Upgrading Tank

Hi everyone,

Long story short, I've bought and upgraded my 60 to a 90 gallon tank second hand. Eventually my fish are going to outgrow the current tank they're in which is the reason for the upgrade.

At the same time, I'm trying to sell my current tank because I'm too busy to deal with multiple tanks. The problem is, the tank I just bought is not compatible with the HOB filters of my old tank. I have a buyer coming to pick up my old tank in 2 days and I don't have a canister filter for my new tank.

Can I leave my old tank's filter media in the current tank for some time before I can get a replacement canister filter? I've actually never dealt with this situation before. I'm wondering what you guys think.

Also, unless it's dirt cheap I don't want to fork out money for a Fluval FX series canister filter. I'm planning on rehoming a lot of my fish and will under stock the 90 gallon. I eventually want to just have the Jaguar Cichlid and Pleco in my 90 gallon (assuming my Jag won't kill the Pleco). All my other fish will have to go because my Jaguar Cichlid is, unfortunately, too aggressive for anything else. I underestimated how aggressive these fish can be and some of my fish completely lost colour because of the Jag.

Do you guys have any suggestions for good (and cheap) canister filters suitable for a 90 gallon?

Thanks!

 

Have you considered building your own. I've seen DIY tutorials on YouTube.

 

As long as the old decor is transfered to the new 90 gal. & plenty of water movement is provided, the BB from the old filter should survive in the new tank until it can be placed into a new canister.
I've seen Penn Plax Cascade canisters on line selling between $50 - $90 bucks.
Reviews show Cascade filters to be a surprisingly good product.

 

Spent hours transitioning.

I emptied the old tank, put all my fish in my 20 gallon quarantine tank with the same tank water, moved the aquariums around, then transferred all 120 lbs. of gravel into the new tank. After placing the rocks and driftwood, I started to fill the 90 gallon tank. Once I've hit the halfway point, I transferred everything from the 20 gallon into the 90 gallon. I'm using a spare HOB filter suitable for a 55 gallon tank with all my old tank's filter media in the filter to keep the beneficial bacteria alive.

I'm going to try my best to get a cheap canister filter within the week. Right now, the 90 gallon tank is without a lid. The wooden canopy it came with won't fit with the HOB. I'm REALLY hoping I won't have any jumpers these few days.

Fish seem to be fine. Within 10 minutes of adding them into the new tank, some of them even resumed digging.