Best way to move fish from one tank set up to another...

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C

CrystaliZed

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 22, 2010
139
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VA Beach
Hey MFK...

I am curious as to the best way to move my fish from their current 55 gall. to the 180 we will soon have ready...

Would something similar to the process from getting fish from a store to home work, or something better, as I kind of want to avoid having to bag all of them.

I'm also wondering how to make sure the tank levels are the same and consistent from one to the other w/o shocking them. I'm guessing as long as temp, pH, nitrates, nitrites & ammonia are all the same levels, I should be ok?

Thanks!
 
Set up the filters you will be using on the new tank on the old tank for about a month or so and let them seed. That will give you a big jump start.
 
Problem... the new filter is pretty much permanently in the stand of the new tank set up... it was a custom build and to take it out a couple of the braces would have to be removed making it difficult...

Would I be able to maybe transfer some of the water from the old tank into the new tank?

Also... what would be the best way to move the actual fish?!
 
Just move the filter media out of the old tank and put it in the new filter,and as far as moving fish just use buckets and acclimate them basically the same way you do when you bring them home from the store.
 
my 180g cracked and flooded my room but i had enough left in it to fill my 55g with the same water so the fish didnt stress but when i resealed the tank i just got the ph and the temp close and just put them back in new tank might be a little different
 
Alright... thanks guys... thats what I usually do is make sure the temp & pH is very close... will probably do the usual & the bucket idea isn't a bad one, but I have 3 10-12" Balas and they are quite the jumpers, so makes things tricky... lol!
 
Just wanted to add what I add in every thread thats about cycling and tank establishment. Your old tank water doesn't carry ANY BB at all, so trying to use it to cycle a tank is pointless because it will do nothing but have nitrates in it. As they all said use original media and NEW DECHLORINATED water.
 
^^ Alright... thanks for the input...

So pulling maybe 30-50% of my cycled water from my 55 gallon really won't matter then?
 
No it won't matter. As long as your setting up the new tank usig the same source water, just transfer old media. You should have no prob especially if you did enough water antes in your 55 to prevent "old tank syndrome" just match water temp as closely as you can. In this case, I dont feel the need to acclimate the fish (other than for temp reasons) And have done it countless times. Just keep your filter media submerged and get the new tank running ASAP
 
By "old media" what do u mean?..

I ask this b/c in my 55 gal I used the over-the-back filters w/ the large carbon pads in them... this new 180 gallon has a wet/dry system that I've never used along w/ the Bio balls in them so I'm not sure how to transfer the media and where to even put it. My 55 gallon had 4 small pouches w/ smaller Seachem BB balls in it that I used in that one... the 180 has hundreds of the larger blue BB, so I'm kind of confused...
 
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