How to stock new 20 gal tank with 1 fish and snail already?

[PizzaStina]

Hi!

2 years ago I did a full fishless cycle on a 10 gallon tank and stocked it with 5 GloFish Tetras and 1 nerite snail all at once. They all did fine for a while but since the fall, each fish has slowly died except for 1 remaining survivor who is still looking pretty healthy. And the snail seems indestructible.

Anyhoo, I moved to a new place with more space last year so I'm getting ready to build a 20 gallon tank and get rid of the 10. My plan this weekend is to set it all up, using some of my 10 gallon's gravel, decor, filter, and much of the water to maintain the cycle - and transfer the fish and snail to it. But my question is, from there... can I stock my tank with 8-9 new GloFish, maybe another snail, all at once? I use Prime water conditioner, which binds ammonia for 48 hours, and have a new bottle of SafeStart ready to go as well. But will it be too much for the bioload to catch up with if I stocked like this, even if I monitor conditions and do regular water changes for the first few weeks...? Just looking for advice on the best way to do it.

 

[kuhlkid]

I would recommend 2 groups of 4 or 5 fish at a time, rather than all one go. Greatly reduces your chances of overworking your bio filter and risking a cycle crash.

Additionally, if possible, I'd keep the 10 running as a quarantine while you bring in new stock. Perhaps split the cycled media you have between the two tanks, since your present stock is so low. Keeping new fish in a separate system for 2-4 weeks so you can monitor for possible disease is the best way to keep the glofish you've already got happy and healthy. Bring in the snail separate from the fish-- if you need to medicate the new fish for anything, you don't want a snail in there with them. Most medications will kill off invertebrates.

 

[PizzaStina]

I would recommend 2 groups of 4 or 5 fish at a time, rather than all one go. Greatly reduces your chances of overworking your bio filter and risking a cycle crash.

Additionally, if possible, I'd keep the 10 running as a quarantine while you bring in new stock. Perhaps split the cycled media you have between the two tanks, since your present stock is so low. Keeping new fish in a separate system for 2-4 weeks so you can monitor for possible disease is the best way to keep the glofish you've already got happy and healthy. Bring in the snail separate from the fish-- if you need to medicate the new fish for anything, you don't want a snail in there with them. Most medications will kill off invertebrates.

You know, I originally wan't going to keep the 10 gallon but, actually, I ended up buying a stand off Amazon that can support both a 20 gal on top and a 10 gal on the bottom...

So if I get a new filter (of the same type), transfer half the media to it and stick it on the new 20 gal, then the cycle should remain in tact enough for my fish and snail to be safe in there, right? And then, let's say I can't get to an aquarium store immediately after setup- should I just feed the 10 gal some food to keep the cycle going til I get the first round of fish? How long does it take for a bacteria colony to die out...? I'm paranoid about losing a cycle because it took me 3 **** months to fishless cycle my 10 gallon, it was very stubborn haha!!

 

[kuhlkid]

You know, I originally wan't going to keep the 10 gallon but, actually, I ended up buying a stand off Amazon that can support both a 20 gal on top and a 10 gal on the bottom...

So if I get a new filter (of the same type), transfer half the media to it and stick it on the new 20 gal, then the cycle should remain in tact enough for my fish and snail to be safe in there, right? And then, let's say I can't get to an aquarium store immediately after setup- should I just feed the 10 gal some food to keep the cycle going til I get the first round of fish? How long does it take for a bacteria colony to die out...? I'm paranoid about losing a cycle because it took me 3 **** months to fishless cycle my 10 gallon, it was very stubborn haha!!

Glad you got a racking system you like, I had a 20 and 10 stacked like that for a while and really enjoyed the setup. Yes, for 1 fish and 1 snail, I think your cycle will be fine in the new tank using half the established media. You can feed your empty tank with fish food, but it can take some time for enough food to break down in the water and generate sufficient ammonia to feed them heartily. Two alternatives to consider: 1) a frozen shrimp in a mesh media bag (bag is for easy cleanup and removal later) as it's a big chunk of food and will generate a lot of waste, or 2) pure ammonia to dose the tank with regularly, Dr. Timm's is a brand I see recommended frequently.

 

[PizzaStina]

Glad you got a racking system you like, I had a 20 and 10 stacked like that for a while and really enjoyed the setup. Yes, for 1 fish and 1 snail, I think your cycle will be fine in the new tank using half the established media. You can feed your empty tank with fish food, but it can take some time for enough food to break down in the water and generate sufficient ammonia to feed them heartily. Two alternatives to consider: 1) a frozen shrimp in a mesh media bag (bag is for easy cleanup and removal later) as it's a big chunk of food and will generate a lot of waste, or 2) pure ammonia to dose the tank with regularly, Dr. Timm's is a brand I see recommended frequently.

Cool. I actually do have pure ammonia, the powdered kind, which I find very hard to dose... I used it for cycling my 10 gal initially and I feel like it might be too concentrated and may put that tank out of wack.

