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Help me go through my transition

PBM3000

PBM3000

Member
Joined
19 Jul 2017
Messages
275
Location
Hampshire
!

I currently have the following established for two years or so:

Aqua One 22 litre nano tank
Inverts only (Cherry shrimp)
Eheim AquaCompact 40 filter (rated for 20-40 litres)
AquaEl nano heater 25w

I've just bought (to upgrade the above):

Dennerle Aquascaper's 55 litre.
AquaEl nano heater 50w
- NO new filter -
Chihiros A-Series LED

I realise the filter is, on paper, under-powered for the 55l tank but I run the current setup at 50% anyway and things are just fine. My intent is to run the AquaCompact at 100% on transition so should achieve the same turnover. I don't really want to get spendy on another filter as this 'quick project' is already spiralling out of control as far as budget goes (don't they all?)...

I intend to run both tanks simultaneously and occasionally add water to the new tank from the old one, monitoring TDS etc. As well, I'll be using old filter media (Eheim substrat pro) from the old filter in a new, temporary one (I have several unused internal filters I can employ) from the outset to get the cycle going. I'll also be slowly adding wood, rocks and plants from one to the other over a period of a week or so.

How long should the water cycle take in this case? I'd be comfortable with a week to a fortnight but you might suggest differently.

Are there any steps I'm missing? Any tips? Am I heading for disaster? :nailbiting:
 
My "ideal" plan

1) increase care on existing tank
- more frequent water changes so that there is little difference in parameters between tap (or whatever new water mix might be) & tank water
- attention to feeding so livestock is well conditioned
- attention to plants re trimming, fertilizers etc
- attention to hardscape, eg algae removal if needed
- attention to filter so it's not full of debris

2) new tank
- sort out substrate & hardscape
- consider layout over next days, sometimes it remains unchanged, other times completely redone
- plant scape - easily done if new plants, more organzation needed if reusing existing plants
(You'll likely want some additional plants re size upgrade)

Then run completed tank at least overnight & prefer 3 days to allow substrate to settle, sort out any plant floaters or other unexpected events (such as the wood shifting or even lifting :eek: )
If a CO2 tank, expect new growth
I can easily do large water changes if clouding from substrate or significant leaching from wood etc without worrying about livestock
When ready to move livestock, I just transfer the old filter (or media to new filter) & that's about it
New tanks I always do frequent water changes, daily or third day, only feed what livestock consume quickly
(new plants/wood always seem to have a lot of interest for shrimp)

If I want to reuse everything from the old tank, I'll move livestock to a temporary holding tank (filled with half new water & half tank water) which gets the filter & heater & some sort of shelter for fish or moss for shrimp,
then break down the old tank which can be done quickly now without concern over muck that might be released from the substrate
Plants can be temporarily stored in plastic bags
watch George Farmer's recently video of moving Juryis tank to the exhibition
or just floated in a bin, though this can be more damaging to delicate leaves if overcrowded

Note that Jurijs leaves livestock in while breaking down the tank - this works fine too :)

Then set up new tank with the (old) hardscape, plants etc
Again let everything settle at least overnight before moving livestock & cycled filter

(I run whatever extra filter/heater is around on the new tank)

I've not had any issue with livestock stress or losses in the new tank
I never bother with "old" water as tank & tank water share parameters (my increased water changes up to tank move)

I subject all my fish & shrimp to regular 50 - 60% water changes so nothing in my changeover routine is really "new" to the tank inhabitants (except the capture & temp holding facility, which is kept dim & quiet with minimal vibration)

I don't begin feeding in the new tank until I see everyone is behaving as usual (couple hours or next day, depending)
 
With your plan, I'd test water parameters bewteen old/new tank to follow the "cycle"

BUT then I have faith in my abilities to do so ;)

If you follow the faith of all hobby tests kits are shite, well then it's all just guessing & you might want to wait 6-10 weeks as per EDIS & research from similar facilities :D
 
Thank you for your replies and particularly to alto for such a detailed one.

My main concern currently is that three of the shrimp are berried and 'well on the way'. I initially had a purchased population of 12 which reduced to just three in a short time (I was quite inexperienced when I got them). One of those bred successfully, however, and now I'm back up 16 and all very healthy. As you're probably aware, even 'hardy' cherries can get beat up with frequent water changes hence why a tank change is a little daunting to me.

I'm going to buck against my usual hack n' slash approach and do this slowly. Hopefully the current population will increase to at least 30 in a week or so then I should be good to go for the changeover.
 
Juvenile shrimp generally transition very well

I don't find that "hardy" cherries have issue with water changes (some of the more intensely bred lines are significantly more delicate)

When shrimp moult, they are very sensitive to change until the new shell "hardens" - this is usually 24-36h depending

Regardless of method, when you move your old filter over to new tank, there really should not be any "cycle" disruption (unless filter media is subjected to lack of oxygen or full of debris (again oxygen stress for "cycle" bacteria) or some other maltreatment)

If using ADA soil in the new tank. the high ammonia levels are a separate issue
 
PBM3000 said:
As you're probably aware, even 'hardy' cherries can get beat up with frequent water changes hence why a tank change is a little daunting to me.
Click to expand...

I am not aware of "hardy" cherries having issues with any amount of water changes. Mine are getting weekly water changes ranging from 90% to min 50%. I have hundreds in each tank and they breed like rabbits...

I once emptied a tank completely, so I had to catch all shrimp. There were over 300 shrimp I caught almost one by one over the course of several days. As I was catching them, I was dumping them to another tank that was recently setup.....

I am actually now careful not to transfer shrimp to tanks I don't want them to. They never have issues with drop and plop method from tank to tank and I soon end up with a red carpet. Then again, like alto, I do large water changes so the difference in water chemistry between my tanks is negligible, if any at all. If I quarantine fish, I do tend to acclimate them to my water but after quarantine they get caught with a net and thrown in the target tank...

As long as you transfer a cycled filter and some established decoration and plants, and do daily water changes for a while in the new tank, the entire transfer of fish, etc...can take just a day or a few hours. If you intend to stick to a weekly or even more irregular water change after the transfer, then it's better to do it slowly.
 
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PBM3000 said:
so they get stressed when water changes happen. Sure I read that here somewhere?...
Click to expand...

Not true, ignore what you read. In almost every shrimp thread I've read it's advised to not change more than 10% water on shrimp tanks. It couldn't be further from the truth. I am guessing it's also one of the reasons people have so few shrimp as well and never get exploding populations as the water quality is never good enough.
 
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