Swiching tanks?

Maybe not the best place for this, but since the question is about cycling....

I've currently a 30 gallon long tank well cycled and happily populated. I have been given a 45 gallon custom tank that is more pleasing to me and would allow me to add a couple more cory cats to the mix without overloading.

What's the conventional wisdom of switching tanks? Can I get away with adding everything - filter, water, gravel and fish - to the new tank (once its cleaned and tested for leaks)? Or is it smarter to cycle the tank with some 'give away' fish and then transfer the fish to the new tank?

I've read some literature about "stealing" a biofilter, but its mainly discussing using an extra sponge filter in an old tank - not transferring the whole set up.

 

I think it would be a-ok to do that. But I may be wrong, you should wait for someone elses approval.

 

Any other thoughts on this?

 

Are you talking about basically abandoning the 30 gallon and not having anything in there anymore? If so, then moving the gravel and filter to the new tank should do the trick for you, though to be on the safe side I would suggest testing the water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate on a daily basis for a week or two after the switch. Also, if you move the filter, be sure that it moves enough water for the larger tank. It should be capable of filtering 10x the size of the tank per hour...or in your case 450 gph. If you are wanting to keep the 30 gallon up and running, then stealing its gravel and filter would mean you would have to go through a cycle before stocking it again.

 

Exactly what I was planning to do - I'm going to abandon the 30 gallon tank altogether. I actually didn't get the 45 gallon tank (circumstances too drawn out to waste time with here), but I think I may have to migrate anyway.

My plan will be to run two filters on the new aquarium - that way I can keep all the good bacteria from the filter I have now, and compensate for the increased volume with the second filter.