Hi there, I am soon going to be moving my 13 clown loaches to a bigger tank and would appreciate advice how to do this safely and without stressing them. They are in a 300 lt at the moment but will be moving into their new 6 ft tank. I have 2 eheim professional 2 filters running in existing tank. Can I just move 2 filters over to new tank and use all existing gravel, rocks etc.
Can I then use fresh water or di I need to put old water into new tank as well. Some people saying old water of no use, others saying use as much old water as you can. Confused.com. I have had my loaches for quite some time now and would hate to lose any during tank move. Help
Clown loaches move to bigger tank
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Re: Clown loaches move to bigger tank
Think of the aquarium not as a glass box of fish, but as a complete eco-system. You are moving not only the fish, but also all the beneficial organisms in the tank. These organisms are mostly on surfaces like filter media, substrate, decorations and so on.
Use as much as possible all the existing equipment, driftwood, rocks, substrate... If you want to change anything, see the notes at the bottom.
You do not have to save the old water. The beneficial bacteria are not in the water. If the water is difficult to duplicate because it has certain minerals or peat moss or something, or was made from RO (expensive and slow to make that much more) then you may want to save some.
Clean the filter a week or so before you change the tanks around. This gives the bacteria a chance to recover if there were any losses while cleaning the filter.
Make up new water (enough to fill the new tank, or as much as you need to, if you are saving some old water) that has the same GH, KH, TDS and temperature as the existing set up. If you are using aquarium plant fertilizers, CO2 source (liquid or other) use these also in preparing the new water, as this is what the fish are accustomed to. If you are using new substrate, make sure it is rinsed, or whatever treatment it needs. Do not use ADA products in a swap like this. ADA substrates produce too much ammonia when they are new in the tank.
Turn off/unplug all the equipment. If it will be more than an hour I would run the filter on the new water to keep the bacteria oxygenated.
Drain the best water out of the old tank into several buckets. Put the fish in these buckets, and cover them. (fish jump out of buckets all too easily. They are less stressed in the dark). If it is a fish that likes holding on to something like a Pleco, then put a piece of driftwood in that bucket.
Remove all the stuff you want to keep (rocks, plants, driftwood... ). Keep these things moist, too, though they do not have to be kept under water. I would put the plants in a bucket of water, but the hardscape stuff I would just put in a garbage bag. The humidity is enough to keep the bacteria alive.
Use the remaining water in the old tank to really thoroughly vacuum the substrate. Do a very thorough job of cleaning it.
Then move the tanks around. Make sure the new tank is plumb, level and square. Make sure there is enough room for the equipment (tubes, wires) behind the tank.
Add the substrate, rocks and driftwood. Make all the hills and valleys.
Plant the tank, misting the plants a lot.
Put a plate or a plastic bag over the substrate and begin pumping in the water, slowly. 1 gallon per minute. The water hits the plate or plastic, and seeps over the edge and into the substrate so there is less clouding.
While the tank is refilling, you can set up the equipment. Do not turn it on until the water is high enough.
In a 125 gallon tank the water is deep, so when the tank is about half full you can aim the hose horizontally and turn up the volume. Do not allow the water to dig into the substrate.
For added insurance you can add more nitrifying bacteria. Look for a product that specifies Nitrospira species. All other products are a waste of money. Since you are saving a lot of the old bacteria you do not need very much Nitrospira. Small bottle, no matter what volume of tank it says it is for.
Add the fish, but do not add the water the fish were in. Fish under stress create more ammonia than normal, and some Loaches seem to shed something in the water that is toxic to other fish. You do not want this in the new tank. Net or cup the fish out of the bucket with the least amount of water possible.
Keep the lights off the rest of the day. Feed is optional. If the fish are behaving normally, feed. If they are hiding, do not feed.
Next day: Lights on in the regular pattern (whatever the fish were accustomed to in the old tank). Feed, but perhaps half as much if the fish are still settling in, or full regular meal if they seem fine. Check the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If the bacteria have made the transition then you should see no ammonia or nitrite, and only a little nitrate. If there are any problems you would see ammonia or nitrite. Be ready to do water changes as needed. Also, feed less if there is any ammonia or nitrite showing.
If you do not want to re-use the substrate then I would definitely get a product that has the bacteria that I am throwing away will the substrate. Skim the top 1/2" of gravel (if you are using gravel) and put it in nylon stockings (Knee-his work well) and hang these on the sides/back/front of the new tank. Anywhere there is good water flow. Remove them after the tank has been set up and running with no ammonia or nitrite tested. Remove them slowly, over a few weeks.
There are beneficial bacteria on the best oxygenated parts of the gravel. When you keep this gravel and move it to the new tank (even in nylon bags) the bacteria continue to help remove waste. By later removing the bags of gravel over several weeks you are giving the tank a chance to grow new bacteria without seriously compromising the water quality.
