New tank fish had little oxygen

Recently got a new tank and I just moved the fish over. I had forgotten to put up my air stones so they couldn't breath and I had to put them in the old tank. How long does it take before I can place them in the new tank?

 

You should just be able to move everything over (filter, decor, air stones, fish etc) from your old tank to your new one. If your new tank is bigger, run your old filter from your existing tank on it for a while until the new filter has picked up the cycle.

 

Although there is some oxygen exchange between the air bubbles from an air stone and the water, the primary air exchange comes from the water surface. As long a a filter or air stone keeps the water moving at the surface, there will be oxygen exchange.

I suspect the big problem with the new tank was that the nitrogen cycle was not yet functioning. Thus, the inability of your fish to breath may well have been due to a buildup of ammonia or nitrite in the water rather than a lack of oxygen.

As carsonsgjs indicated, move everything you can from the old tank to the new one. Beneficial bacteria grow on all surfaces within a tank: glass, substrate, filter tubes, airline tubes, but the biggest percentage grows on filter media. If you tank does not have a filter, get one. Even an inexpensive sponge filter is better than an airstone.

 

After move everything from your old tank to the new one, you can run the air stones several hours to make it cycled, as RayClem replied, get a filter media to grow beneficial bacteria before you move your fish to the new one. Generally, it takes several days.

 

After move everything from your old tank to the new one, you can run the air stones several hours to make it cycled, as RayClem replied, get a filter media to grow beneficial bacteria before you move your fish to the new one. Generally, it takes several days.

"Several days" may not be enough. It is more likely to take a few weeks.

 

"Several days" may not be enough. It is more likely to take a few weeks.

I've done 8 days to move to the new tank. How about two weeks?

 

Sometimes circumstances require shortening the transition time. It normally takes 6-8 weeks for filter media and other surfaces in a tank to become fully colonized by beneficial bacteria. Also remember that bacteria can only grow based on the availability of a nitrogen source. Thus, while placing additional media in an old tank does cause bacteria to colonize the new media, it is essentially "steeling" bacteria from the existing media. The total colonies of bacteria cannot grow unless additional food (nitrogen) is available for them.

If you are moving everything from an old tank to a new tank: fish, substrate, filter media, etc. then you will be fine. The old media has enough bacteria to handle the fish. If you are seeding new media in an old tank for use in a new tank, allowing several weeks is ideal, but anything is better than nothing. The main thing is that you should not start stocking additional fish until your tank has fully cycled. Even then, you should add new fish a few at a time.