Doubts regarding the transition between two planted tank projects

[parotet]

Hi all

It is not something I am going to do in the coming weeks but probably at the end of the year (I love to plan these things in advance…). The question arises because I do not have room in my nano tank for stocking the fish and shrimp… I do not have other tanks either. The tank is quite small (65 liters), therefore it should be easy to close it down and set it up in less tan 24 hours. I aim at recycling most of the plants in the current setup as well as all the fish and shrimps (I just need to make sure that I have some additional plants I want for this day). The new set up would include a complete replacement of the substrate (enriched substrate). These are my doubts:

nº1. If I set up the tank in 24 hours can I leave my filter filled with water from the tank so I do not lose the bacteria colony? Can I have problems with lack of O2?

nº2. Once the tank is newly planted and the filter is running, how much time do I have to wait to add the fish and shrimps again? In other words, will the cycled filter be able to handle ammonia peaks? In previous setups I did during the first week 50% WC, second week 50% WC every 3 days, etc. Low lights at the beginning, high CO2. So normal procedure for new high energy setups.

nº3. In the case I cannot add the fish and shrimps to the tank immediately, how much time can they be kept in buckets? Shall I use a airstone, a small filter?

Thanks,
Jordi

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Hey Jordy,

1. Should be fine, lack of O2 should be no problem for that period of time, they are some hardy buggers.
2. That's a hard one to answer, without knowing what substrate you will be using. Most do not seem to leach too much ammonia, so with the right water treatment, you should be able to add fish and shrimp almost immediately. You could try and save some of the water from the current setupt, say 20 or 30 liters, and use that to fill the new one with; would also increase the size of the bactery colony that woud survive the transistion.
3. As long as the circumstances, i.e. water parameters, lighting conditions, and other circumstances that can cause stress, are kept the same, they can be kept in buckets or larger plastic containers almost indefinitely. If you throw in some of the old plants, or some floating plants, plus a small filter and heater if necessary, they should be fine for several weeks. You should probably do weekly small water changes though, around 20%.

Hope this helps!

 

[tim]

Hi jordi, I always like a fast turn around on my tanks so I can restock, so my approach has been, drain the filter, from my understanding as long as the media stays damp the bacteria will have all the O2 it needs, I also use a layer of the old substrate underneath the new hopefully preserving some of the bacteria, as you stated large and often water changes for the first few weeks and generally my livestock has gone straight back in, if you have to keep them temporarily in a container filtration/aereation is a must IMHO. I will add I've not had any livestock deaths using this approach but what works for one tank may not work for another, look forward to seeing your rescape.

 

[ceg4048]

If you are planning in advance then just buy your new substrate in advance and keep it wet in a bucket. After 6 or 8 weeks the ammonia will have been mineralized and there will be bacteria in the sediment ready for use, and will be more or less free of leaching toxins. This should be a no-brainer. The Nitrogen Cycle occurs whether sediment in a tank, a bucket or a lake.

Cheers,

 

[Vinkenoog1977]

Briljant! So simple, most, as I, have overlooked that option.

 

[Jaap]

Does this also apply for inert sediments like JBL Manado where there are no nutrients? I mean do bacteria grow as well?

If you are planning in advance then just buy your new substrate in advance and keep it wet in a bucket. After 6 or 8 weeks the ammonia will have been mineralized and there will be bacteria in the sediment ready for use, and will be more or less free of leaching toxins. This should be a no-brainer. The Nitrogen Cycle occurs whether sediment in a tank, a bucket or a lake.

Cheers,

 

[ceg4048]

Yes, of course. They grow in your filter don't they? Ceramic and plastic media are inert aren't they? You can't stop bacteria from growing. They rule the planet. Throw some of your filter detritus and some flake food in there and mix it up to inoculate if you want.

Cheers,

 

[parotet]

One more thing regarding what to do with the canister filter while setting up the new tank: better to keep the canister plenty of water with all the media inside? Better to take the media out and soak it in a bucket? Media inside the canister but empty of water and closed to keep high levels of humidity? Not sure how sensitive bacteria are...
It looks like it is not really important if it is a matter of hours, isn't it?

Jordi

 

[ceg4048]

No, a few hours is not a big deal. Just empty the water. The water will be replaced by air, which is loaded with Oxygen, which the bacteria need more than anything else. As Tim mentioned, this is not something to really worry about.

Cheers,

 

[Dominic]

I've done things like this numerous amounts of times before.

What I did (if fish are moved too) is-



-grabbed a bucket, and then i bagged the fish up (allow plenty of space for the fish so the water doesn't foul too quickly, 1 part water to 2 parts air for good oxygen supply)

-Put the filter media and heater into the bucket, sticking the heater onto the side of the bucket so the plastic didnt get melted, and turnt the heater on.

-Put the fish bags into the bucket, so that the water temperature stayed roughly the same and didnt drop too much from the work in progress

-Moved tank, worked on tank

-Filled up tank, put the filter back together and onto the tank and turnt on

-Put the heater back in the tank

-waited for temperature to reach correct levels

-Put the fish back in!



Hope this helps!