Upgrading Tank?

I bought a 30gal tank and stand for a good deal recently and was originally just going to fill it with new fish and my existing dwarf gourami, who doesn't get along with a few of my zebra danios, who are in my 20 gallon (this is a case of your basic territorial fin-nipping). Now I'm thinking that maybe I just move all the fish, and plants, into the 30?

What would this entail? The only thing I'm worried about it that they still won't get along in the larger tank and that the light I have on the 30 won't be enough for my low-light plants.

Is this a plausible idea or should I just go back to the original plan?

 

It's a bigger tank, so depending on what you already have, you may need a bigger filter.

 

It's a bigger tank, so depending on what you already have, you may need a bigger filter.

I actually already bought a new filter for it, so that would be a non-issue
(and a heater too).

 

Is the gourami doing the fin nipping or the danios? If the danios are, maybe you can add more so they school more and hang out with themselves and leave the gourami alone?

 

I actually already bought a new filter for it, so that would be a non-issue
(and a heater too).

Don't forget to cycle your new filter or you'll be going through that process all over again!

 

It's perfectly do-able, I did it with my tank as I don't like have multiple tanks (more work than one larger one IMO). Just set up the new tank, add substrate and move plants, dechlorinate the water, get the temperature right, and then move the old filter over to run alongside the new filter for a month. Or if you can fit the old filter media into the new filter, just move that over and you should have an instant cycle - but remember it will only support the existing number of fish, you have to add new ones slowly to allow time for it to catch up, and not straight away. You will need to move the fish over at the same time as the filter (as in within a couple of hours), to avoid loss of beneficial bacteria.

The suggestion above of adding more to the school of danios to avoid fin nipping is a good one. Also put in plenty of plants and other decor e.g. driftwood / rocks to break up lines of sight and provide hiding places, which will also help reduce aggression.

 

The suggestion above of adding more to the school of danios to avoid fin nipping is a good one. Also put in plenty of plants and other decor e.g. driftwood / rocks to break up lines of sight and provide hiding places, which will also help reduce aggression.

I currently have 7 danios (and one stray guppy). How many would you recommend? Only three of them picked on the gourami. And I have plenty of plants and driftwood, so hopefully that will help.

 

Hmm 7 is a decent number, maybe just try your existing ones in the larger tank first, the additional space and change of tank set-up may well defuse the aggression. More plants is rarely a bad thing, so if in doubt add even more