slow down the cycle process (you would be removing the food for the bacteria), small water water changes are ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PENEJANE Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 well I just done a pH test and that is on 7.0 so I guess that things can't be to bad. I have been told that when your ammonia spikes so should your pH (don't know if that is myth or not). I have added 2 small 1 inch fry in there for now see how we go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PENEJANE Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 I don't know if it means anything but the little bunch of plants that I put in there when I first set it up had snails on it. The snails are still there and doing well. Would that be an indicator that things are ok or are snails able to tolerate more than the fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Snails can survive MUCH worse than fish. I've seen the little buggers take 10 seconds in boiling water and keep going. Basically, snails are not a water canary, sorry! Best thing to do is test your new tank for pH and the rest, the filter probably won't do much until it has built up the bacterial growth, but that shoudn't take more than a week with the old tank water to get it started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PENEJANE Posted June 28, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Yeah I will wait a few more days then take some water into my LFS and get them to test it for me. Can't believe how much these snails survive through!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted June 28, 2005 Report Share Posted June 28, 2005 Just wanted to clarify that moving water from your old tank does almost nothing to speed up the cycle process, there is so little bacteria in the water compared to what is in the tank on the filter and surfaces that you will gain just as much out of the air and off your hands etc with-in a hour or to. The benefit of moving over old water is to save the fish having to go through significant changes in water parameters. If you are unable to pre-cycle a filter (or the filter media) in an old tank, the next best thing is to move some gravel or anything with a good surface area, like a bunch of plants or a log of wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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