Moving fish to new tank question

HI all,

Brief intro...I'm new to this hobby about 5 weeks in now but have become obsessed. I learned about nitrogen cycle after buying fish and have read a lot of stuff since then and trying to deal with my mistakes. So starting I made the mistake of adding too many fish before my tank was fully cycled plus many more that slowed down the cycle I believe but i'm learning. I'm asking for any input on this from anyone who's willing to help.

I started with a 20 gallon that's been running for 5 weeks and has not fully cycled yet. I just bought a 37 gallon that's been running fishless for 2 days now. I even got filter media from the local fish store for the new tank. My 20 gallon tank that's been running for about 5 weeks now is still not fully cycled. As per the test I took this afternoon, ammonia still showing about .50 ppm, 0 nitrites and around 10-20 ppm nitrate. I've been desperately trying to save my fish and the ones after the first losses are doing better since the deaths of the others. My question is since i'm going to eventually move all my fish over to the 37 gallon, what is the proper steps to doing so? Should I wait for my 37 gallon to cycle or can I move them over soon since my 20 gallon isn't fully cycled? The local fish store as long as its been running for a day there's no harm as long as the PH levels are the same since the 20 gallon isn't cycled yet anyway but I just wanted to get more opinions. P.S I would not add more fish than what I currently have until the tank is cycled.

Thank you to all who took the time to read and possibly help.

 

Ok what do you have now? How man fish and what type? What type of filter ar3 you using in the 20 and what will you be using in the 37?
Right now by moving the filter out of the 20 and into the 37 you move the cycle. That said you move the fish with the filter. The media you got from the pet store is dying because there is nothing feeding it. Right now your doing a fish in cycle. This requires water changes that follow your ammonia reading.

 

Right now the one with fish in it is...

Tank Size - 20 gallon tall
Current Fish- 7 glofish tetras and 3 albino cory cats left and I know they are schooling fish so I'm pretty sure I have to keep them together.
In the 20 I changed the filter to an Aqueon Quietflow 20. It's only supported up to 30 gallons or else I would have brought it over right away. Not sure if I can use it... The 37 tank I got came as a kit TOPFIN BRAND.
I did ghost feed the tank the past two days very little if that makes a difference.

And yes I understand now that I'm doing a the fish in cycle that I did but still learning proper steps. I'm just worried because I did lose some fish in the 20 gallon due to my inexperience. Someone recommended me use Tetra safestart to help with the cycle. I just did a water test about an hour ago and I'm reading the following Ammonia- .50 ppm, Nitrite .25-.50 ppm , Nitrates 10-20 ppm. I've been getting many opinions on when to do water changes and to know safestart can mess with the test results.

So i'm not sure what to do about this tank. If i'm detecting nitrite and ammonia after doing a water change still, are the fish okay? I really don't want to lose more of them. Can I hang the 20 filter on the back as well and just run two filters for now? Not sure if that's an option.

Thank you for your time

 

Yes you can run both filters. I’m guessing your readings are from the 20g. What are the readings on the 37? Do a 50% water change. .50 ammonia is to much and any nitrite is bad. Isn’t the tetra safe start a bacteria booster? Are you using prime?

 

The 37 is only 2 days old. I used API STRESS COAT and QUICK START the first day which I believe does the same as prime and I added the old media from the local fish store and a few decorations from the smaller tank. I just tested the water of the new tank and it seems to be reading Ammonia .25, Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 5.0. I'm going to go ahead and use both filters on the 37 and transfer them over. I want these fish to have a fighting chance and I believe they will do better right away in the 37 now that I know most of the proper ways to take care of them while cycling.

 

Move EVERYTHING from the old tank to the new tank and perform daily water changes with water conditioner until the tank is cycled. Using a water conditioner like Prime or Ultimate will protect you fish in the meantime. Your tank will cycle faster with fish in it. Just remember one BIG thing......water conditioners like Prime will give you false readings when you check your parameters. You have to wait 48 hours to get good readings. I wouldn't even test the water just move everything and keep doing water changes for at least a week and then hold off on the water conditioner for a couple of days then check your parameters. Good luck

 

The 37 is only 2 days old. I used API STRESS COAT and QUICK START the first day which I believe does the same as prime and I added the old media from the local fish store and a few decorations from the smaller tank. I just tested the water of the new tank and it seems to be reading Ammonia .25, Nitrite 0, and Nitrate 5.0. I'm going to go ahead and use both filters on the 37 and transfer them over. I want these fish to have a fighting chance and I believe they will do better right away in the 37 now that I know most of the proper ways to take care of them while cycling.

I’ve used the quick start and added fish right away before, with those being danios and White Cloud Mountain minnows with no problems.

 

I’ve used the quick start and added fish right away before, with those being danios and White Cloud Mountain minnows with no problems.

Danios and WCM are hardy fish, I'm glad quick start worked for you.