If you do not want to reuse the filter, then run the old, established filter and the new filter on the new tank for a few weeks so the new filter has a chance to get a good bacteria colony built up. Then you can remove the old filter. You can simply move the filter media from the old filter to the new. It is the filter media that has the bacteria. Or, you could put the old filter media in a stocking and hang it in the tank as described for the gravel.
Use as much as possible all the existing equipment, driftwood, rocks, substrate... If you want to change anything, see the notes at the bottom.
You do not have to save the old water. The beneficial bacteria are not in the water. If the water is difficult to duplicate because it has certain minerals or peat moss or something, or was made from RO (expensive and slow to make that much more) then you may want to save some.
Clean the filter a week or so before you change the tanks around. This gives the bacteria a chance to recover if there were any losses while cleaning the filter.
Make up new water (enough to fill the new tank, or as much as you need to, if you are saving some old water) that has the same GH, KH, TDS and temperature as the existing set up. If you are using aquarium plant fertilizers, CO2 source (liquid or other) use these also in preparing the new water, as this is what the fish are accustomed to. If you are using new substrate, make sure it is rinsed, or whatever treatment it needs. Do not use ADA products in a swap like this. ADA substrates produce too much ammonia when they are new in the tank.
Turn off/unplug all the equipment. If it will be more than an hour I would run the filter on the new water to keep the bacteria oxygenated.
Drain the best water out of the old tank into several buckets. Put the fish in these buckets, and cover them. (fish jump out of buckets all too easily. They are less stressed in the dark). If it is a fish that likes holding on to something like a Pleco, then put a piece of driftwood in that bucket.
Remove all the stuff you want to keep (rocks, plants, driftwood... ). Keep these things moist, too, though they do not have to be kept under water. I would put the plants in a bucket of water, but the hardscape stuff I would just put in a garbage bag. The humidity is enough to keep the bacteria alive.
Use the remaining water in the old tank to really thoroughly vacuum the substrate. Do a very thorough job of cleaning it.
Then move the tanks around. Make sure the new tank is plumb, level and square. Make sure there is enough room for the equipment (tubes, wires) behind the tank.
Add the substrate, rocks and driftwood. Make all the hills and valleys.
Plant the tank, misting the plants a lot.
Put a plate or a plastic bag over the substrate and begin pumping in the water, slowly. 1 gallon per minute. The water hits the plate or plastic, and seeps over the edge and into the substrate so there is less clouding.
While the tank is refilling, you can set up the equipment. Do not turn it on until the water is high enough.
In a 125 gallon tank the water is deep, so when the tank is about half full you can aim the hose horizontally and turn up the volume. Do not allow the water to dig into the substrate.
For added insurance you can add more nitrifying bacteria. Look for a product that specifies Nitrospira species. All other products are a waste of money. Since you are saving a lot of the old bacteria you do not need very much Nitrospira. Small bottle, no matter what volume of tank it says it is for.
Add the fish, but do not add the water the fish were in. Fish under stress create more ammonia than normal, and some Loaches seem to shed something in the water that is toxic to other fish. You do not want this in the new tank. Net or cup the fish out of the bucket with the least amount of water possible.
Keep the lights off the rest of the day. Feed is optional. If the fish are behaving normally, feed. If they are hiding, do not feed.
Next day: Lights on in the regular pattern (whatever the fish were accustomed to in the old tank). Feed, but perhaps half as much if the fish are still settling in, or full regular meal if they seem fine. Check the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If the bacteria have made the transition then you should see no ammonia or nitrite, and only a little nitrate. If there are any problems you would see ammonia or nitrite. Be ready to do water changes as needed. Also, feed less if there is any ammonia or nitrite showing.
If you do not want to re-use the substrate then I would definitely get a product that has the bacteria that I am throwing away will the substrate. Skim the top 1/2" of gravel (if you are using gravel) and put it in nylon stockings (Knee-his work well) and hang these on the sides/back/front of the new tank. Anywhere there is good water flow. Remove them after the tank has been set up and running with no ammonia or nitrite tested. Remove them slowly, over a few weeks.
There are beneficial bacteria on the best oxygenated parts of the gravel. When you keep this gravel and move it to the new tank (even in nylon bags) the bacteria continue to help remove waste. By later removing the bags of gravel over several weeks you are giving the tank a chance to grow new bacteria without seriously compromising the water quality.
If you do not want to reuse the filter, then run the old, established filter and the new filter on the new tank for a few weeks so the new filter has a chance to get a good bacteria colony built up. Then you can remove the old filter. You can simply move the filter media from the old filter to the new. It is the filter media that has the bacteria. Or, you could put the old filter media in a stocking and hang it in the tank as described for the gravel.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
Re: Clown loaches move to bigger tank
Hi Diana.
Yes, that all makes sense. Just heard I am not getting new tank till end of march, so have plenty of time to get prepared.
Thanks
Yes, that all makes sense. Just heard I am not getting new tank till end of march, so have plenty of time to get prepared.
Thanks
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