Let's say I'm able to stick to my (current) plan of setting up the new tank one day and getting fish the very next next day... would my 10 gal be good, with bacteria still in tact?

And I guess another question I have is... once the new fish are done with their quarantine and I can move them to the new tank, will I have to then do more frequent water changes in the new tank while my bioload catches up to them? Or will dosing with Prime which binds the ammonia for 2 days be enough time?

 

[GouramiGirl100]

Beneficial bacteria can remain without issue or added “food” for a while. Beneficial bacteria, like all bacteria, can also quickly expand and grow in colony size exponentially. I do agree with adding new fish slowly, but you should be perfectly fine for that bioload regardless.

 

[PizzaStina]

Beneficial bacteria can remain without issue or added “food” for a while. Beneficial bacteria, like all bacteria, can also quickly expand and grow in colony size exponentially. I do agree with adding new fish slowly, but you should be perfectly fine for that bioload regardless.

Awesome. I actually have a bit of a different idea for how to do this then... let's say I just kept the one fish and snail in my 10 gallon for now. Set up my 20 gallon using some established media... then I could start out right away with 4-5 Glofish in the new tank, yeah? And then as long as all are healthy for 2-4 weeks, I move my fish and snail in there? And then the 10 gal becomes the hospital tank for my next round of 4 or so fish. That should work pretty well, right? That way my new tank gets to be fun and pretty right off the bat with a mini-school and it might be less stress on my current living fish to stay in his familiar environment for now...

Also, I see Glofish sells those new Pristella Tetras which I think are cool... anyone know if they would school along with the regular Tetras?

 

[kuhlkid]

Doubtful that the different tetras will shoal together reliably, a 20 is roomy enough for them to separate out. But having two shoals can be nice if you like the variety, however one shoal with higher numbers will let you really appreciate your fish's natural behaviors amongst each other.

 

[PizzaStina]

Doubtful that the different tetras will shoal together reliably, a 20 is roomy enough for them to separate out. But having two shoals can be nice if you like the variety, however one shoal with higher numbers will let you really appreciate your fish's natural behaviors amongst each other.

Ah got it. I might as well stick to the regular Tetras then, as the whole reason I'm upgrading is because my 4-5 original ones never really shoaled much in the 10 gallon. They're shoal with the Long Fin Tetras, right? Would be nice to have somewhat of a variety...

 

[Littlebudda]

You could also put the fish in one and leave the snail in the other that way you will still be feeding both filters and the move would be minimal when you bring in the new fish

 

[kuhlkid]

Ah got it. I might as well stick to the regular Tetras then, as the whole reason I'm upgrading is because my 4-5 original ones never really shoaled much in the 10 gallon. They're shoal with the Long Fin Tetras, right? Would be nice to have somewhat of a variety...

As long as it's the same type of tetra, they should shoal regardless of fin length. Do you know which tetras you've got? Funny that one of the main GloFish tetras marketed is in fact a zebra danio.

Interesting point raised above about splitting your current stock between tanks, here's my worry-- if you get any new fish in and they turn out to be sick, you won't want either your current glofish or your snail in with them, as disease will threaten one and medication will kill the other. Even if you wanted to remove the snail to the other tank before medicating, you would be breaking quarantine and risk spreading contaminated water to both systems. Just want to encourage caution while you get new fellas in.

 

[Littlebudda]

As long as it's the same type of tetra, they should shoal regardless of fin length. Do you know which tetras you've got? Funny that one of the main GloFish tetras marketed is in fact a zebra danio.

Interesting point raised above about splitting your current stock between tanks, here's my worry-- if you get any new fish in and they turn out to be sick, you won't want either your current glofish or your snail in with them, as disease will threaten one and medication will kill the other. Even if you wanted to remove the snail to the other tank before medicating, you would be breaking quarantine and risk spreading contaminated water to both systems. Just want to encourage caution while you get new fellas in.

But if you keep one in one tank and the other in the other tank when your new fish arrive you move snail from 10 to 20 with the fish and add new fish to 10 then you won’t harm the current stock as it will be put back together and the new fish can be monitored in a cycled tank that has only them in it.

this is how I do my quarantine keep a few guppies in the tank to keep cycled move them out when new fish arrive once they are safe and well move them to main tanks give quarantine tank a clean and move a few guppies back over to keep the cycle

 

[cjcummings]

Ah got it. I might as well stick to the regular Tetras then, as the whole reason I'm upgrading is because my 4-5 original ones never really shoaled much in the 10 gallon. They're shoal with the Long Fin Tetras, right? Would be nice to have somewhat of a variety...

We got 12 tetras sharing a 54 Gallon corner tank with 15 or 16 danios. None of them shoal. All they do is chase each other out of their personal space. It's also not open and has a lot of coverage. Only time they all come together is during feeding time.

I say avoid the long fins if you can and stick with the short fins tetras. Long fins will almost certainly get nipped and frayed by the others.

 

[BlockHead1981]

Hi!

