Do I need to cycle? Will my fish be ok? Switching tanks

I am planning on switching from a 5 year old 29 gallon aquarium to a new 46 gallon bow front aquarium. My question is, will I need to start over/cycle the new tank before adding all of my fish? I read online that I'll need to add about 80% or more of my old tank water to the new tank.... along with the old gravel, decor, plants, fish, ect. Then fill up the rest with fresh water. I'm scared all of my fish will die if I add all of this into a new tank. I've never switched before & I don't have the room in my house to run 2 big aquariums at the same time. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

The old tank water has very little beneficial effect. The only thing it does is help keep the fish comfortable, since they're used to that water.

Move the filter from the 29 over to the 46 and you'll be just fine, especially since you're also moving the gravel.

 

Good morning,

What I would recommend is to set up the tank, use enough of the old tank water in the new tank so that the fish can swim upright, add the fish, and then fill the tank with fresh water. Transferring all of the old water is more or less only transferring Nitrates and not beneficial bacteria that is needed for the tanks cycle.

Be sure to match the new water temperature to the old water temperature as close as you can within 1 or 2 degrees. This will prevent temperature shock.

You can move the old filter w/media to the new tank and you should have an instant cycle. Run the old filter on the new tank for at least 1 month. If you plan on using a new filter too, then you can remove the old filter after the month is over and everything should be fine, the new filter should be seeded with a lot of beneficial bacteria to keep the cycle going. So you may need to run both filters for the month.

Ken

 

Thanks! I would like to buy a new marineland penguin filter for the new tank... I don't think the one in my 29 gallon will be big enough for the 46 gal. Can I use the old filter for a while then switch to the larger filter later?

Edit: If I use 2 filters at one time, won't there be a big hole/opening in the back of the glass canopy after I get rid of one of the filters? I don't want a huge opening where one of the filters was. Right now my 29 gal has just enough open space for the filter & the rest of the strip is covered.

 

Yes. But when you get the new filter be sure to place the media from the old one into it.

 

Hello,

You can use the old filter if you wish. When you are ready to add the new filter, take the media from the old filter and place it in the new one. This step preserves the beneficial bacteria needed to sustain the tanks cycle.

Ken

 

Ok I understand now, thank y'all so much!!

 

Hello,

The more substrate, filter media, plants, ornaments, driftwood that you can transfer over to the new tank, the better off your tank will be as far as the Nitrogen Cycle is concerned, excluding the old water. Beneficial Bacteria needed to sustain the cycle is not free floating but attached to all surface areas of the aquarium.

The reason I suggest you only use a little of the old tank water so the fish can swim upright, is so that you do not have to acclimate your fish to all new tank water. Use a little of the old tank water, move the fish, then fill the tank with fresh water.

Keep us posted and I hope you can share photos with us of your new set up! Have fun!

Ken

 

Thank you Ken!! That makes sense. You & all of the others have been a great help. I'm glad I joined this forum. Thanks again! I'm so excited, can't wait to get my new aquarium! It may be a while before I can get the new tank & set everything up, but I will post photos when I get everything

 

One more question about the filter for the new 46 gal. I'd like to buy a Marineland Penguin Bio-Wheel filter, but I'm not sure what size I'd need? I'm looking at either the 200 or 350.



If I got a larger fish like the blood parrot (along with my other fish), would I need the 350 filter or would the 200 be good enough?

 

Good morning,

The more filtration the better as long as your fish are not being blown around the tank by the current. If the current is too strong, there are ways to reduce it, such as adding a filter sponge to the outflow area, cutting it a bit larger than the area so that you have to force it to fit. Forcing it to fit will help to keep it in place and prevent it from flowing into the tank.

Ken