New 55gallon Tank

So I currently have a 29 gallon new tank that has been going for about a month now, so hoping the cycle is almost over, but I just found a 55 gallon decent tank (very dirty and I had to get a new top trim for it) for 45 dollars and with the new trim looking at about 60 bucks so not too bad compared to a new one for 140. So the question is I currently have a aqua clear 50 on the 29 so should I get a aqua clear 70 and run both on the new tank once I get it going? And how long should I wait to put the fish and everything from the 29 into the 55 with the cycle not being over yet?

 

Giving this a bump up for you hope you get some responses today

 

So I currently have a 29 gallon new tank that has been going for about a month now, so hoping the cycle is almost over, but I just found a 55 gallon decent tank (very dirty and I had to get a new top trim for it) for 45 dollars and with the new trim looking at about 60 bucks so not too bad compared to a new one for 140. So the question is I currently have a aqua clear 50 on the 29 so should I get a aqua clear 70 and run both on the new tank once I get it going? And how long should I wait to put the fish and everything from the 29 into the 55 with the cycle not being over yet?

I don’t have an aquarium as large as a 55 but I know a lot of people that run HOBs on them seem to run two.
I’m a little confused. Is your 29 fully stocked but still cycling? What are your water parameters?

 

You should not add fish until the cycle is complete. Are you going to only use the 5o? Make absolutly sure it holds water! And yes I would get a larger filter, you can run both filters in on tank, or add some of the filter media from the old filter to the new filter.

 

Yes, you can get an AquaClear 70 (AC70) and run the AC50 on it as well. That way, you have some of your beneficial bacteria in your AC50 to boot while the AC70 catches up. I believe that having two HOB filters would do best in solving any issues with dead spots. I have a 55 gallon and ran just an AC70 on it for some time before upgrading to a canister filter and I definitely had issues with dead spots on the opposite side, it's just a bit difficult with the center brace being in the way lol.

The best way to tell that your cycle is complete is simply test it. I would highly recommend investing in a liquid test kit such as the API Freshwater Aquarium Master Test Kit. The test strips are less reliable and less cost-efficient in comparison, and personally I don't think testing your water with the pet store is reliable neither, because it seems most of the time they just tell you your parameters are "fine", whatever that means . However, it will have to do as a last resort if nothing else. You want to see 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and some Nitrates less than 40ppm ideally. Having 0's across the board can sometimes indicate an incomplete cycle except in certain cases usually involving a well-established aquarium. If you're having your water tested at the store, be sure to ask for numbers.

Once your tank reads the parameters specified above, then you should be able to begin slowly adding fish to your tank. You want to do it slowly and carefully to be sure you don't have too much of a large spike in Ammonia while your bacteria colony adjusts to the new bioload.