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January 19th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| Setting up a 29 gallon....again
Ok, so I have some questions. I recently went from a 29 gal to a 55 gal and transfered all my plants, substrate, decorations and filter media to the 55 gal.
Now, I'm wanting to set the 29 gal up again and want to try and speed up the cycling process as much as possible. That being said I have a TON of questions for all you great people out there!
First, how would you go about doing this, if you were in my situation. I was considering taking a few of the plants from my 55 gal and putting them into the 29. I also have a Whisper filter in the 55 that uses the same size medium as the Whisper for my 29, but the filter for the 55 uses 2 cartridges at once, so I was just going to take one of those for the 29 and replace with a new bio-bag.
Another question, I just (finally) found some black gravel substrate and was wanting to put this into my 55 gal which is now using a blue/white mix. Is it possible to do this with the fish still in the tank without harming them? If so, how?
Should I use part of the substrate from my 55 for the 29? I'm trying to accomplish all of this without giving my poor fish hear attacks!!! Any advice is greatly appreciated. The new 29 gal is going to be all livebearers and the 55 will be Discus and rainbows. I really want the black gravel in the 55 to really help show off the rainbows colors.
I'm beginning to realize I have asked alot of questions that require alot of information, but I'll let you all tell me what you think. | 
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January 19th, 2008
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| | Fish Mentor
| You are right on target in taking 1 of the filter cartridges from the 55 to use in the 29. That step alone will go along ways towards speeding your cycle on the 29. You could also take a couple handfuls of gravel out of the 55 and hang them in the 29 inside a media bag or even in a panty hose. I am not sure whether moving the plants would really boost the cycle beyond what you are already doing with the filter and the gravel, so unless you just WANT to move them, I guess I would leave them in the 55. As to changing the substrate in the 55, I do not think there is a clean, easy way to do it other than just to dig in and pull the old out and replace with the new (well rinsed, of course), but maybe someone else can suggest something. | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| Will just digging out the old substrate harm my fish? I have a Discus fish so I worry about the water quality getting really bad and him dying on me... | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Master
| Setting up a 29 gallon....again
Hi!
Your right about moving one canister. Take out a bit of the gravel from the 55gallon and use it in a filter media bag. The plants probably wouldn't help much.
If you have Discus in the 55gallon - you really have to be careful. I don't know how I'd do that - I can't help you. 
What fish do you have in the 55 gallon at present? | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| In the 55 right now I have:
1 red turquoise Discus
1 powder blue Dwarf Gourami
2 lyre tail mollies
1 golden dream killifish
2 velvet wag swords (M & F)
1 marigold sowrd (M)
2 Boesmani Rainbows
1 praecox rainbow
1 threadfin rainbow
6 zebra danios
5 neon tetras
approx 6 guppies
1 very small pleco
SO, from that, you can see my problem. Too many fishies in one tank. I'm going to move all my live bearers to the 29 gal once it is set up and have the 55 fro just Discus and rainbows. The reason for the question on cyclin is I would like to move the fish over ASAP once I get the tank set up, which I can hopefully have put together by tomorrow. | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Master
| Hi!
What about the Zebra danios? Where are they going? | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| Well, my girlfriends son is going to be getting a 29 gal of his own soon. I was planning on giving him a few of the guppies and the zebras. The neons will stay in the 55 along with the rainbows and discus. The mollies, platy (forgot to mention I had one of those), and swords will all move over to the 29. I think I'll also move my pleco over there, but I haven't really come up with a firm stocking scheme for the 29.
I know that if there are fish I can't use in wither tank, I have someone to give them to or I can sell them back to my LFS. | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Master
| Hi!
Sounds good.  Can you post a pic or two for us? | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| Sure, I have pics of my 55 gal up currently in the freshwater fish and Aquariums section if you haven't seen those yet!!!  | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Master
| Hi!
Wait, can you post up a link? | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Helper
| sure, here it is... My aquarium | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Fish Master
| Hi!
Thats immense MasterShake! Really, really cool looking tank.  | |
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January 20th, 2008
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| | Master Of Fish Poo!
| Hmm.. well, here's what I think I'd do.
First, I'd cycle the 29g. Put some of the substrate from the 55g into it also to help and cycle it fishless.
When the 29g is cycled, I'd acclimate and move the fish in the 55g to it. Then change the substrate in the 55g after thoroughly rinsing the new black gravel as much as you can. Put it in the 55g and once that tank returns to cycled, move the fish back into it. Then stock the 29g. | |
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