shuffle tanks (expl below)

I have a betta in a 5.5 gallon tank that she was treated with copper in. So that I could keep our snail I got a larger 10 gallon tank. because I have a child the only place I could put the new tank was on the floor next to my current tank and stand in my dining room.The 10 gal has upgraded equipment and is now fully cycled. It now houses one ramshorn snail and 3 Amano shrimp. I also got a handful of more live plants and I feel like a kid on Christmas waiting to put (Ms. Betta) Orchid into her lush, green, interesting new larger upgraded home with new friends!!!

Ughhhh...except one thing. How do I shuffle the tanks and fish? I didn't think this thru when I originally started putting plants and creatures into the cycled tank. So I only need to move the 10 galon up 2 feet, and to the right 1 foot, but my Betta's current 5.5 gal tank is sitting where I need to move the new (full) 10 gal. Phew, what a mess!

Can I please get help on what order and how as well as how much water should be moved back etc. As to stress my baby girl as little as possible and keep in mind the water in the 5.5 gal is still "contaminated" with copper so it can't be in same containers as water coming in/going out of 10 gal tank with inverts.

10 thousand thanks in advance, my fish is so happy I found fishlore!!!

 

hmmm, interesting conundrum you find yourself in!

#1- did you put rocks and other heavy things in the 10 gallon?
#2- is there somewhere you can set the 5.5 gallon while you move the 10?

personally- I would get a bucket and a pitcher, remove as much water from the 10 as you need to in order to pick the tank up without busting out the bottom or dropping it. move the tank, then put the water back into the tank from the bucket.

then I would do the same with the 5.5 gallon. but I would use a different bucket and pitcher unless you have a way to really clean the copper out of the bucket and pitcher when you are done.

 

I agree with above... but I would empty the 5 gallon as much as possible without over stressing your girl. Then move it to the floor. Then empty the 10 gallon by about 75-90% to decrease the weight (1 gallon of water = 8 pounds... so you do the math). Move the 10 gallon onto the stand & off the floor. Then could you net the betta into a bucket of tank water (to keep the net out of the 10 gallon - I don' t have experience with how much you have to separate equipment to prevent cross contamination) and from there put her and the water into the tank? The key questions here is... Can you use the net in both tanks. If you CAN, then you could just net her from the old tank to the new tank and refill the old tank (or refill first, then add her).

 

Thanks for the advice Jessa!

There is a thin 1/4 inch small sized gravel on bottom of tank just to give the bacteria colonys as much surface to grow on ad possible. I let myself get too excited and loosly planted a couple Anubias when I brought 6 new plants home, but came to my senses mid gardening and left the rest in the little plastic pots so they could be removed when the tank moving happened.

So, I will have to take a bunch of water from the 5 gal before I move it over onto the table (I have a sturdy table right next to the current tank & stand to move it to 1st). But Betta's in that tank, do I leave her in while it's partially emptied and moved onto the other table? Should I replace the removed water from 5 gal with the original I took out, or fresh dechlorinated Prime treated water (or is 50-60% water change going to be too much new water at once?)

Then once the 10 gal is up on the stand, put the water that was taken out of the 10, and put it right back? Won't the water get a little messy from swishing debris up? My 10 gal is relatively clean but does have real plants, a snail and 3 shrimp, so no matter how much I suck out there's always some that can be kicked up! Then do I run heater and filter for a a few hours to re-stablize the tank, do a last min water parameter test...then if all is well, acclimate Orchid to the 10 gal?!?!?

 

ok- you are a woman, and as a woman myself, I know we WILL overdo it LOL. please do not try to lift the tanks on and off the floor more than you have to and if you have to, please lift from the knees and not the back

I would take the betta out of the tank, did you keep the little container he came in? I keep ALL those containers, cuz, super handy lol. if you didnt, put him in a container of some sort with something on top of it like a towel etc to keep him from jumping out if hes agitated.

I would put the water right back in the 10 gallon- it will get cloudy etc, but once the filter kicks on and everything settles, no big deal. mine clears the water up in less than an hour.

maybe do an acclimation style change over? his current water, in a larger container like a bucket, then replace 10% with 10 gallon tank water, then 10 more, then 10 more, and so on until hes in all water from the 10 gallon? while you are doing this, the 10 gallon water will have time to cycle and settle and get cleaned a bit.

make sure you test parameters in the 10 gallon and personally, I would test parameters in the smaller bucket where you are acclimating Orchid