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i recently purchased a new 55G tank, im setting it up as a planted tank. iam going to add the water from the weekly water changes from my 30G and use the old filter media from my 30G filter in my 55G filter.
i want to transfer the fish from my 30G into the 55G
the fish are
10 neon teras
7 black phantom tetras
3 albino corydoras
a pair of blue rams and a BN
how long should i have the tank set up before i add the fish(especially the blue rams) and wich fish should go in first?
i would like them in the new tank as soon as possible because it has my room in a bit of a mess, but i don't want to rush it.

coop,

A planted tanks is not a planted tank is not a planted tank, if you know what I mean

How many plants?

If you only have a few plants in this rather big tank than it can barely help with making the tank more accomondating for fishies.

If you have loads of plants then I would assume you could either increase the number of fish added at one time or shorten the period between additions, or both.

Is there a maximum time when you have to tear down, or change, the 30G?

Personally, I would start with the black phantom tetras to ride in the tank. A while later I would add the 3 corys, even later the neons (most likely in 2 batches), followed by the rams as the last fish. The BN, well, I would not add it at all, but that is just me. Too much of a waste producer, too big (I know it is not a monster size, but still), and a digger (not good for some fragile plants with tiny roots).

Hope this helps somewhat,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

You have not mentioned the substrate at all. I personally think you will be going through some form of a mini cycle. I would add some Bio Starter/cycle also a few Danios to the bacteria going. Then do a very good water peramiter testing and only this will tell you when the tank is ready. Also you will have to add all the fish slowly starting of with the hardiest ones first then the others a few days appart. Do do it "correctly" and "safely" it will be a slow job.

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Keith

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it will be a densly planted tank, i wil plant it fairly full to start of with than transfer all the plants out of my 30G also(wich is a dense planted tank also). i have the next four months to transfer them over. i will use regular 3mm gravel mixed with the gravel from my 20G. i will put bio-starter in there also.
i may get some zebra danios to cycle the tank aswell because my sis wants them in her tank so she can have them when ive finished with them. i have these things called amonia balls wich suck up a lot of ammonia and nitrite leaving nitrate at about 15ppm-20ppm. i havent really needed to test a tank since i started using them. the water i get out of my tank is fresh rainwater wich is perfect for the blue rams.
i will start the process of cycling of the tank the same as normal but after i put the first fish in i would like to speed it up a little.
i may not put the BN in there because he only cleans the algea of the rocks and driftwood, wich i like algea on, and not the panes of glass.
i will also be adding another 10 neons, 5 marbled hatchetfish and a pair of keyholes to the 55G later on.

If you move the filter media, rocks, gravel, plants and decor, you'll be moving the majority of beneficial bacteria in your tank and may well not have any cycle...but I wouldn't add any new fish until the water parameters appear to be normal after about a week.

I just did this recently (shuffling around two tanks), and no cycle problems at all.

Eric

ok,
thanx heaps for your help, i will set the 55G up tomorow.

Only problem with danios is that after your done you have to tear the tank apart to catch them. I ended up just leaving some in my 55g and cursing them out everyday for dive bombing my tetra schools. Eventually I tore down the tank, pulled out most of the plants and all the decorations to catch those monsters. I have never used cycling fish since. I either use the hardiest fish I currently have or fishless cycle. I even cycled a 5g with mostly just trumpet snails and feeding them alot.

Not sure how hardy the phantom tetras are so I'd probably start with the cories, check for ammonia and nitrite over about 5days, do water changes if necessary to keep the levels really low, and when it's done cycling or at least nearly cycled move the black phantoms. Repeat testing/water changes and then move maybe the bn depending on what size it is now. Then neons and a week after the neons were settled the rams.

I've had no trouble with plecos around bn size and smaller in planted tanks. I've even got a big royal pleco who was 8" when I moved him 6months ago and he's the only one I have to watch out for. Due to his size he can swim into thick planting areas and accidentally tear up fine leaved plants or get tangled in them and uproot them a little. I've never seen my bn, royal, or clown plecs actually digging in the substrate or damaging any plants aside from the one occasion the royal wanted to get through a densely planted area. I have a red dwarf lilly right in front of the favorite pleco sitting spot that's still doing fine. My farlowella is actually my only problem. He likes to wiggle through dense plants and will uproot short thick growing plants like chain swords.

Your ammonia absorber is likely to be detrimental to your planted tank. If you have a heavily planted tank the plants need the nitrates and you want a little extra in the tank of at least 5-10ppm. With plants plus ammonia balls you could end up at zero and be adding in nitrates. Most of my planted tanks end up that way and I actually dose nitrates every week.

ok thanx i'll hurl the ammonia balls. i won't use danios im gunna put the BN in, i've never seen her hurt my plants either, it is around 9cm. i,ll do whatu said and start with the cory's. havn't set it up yet, probably next week.

I agree, if you're going to move the filter media/decor etc you will be just fine. I've done it many times, and i'm confident that you won't have a problem if you wanted to add all the fish at once providing you use the media from the established tank. What might be better, is if you have so much time to transfer them over and aren't in a hurry would be to start up a second filter on the 30g, and after two weeks or so it will be populated with bacteria as well that you could put on the 55. That way if you wanted to do it slowly (better idea) you won't totally lose all the bacteria from the filtration system on the 30. This would benefit both tanks and ease your mind.

im two steps ahead of ya, i just added 2 corner filters to the 30G. i will wait till they are nice and dirty lookin then i'll add them to the 55G.