[CichlidGold]

Hi everyone, I found a good deal on a 90 gallon tank with stand, canister filter, heater, air pump etc.. I paid $150 for it. It currently has a fairly large jaguar in it and 3 smaller Jack Dempsys. Im picking it up on Saturday morning. My question is whats the fastest way to cycle the tank because he is also including the fish with the tank. I currently have a 40 gallon cycled tank in the same room. What would be the best way of transporting the fish and keeping them alive while the 90 is cycling? thanks for your answers, Chris.

 

[djrichie]

If you can get buckets with lids that the fish fit comfortable in, you can use the tank water from the new tank with battery air pumps. When you get home you can put them in large plastic container to store for the cycling process...... If you have box filters if long stay in the container that will work.

Make sure you break the tank down. keep the dirty gravel in a bucket and keep it wet with tank water,(air stone this too to keep the water circulating)the canister filter can be closed off as not to leak leacve it dirty) pull all living things in the car last as it may get hot inside the car when you get home you can run the filter in your other tank to keep it alive. Clean up the tank and stand after you take care of the living thing gravel filter and fish..... when you have the tanks ready to be filled. Use the dirty gravel filter everything you save.... it will look dirty leave it will settle down, and you will be vacuming it soon away..... use the water you stored the fish in and you other tank. Your going to have alot of bac. saved tis way and will only go thur a mini cycle..... you can be completely cycled in a few days...... as you not breaking down a tank you just moving a tank........ you should be able to add the large fish, just keep an eye on the Nitrate levels,

yes it alot of work but thats what has to be done if you getting fish with the tank.

 

[CichlidGold]

Im getting the idea but I have other things to do that day and only have two hours to get the tank home so im probably going to keep the gravel in a bucket like you said with water and a pump. It should be ok it is only a ten minute drive. I was thinking of putting the Jag in a bucket with tank water and putting the smaller fish in bags then putting them in the tank with my Red Devil with a tank divider for a few days until it cycles. I do not have all the resources to do it the way you said. Do you think the fish will be ok to be moved so much?? thanks for your input.

 

[djrichie]

It will be longer than a few days for it to mini cycle ..... keep the filter dirty as will

 

[Mikeman410]

when i had to take down my 55g, i put my oscar into a bucket and put a small airstone in there and a small filter. He was out of the tank for a good 5 hours, it was probably not a good thing though but oh well he lived through it and had no problems with stress!

 

[gookaluda]

It is still a risk, but in all the years of my fish moving I have done this.....
1. Do not rinse the substrate or plants or rocks
2. get the biggest tubaware container with a lid you can find that will nicely sit in the back of your car.
2. Fill the tub half full with water from the tank. (Add stress reducer too)
2. Place the substrate in another container.

When you get to their new home, put the substrate back in the tank. Fill the tank with as much of the tub water as possible then add the fish. Add fresh water over the course of a few days.
I personally have filled a whole 55 gallon with freshwater after adding about 15 gallons of old aquarium water with no DOAs.

 

[djrichie]

So please tell how did it turn out for you......

As far as the using plastic containers to hold fish for long period of time you can and safe as long as you treat it like you treat a tank... with a filter and WC Size of fish holding..... it makes it harder to look at them but a fiah tank is just a glass bucket.... people do this thing called CONTAINER Gardening that use plants to filter the water and fish to eat insects that are layed in the water. I have 2 right now will hold 75 gallons of water..... just water them out maybe bleach solution rinse and filled add dechlor.... if your going to put old water in them still dechlor. before put the old water in....

 

[zambize]

I cycled a tank immediately and moved the fish right away. You do not need the water, except for the transport of the fish. Water carries very little bacteria. Bacteria is mostly in the substrate, on the decor, the glass, and in the filter and filter pads.

I was creating a second tank in my house, but it would be the same. From the existing tank I removed several handfuls of substrate, several artificial plants, some pieces of flagstone, and one of the two filters (and used pads). I put all this in the new tank, added conditioned water, turned on the heater, and in an hour I checked the temp and water parameters. All of it was identical to my original tank. I moved the fish right in. Instant cycle. It's been running for several months and the two tanks are still identical.

Zambize

 

[djrichie]

What size tanks... I know you can seed a tank but the bio load on a tank effects the amount of Bio-colony...... You can give it a faster start but it still has to grow to the bioload, you will have a cycling process take place. Which means the nitrate level will spike up, which stressies the fish and open the door to more problems. IMO you should let use the dirty water because it contains ammonia and let the tank run a couple of days before added a living creature to suffer until it completes a mini cycle.

 

[zambize]

Maybe I didn't explain myself well. There was no mini-cycle. Or cycle of any kind. API drop/color tests confirmed that all parameters were perfect, and identical to the original tank. The original tank was a 37 gallon and the new tank was a 20 gallon. The bio-load ratio was the same. Meaning that the new tank was loaded with the proper amount/type of fish to simulate the bio-load in the 37 gallon. The 20 gallon received no more, or no less, bio-load (percentage wise) than the 37 gallon.

You don't know me, but I go to great lengths to avoid any hint or possibility of suffering in regards to my fish, or dogs, or cats, or rescued racoons, possum, or mice. (Yes, mice...I can't help it, I find them injured in the yard sometimes.) I never, ever, use fish to cycle a tank. I sought out and bought the only AVMA and FDA approved drug for humane fish euthanasia and I gently ease any dying fish out of any unnecessary suffering. Some people think I'm crazy when I tell them that. But I wouldn't let a cat or dog suffer, it would go to the vet for euthanasia. This drug works the same as the euthanasia formula/procedure for cats/dogs. (I owned a vet clinic for 5 years.)

Anyway, the fish that went into the new tank were not exposed to any suffering of any kind, and certainly no ammonia. Oh, and I didn't make this up. There is a great group of guys with 20-40 years of aquatic experience on another board and they taught me this. I probably wouldn't have tried it without their recommendation and I would've waited for a fishless cycle to complete.

I do like your outspoken-ness. On the other board I'm always telling people about their unintentional (or intentional) cruel or inhumane procedures. And tomorrow I'm doing a "Pacu Rescue". Long story, but there's a woman selling a 30 gallon tank including a ---> 13" Pacu <-----! I had to call. Indeed, this fish is in prison, and has been there for 1.5 years. I acted happy to find such a deal and I'm buying the whole thing from her tomorrow...and taking it straight to my lfs where they are ready for the big Pacu. I certainly have no place for such a fish, and wouldn't even know how to take care of it. I'm going to try and be civil to the woman and just get the fish out of there.

Zambize

 

[zambize]

Wait, wait. Back up. I just re-read the thread. I know where the disconnect is. I wrote my original post at work as I was just about to leave for the day and didn't proof read. I meant to say that you don't need *all* of the water, and what I used to just transport my fish around was what I used. I removed enough water from the 37 gallon to fill 50% of the water volume for the 20 gallon, and then added the usual conditioned water for the remaining 50%. This is the same as doing a 50% water change for the 20 gallon, and it made for about a 25-30% water change for the 37 gallon tank. All was well, clean tanks, good water, happy fish. No one even lost a shade of color during the whole thing.

Zambize