FINALLY Found A BIG TANK! :)

[WOLF2013]

I finally found a large 6' aquarium. 180 gallon aquarium Aqueon. Although I am buying a brand new aquarium and stand and filters and what not. It will literally almost break the bank but my fish deserve it. I have yet to decide which fish I am keeping and which I'll rehome.
But I know that my gold wolf and black wolf are keepers. My wide bar and redhook silver dollars and mylossomas are staying. Some of my cats will stay.
But should be awesome.
The question is once I bring it home and set it up and plug the equipment in. Can I drain all the water out of the 75 gallon and put it in the 180 gallon? Fill with new water and add the fish. The filters will be new but I will transfer over the driftwood and artificial plants already from the 75.
I will of course put some prime in there for them.
Your thoughts? Or should I just set it up and wait a few days?

 

[1 2many]

Don’t transfer the old water from your 75 it won’t help. What you want to do is transfer the old filter/media that is already established (bb) and fill the tank with new dechlorinated water.

 

[FJB]

Cool! Look forward to seeing the tank and the fish.

 

[NCStateFisher]

As was already said just transfer your current filter media and you'll be fine

 

[spotfin]

I would transfer everything from the 75 into the 180, including the water and substrate.

 

[jjohnwm]

Here's your chance to do a 100% water change. Using the old water has zero benefits if you have been maintaining the previous tank properly and doing regular water changes. The only possible reason to transfer any of the old water is if you literally never did water changes, meaning that your fish are living in slightly diluted urine. Are they? No? Good; then there should be no worries about shocking them by moving them from horrible conditions to good conditions (yes, that can be a thing). Now dump the old stuff and start with new clean water.

Use the old substrate, but of course rinse it thoroughly in that old water you are discarding to remove debris without killing the beneficial bacteria that colonize it. Same with the old biological media; either use it in your new filter, or else simply move the old filter to the new tank and let it keep running without a break. You will have a fully-cycled tank immediately, completely capable of handling the same bioload, and if you feel the need to upgrade your filtration for the larger tank, just install the new filter of your choice and allow it to run side by side with the old one for a couple months until the new one is mature. When you finally remove the old filter, feed sparingly for a week or so and monitor you water parameters; you will have almost cut in half the population of beneficial bacteria, but it will rebound quickly.

 

[WOLF2013]

Here's your chance to do a 100% water change. Using the old water has zero benefits if you have been maintaining the previous tank properly and doing regular water changes. The only possible reason to transfer any of the old water is if you literally never did water changes, meaning that your fish are living in slightly diluted urine. Are they? No? Good; then there should be no worries about shocking them by moving them from horrible conditions to good conditions (yes, that can be a thing). Now dump the old stuff and start with new clean water.

Use the old substrate, but of course rinse it thoroughly in that old water you are discarding to remove debris without killing the beneficial bacteria that colonize it. Same with the old biological media; either use it in your new filter, or else simply move the old filter to the new tank and let it keep running without a break. You will have a fully-cycled tank immediately, completely capable of handling the same bioload, and if you feel the need to upgrade your filtration for the larger tank, just install the new filter of your choice and allow it to run side by side with the old one for a couple months until the new one is mature. When you finally remove the old filter, feed sparingly for a week or so and monitor you water parameters; you will have almost cut in half the population of beneficial bacteria, but it will rebound quickly.

Good idea. I will just move one of the filters over to the new tank for now.

 

[WOLF2013]

Cool! Look forward to seeing the tank and the fish.

There will be plenty of videos and photos. Planning on doing a video transfering the fish and all for my 8 year youtube anniversary.

 

[jjohnwm]

Good idea. I will just move one of the filters over to the new tank for now.

No, don't move the filter over until you are transferring the fish. Running a filter on an uninhabited tank will cause the bacterial colony to gradually die off due to lack of nutrients.

 

[WOLF2013]

No, don't move the filter over until you are transferring the fish. Running a filter on an uninhabited tank will cause the bacterial colony to gradually die off due to lack of nutrients.

Gotcha. Yea the day I get the tank home will be the day it's set up and running and will have the fish. Getting it on Tuesday or Wednesday.