Moving to larger tank

[Sam77]

So I have decided that Darwin is looking a bit lonely in her 2ft tank, and so I have bought a 200 litre tank in the hope that I can get her a friend (or maybe 2!). I have filled the tank with rinsed new sand, but now I am unsure what to do next. I have just finished cycling her old ttank, and I don't want to put her through cycling again with the new tank, but I don't know how to avoid this.

Should I get a new filter and do a fish less cycle, or can I somehow avoid cycling by using my old filter? I am not sure that my old filter will cope with the larger tank, but if I get a new filter can I run both filters together for a few days, or will the flow be too powerful? I have only had my filter for a few months, so it would be annoying and expensive to replace it so soon, but I will if I need to. My current filter is for tanks up to 100l, but I will probably only put about 120 litres in the new tank, so would this be ok?

Also, how do I physically move her with least stress? Should I get a net or try to catch her in a bag or something?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated!

 

[lea]

Put all the things that are in your old tank into your new tank and that will speed the cycling [process along. If you are unsure about your old filter, run the tank with both filters again until your tank is cycled. Test your water everyday just to be sure things are going ok. Whenever I have to move my axies I get a container big enough for them to fit into and put it under them gently and slowly move the container out of the tank.
Remember the more water in the tank the easier it is to keep under control eg. temp, parameters. If you can get another filter do it because if you are adding extra axies you need to be sure your filter can keep up with the extra load.

sorry about the essay

 

[Sam77]

Thanks Leanne, I am going to get on with it today, so I appreciate your reply. Do you think it would be better to get another small filter like mine, and put them both in the new tank, one at each end, or just get a larger one and remove mine once the new one is cycled? It's an idea the man at the pet shop gave me, but he doesn't know much about axies, so I'm unsure. Sorry for all the questions, I just don't want to have to do this all again if I don't get it right!

 

[llamalord2212]

Im thinking about doing exactly the same... i feel my tank is a little small so on friday im going to upgrade to a new (larger) tank and was wondering if using the same filter and transplanting all the stuff from my current tank (ornaments, substrate, plants and maybe water) if i could avoid the cycling process again

 

[Gromky]

There's nothing wrong with two small filters rather than one larger. And, actually I can see it making sense for axies to reduce movement (vs. one large current). The only downside is probably electricity costs. Moving the old filter alone will probably prevent a large cycle, but there is still a chance that water conditions or other factors may cause a cycle (So test! Always test!).

I'd say add another filter to get you up to the volume you need, and just run both. I've run two filters on my planted tank for a long time, with no problems.

 

[Sam77]

Thanks Gromky, I'm trying to do everything I can to prevent putting her through another cycle. Would it be best to fish less cycle the new tank first do you think, or just transfer everything across including the filter and hope for the best?

 

[Kaysie]

Transfer everything. If you haven't bought the new animals yet, you won't cycle. You'll have seeded the bacteria, and one axolotl in a large tank doesn't have that big of a concentration of ammonia. Your bacteria will quickly pick up the slack and you shouldn't have anything more than a minor blip.

As for filters, I've used waterfall filters in conjunction with sponge filters with decent results. It keeps the water from being too stagnant in a large tank, and gives you the added filtration that an airstone lacks. The downside is that if you don't like the sounds of bubbles, you'd better not have them in a room you spend time in. Eventually, I tune it out and don't even hear it, but some friends that visit find it annoying.

 

[Sam77]

Thanks Kaysie, I am going to transfer everything tomorrow. I have ended up with a canister filter which I am already regretting as it looks way too complicated! I like the sound of a waterfall filter but my husband vetoed it as he seems to think it will make us all want to run to the toilet...

 

[lea]

i have a canister filter and it does a wonderfull job. If you set the spray up above the water you can still have the waterfall sounds or if you want hubby to leave the room just slid the bar up and he will be running to the loo in no time. I think 1 filter is easer that 2 just because you only need to find 1 power socket.

 

[Sam77]

Ha ha Leanne that's a great way to get back at him when he's annoyed me! Much less permanent than deleting all his programmes on sky plus!!

 

[Radiodoll]

Is it okay to just move all the old filter,decorations, substrate ect. to a new tank w/out cycling?

 

[jessicaanne]

Is it okay to just move all the old filter,decorations, substrate ect. to a new tank w/out cycling?

If the old tank was established then all the old ornaments, filter and substrate should help to seed the new tank. It's not only okay to do that, it's highly recommended because if the new tank does begin to cycle then it wont take very long at all thanks to the beneficial bacteria already present :happy:

(I hope I interpreted your question correctly)