How do I go about this move?
I am in the process of redecorating my living room and I have had to move my fish from their 120 l set-up to a smaller, 60 l tank. I currently have one small plec, nine Neons, three Corydoras and a few shrimp. The new tank they will be moving into is 210 l in volume. and I wanted some advice on how to go about this, such as whether I should use the water from the smaller tank. I will also be replacing the substrate in the new tank.
BOB SAYS:
PAUL BUTCHER, VIA EMAIL
Before anything else, it’s worth mentioning that paint fumes, especially from oil based ‘high VOC’ paints can be an issue with aquariums — if possible, delay getting the new tank up and running for a few days to allow the paints to fully cure and ventilate the room if you can.
The most critical piece of equipment to ensure a smooth transfer is the filter – basically your aquarium’s life support system. You could choose to ‘fishlessly cycle’ your new tank with an ammonia source and a good squeeze of the sponges from your current tank’s filter. You’ll then need to monitor the process with a test kit, only transferring the stock after a few weeks once you’re certain that the new filter is breaking down ammonia efficiently. But it may be quicker and easier to simply transfer all the media from your existing tank’s filter to the new one. If possible, half-fill the new tank with dechlorinated water at the required temperature and then top-up with the old water from the smaller tank. The most important aspect of this is to be certain that the water chemistry, particularly the pH, is the same in both tanks to avoid shocking the fish.
With regards to the new substrate, in most aquariums this contains beneficial bacteria rather like your filter, but to a lesser extent. If you are replacing all your substrate, make sure that the new stuff is washed thoroughly if necessary. It’s very likely that you’ll get cloudy water (usually a bacterial bloom) but this should disappear after a few days.