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Hello all! I'm new at this so I'm sure this will be the fist of many questions ...

I've had a 10 gallon tank for about 2 years and I'm upgrading to a 55 gallon sometime this month. In my 10 gallon I have: 2 african dwarf frogs, 1 mystery snail, 1 blue gourami, and 1 kissing gourami. I was not planning on keeping the 10 gallon tank once I got the larger one, so I need to know how I can safely transfer the inhabitants from one tank to another.

Any advice/tips would be greatly appreciated!

TIA!
Fizz

I upgraded some time ago from a 30 gallon to a 125 gallon and all i did was setup the new tank using my original filters from the old tank and seeded media in the new canister filter to bring that up to speed relatively quickly then i just added the water and fish from the old tank and fed very lightly for the first few days,no losses no spikes in NH3 or nitrite,everything went fine i even used some of the original substrate by taking it from the old tank a couple of handfuls at a time.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

If you arent going to use the same gravel in the new tank grab your old stuff and put it in a stocking in the tank for a week or so, this will help the bacteria establish in the new tank.

Good luck.

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Before you criticize someone walk a mile in their shoes. That way you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Thanks for the replies guys ...

I had actually read somewhere else that if I throw some things in from the old tank that it will help the new tank establish quicker (this was going to be one of my next questions).

However, if it takes me a week (or so) to set up the new tank and I use the gravel from the old tank will the fish in the old tank be OK without gravel for a week? Or do I only use some of it?

I would only use some of it. If the fish are staying in the old tank while you set up the new, you don't have to take it all. I would take maybe 3 handfuls...just enough to get the growing started in the new tank.

If you have the same type of filters on both tanks, you can use the material from the established tank in the new filter. If its not the same type, then I wouldn't worry about it.

If you can find some Bio-Spira, I would get some. It is usually in the little refrigerators at some LFS. That will also help when you transfer the fish over.

And by the way...kissing gouramis get really big...like 12 inches. It will eventually outgrow the 55g...so make plans.


*Kristin*

Kissing gourami can grow to be a foot long??!? I've had this tank for around 2 years and for the last 2 years I've just been asking my friendly neighborhood pet store all of my questions and now I realize how incompetent they are. I wish I knew about sites like this back then.

When I first started my tank the people at the pet store told me that I could have 1 fish per gallon and then sold me 10 gourami's to keep in there (These were the same people who sold me the tank, so they knew what size it was). It took me ages to figure out why they were all dying. Grrrr

Yes, Kissing Gouramis can reach 12 inches. With ease.

Chances are once you move those fish to the 55, the two gouramis will, in the fullness of time, severely limit your stocking options. The Blue Gourami will hit 5 inches, so if that was in the 5 on its own, you'd have some room for manouever, but with the Kissing Gourami, you're seriously limited. In fact, a 90G is probably a better home for the Kissing Gourami long term, and if you can give it a 125, so much the better again.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Oh yes, many pet store employees don't know much about fish. They go by the inch per gallon rule, but don't realize that it doesn't apply to all fish.

They also sell many fish that will outgrow most aquariums. That's one of my pet peeves (no pun intended). I get frustrated when I see pet stores selling fish that get a foot long or bigger...most people don't have tanks big enough to keep them, yet will buy them for their 10g because the employee said it would be ok.


That's why research is the best thing you can do. It will save you alot of money and time. There is much better info above.

edit: I wasn't fast enough with Kissing gourami info!

*Kristin*