2 years ago I did a full fishless cycle on a 10 gallon tank and stocked it with 5 GloFish Tetras and 1 nerite snail all at once. They all did fine for a while but since the fall, each fish has slowly died except for 1 remaining survivor who is still looking pretty healthy. And the snail seems indestructible.

Anyhoo, I moved to a new place with more space last year so I'm getting ready to build a 20 gallon tank and get rid of the 10. My plan this weekend is to set it all up, using some of my 10 gallon's gravel, decor, filter, and much of the water to maintain the cycle - and transfer the fish and snail to it. But my question is, from there... can I stock my tank with 8-9 new GloFish, maybe another snail, all at once? I use Prime water conditioner, which binds ammonia for 48 hours, and have a new bottle of SafeStart ready to go as well. But will it be too much for the bioload to catch up with if I stocked like this, even if I monitor conditions and do regular water changes for the first few weeks...? Just looking for advice on the best way to do it.

20 long or 20 high? I would say 8-9 would work for sure in a 20 long, but a 20 high would be pushing it. It also has a lot to do with your filter and husbandry. They would be better off in a 20 long, but a 20 high will work and a 29 gallon would be even better.

 

[PizzaStina]

20 long or 20 high? I would say 8-9 would work for sure in a 20 long, but a 20 high would be pushing it. It also has a lot to do with your filter and husbandry. They would be better off in a 20 long, but a 20 high will work and a 29 gallon would be even better.

20 high. I have a very good filter that works for up to a 35 gal tank.

I set my two tanks up on Monday, putting my one 2 year old fish in the 20 gal and leaving my snail in the 10. I got 5 Glofish that evening but it seems there's been a bit of a mishap because all but one of them have now died I did notice my ammonia levels were on alert when I first set up the tanks, but I use Prime and I figured it was just due to both tanks getting a whole lot of new water in them, as my tap water does have trace amounts of ammonia in it already, but it's nothing my BB couldn't filter out quickly in the past. By the morning, my ammonia was reading 0 - but 3 fish were dead, then last night, 2 more gone... only a little purple guy remains and he doesn't swim much, though he does eat some food when it floats on down to him.... I'm not sure if I lost a bit of my cycle, put too many fish in at once for the BB to catch up, or if the fish were just stressed/duds. Maybe a combination of all that. I think my 10 gal is ok as the snail is still fine and ammonia reads zero so I'm thinking about going back to the store for a refund on my 4 that died (I have 7 days from day of purchase) and putting those in the 10 gal to quarantine...? But hopefully my one purple guy that's left in the 20 gal makes it.

 

[kuhlkid]

20 high. I have a very good filter that works for up to a 35 gal tank.

I set my two tanks up on Monday, putting my one 2 year old fish in the 20 gal and leaving my snail in the 10. I got 5 Glofish that evening but it seems there's been a bit of a mishap because all but one of them have now died I did notice my ammonia levels were on alert when I first set up the tanks, but I use Prime and I figured it was just due to both tanks getting a whole lot of new water in them, as my tap water does have trace amounts of ammonia in it already, but it's nothing my BB couldn't filter out quickly in the past. By the morning, my ammonia was reading 0 - but 3 fish were dead, then last night, 2 more gone... only a little purple guy remains and he doesn't swim much, though he does eat some food when it floats on down to him.... I'm not sure if I lost a bit of my cycle, put too many fish in at once for the BB to catch up, or if the fish were just stressed/duds. Maybe a combination of all that. I think my 10 gal is ok as the snail is still fine and ammonia reads zero so I'm thinking about going back to the store for a refund on my 4 that died (I have 7 days from day of purchase) and putting those in the 10 gal to quarantine...? But hopefully my one purple guy that's left in the 20 gal makes it.

Sorry to hear it went rough with the first batch. Sadly it happens a lot with small/nano fish like danios and tetras, move stress is a real kicker. I think quarantining your new fish in the 10g is a good idea, and I also think you should consider moving your snail up to the 20g just before adding them, per Littlebudda's recommendation. That way you can medicate the 10g if any of your new fish come in with a bug. Fingers crossed for your little purple guy. Is your original glofish doing well?

 

[PizzaStina]

Sorry to hear it went rough with the first batch. Sadly it happens a lot with small/nano fish like danios and tetras, move stress is a real kicker. I think quarantining your new fish in the 10g is a good idea, and I also think you should consider moving your snail up to the 20g just before adding them, per Littlebudda's recommendation. That way you can medicate the 10g if any of your new fish come in with a bug. Fingers crossed for your little purple guy. Is your original glofish doing well?

Yeah that is my plan is to move the snail into the 20 right before putting new fish in the 10. Snail is still kickin' and is hanging out on the roof currently.

My original GloFish died too - the purple one that remains was part of the new batch. It makes me wonder if there was indeed some kind of spike in the ammonia/nitrites because my original fish had been healthy before - although, he wasn't feeding as much in the last couple of days, but part of me wonders if that's because when there's only one fish they get maybe kind of depressed/aren't watching others go for food... this purple one I have now does eat, but he waits for the food to float down towards him, he doesn't come up.