Bioload of 55 tank? Africans

Moving 3 African cichlids + 4 New guys coming in on Weds. Set up the 55 yesterday & moved some of the water from my 20g to the new one. Some substrate etc. But am wondering how much of a bioload it will have, will it be too little for that many fish? I added stress ease, and micro bacteria to it as well (new tank).

 

Do you have any seeded media you can move over to the new tank? If not maybe treat with Seachem Stability to help get it started. Seeded filter material has the most BB.
I moved 10 Yellow labs into a 55 gallon recently. I had a sponge filter I ran in the original setup and moved one of the AC 50's over as well. I have since removed the sponge filter.
Anytime you are expecting to have a new tank and fish you should plan to have seeded media ready to go. I always have at least one filter running that I can move over.
I did all this in one day. I purposely added the sponge filter to the old tank to take with the fish to the 55 gallon tank. It was in there for some time. I knew the day would come and it did.
Make sure water temp is the same and PH as well. You should have no issue. There is not much bacteria in the water, so maybe move more than half of it to the new tank.
Good luck but I don't think you will need luck on this. I have done this before without any planning and the it went well.

 

Yes I moved half the water from the other tank to this one & yes have seeded media as well

 

Yes I moved half the water from the other tank to this one & yes have seeded media as well

While moving the water will give the existing fish some water they’re used to, it won’t do anything for getting the new tank cycled.

Moving filter media from an established tank should at least jump start the cycle of the new tank. Do you have any pure ammonia (no scents or surfactants) or Dr. Tim’s ammonium chloride? Dosing one of those options (before adding fish) is really the only way to know the extent to which the new tank is cycled.

 

Yes I moved half the water from the other tank to this one & yes have seeded media as well

You can move the media and fish the same day. Just make sure you have the same temp and PH.
There is no cycling required as you have cycled media. Once you move both fish and media you have a cycled tank. You need those fish moved with the cycled media so the media has something to feed on. Should you leave cycled media in a new tank without fish, you will have to feed manually with ammonia. So move them at the same time.

Cichlids are a fun fish to keep. I just wish I had bought a better tank. A longer tank. I don't like the standard 55 gallon. Its to thin and to tall. And with uneven floors it was difficult to level. Its top heavy.
Once again I will buy another tank more in the dimensions preferred by this species of fish.
I want a 60" long tank. But to get one it will be a much bigger gallon size than I need.
The aquarium industry does not cater to cichlid enthusiasts. They make very few long aquariums. As an example Aqueon made a 30 gallon long before but has discontinued it. Same with their 15 gallon long. I called them before buying the 55 and got this information.
I would prefer either of these tank sizes over the 55 gallon.

 

There is no cycling required as you have cycled media. Once you move both fish and media you have a cycled tank.

Maybe, or maybe not.

If the bioload of the 2 tanks is the same, the OP should have an instant or close to instant cycle. If the bioload of the new tank is higher than the old tank, the cycle very likely won’t be instant. Whether or not the cycle is instant will also depend on the amount of established media transferred.

Whatever the case, I’d suggest the OP test the parameters of the new tank daily for the first week or so after stocking.

 

Maybe, or maybe not.

If the bioload of the 2 tanks is the same, the OP should have an instant or close to instant cycle. If the bioload of the new tank is higher than the old tank, the cycle very likely won’t be instant. Whether the cycle is instant will also depend on the amount of media transferred.

Whatever the case, I’d suggest the OP test the parameters of the new tank daily for the first week or so after stocking.

Will definitely test every day for sure

 

Will definitely test every day for sure

Keep us posted on how it goes. Good luck!