Replacing tank

[Myrtle]

Well, it's been a long time since I've been on here! Both my tanks are ticking along nicely although the 50l is sorely in need of replacing as the lid is broken. As it's my birthday today, my husband has decided I can get a 120l tank to replace it (yay!). However, as I'm transferring the contents of the small tank to this new one having never done this before I am a little unsure as to how to go about it. Obviously I'm going to use the plants and filter from the old tank in the new one and will be spending most of saturday sorting out the hardscape but I'm also transferring the fish. What can I do with them in the time between setting up the new tank and breaking down the old one? I can't put little pencilfish in my other tank with the full grown angel and don't really want to put them in a bucket for too long so does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can do this? Is it posible to break a tank down and use the components in a new tank and have the fish back in in an afternoon??!! I'm hoping to plant heavily from the start so that I can put the fish in straight away but any other hints would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Jo

 

[Anonymous]

Jo I have 2 boxes like in the picture (40 and 70 liters) at home for keeping water and some time for keeping fish when I reset a tank. You can put the water, heater, filter, some wood/stones and floating plants there, it's almost like another aquarium. I've kept my fish in such a box for two weeks many times.

From the old tank transfer some dirt to the new one and on top put the new substrate (if any is used) and gravel, it speeds up the things a bit.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Myrtle]

Thanks, I was planning to put the eco-complete that's been in the tank for 3 years at the bottom and top off with the new substrate. i wasn't too sure how long the fish would last in a box but it looks like it'll be ok. Now all I have to do is part with the cash!
Thanks

 

[Bobtastic]

I have plans to rescape my 240l tank and will be using a 80l tub similar to the above to store the fish I plan to put my Fluval 405 filter in the box. I am concerned about how I will deal with the ammonia spike from the ADA Aqualsoil once I add more in with the new scape....

I either I take the filter off the box and put it in the tank to deal with the excess ammonia and have to do daily water changes on the box... or I keep the fish comfy and have to do daily water changes on the tank...

I do have a Maxi-jet 1000 with a block of filter foam that would perform some amount of filtration, but I doubt it will do enough over come either problem...

 

[Myrtle]

I may be wrong but from what I've read as long as you do daily water changes the fish can go in straight away. That's what I've read anyway so my plan is to go to MA sat morning and pick up the substrate etc, pick up the tank sat afternoon. Sunday morning break down the old tank, put the fish in a temp 'home', set up the new tank and have fish back in by sun evening. I am still trying to come up with a way to avoid this, maybe I could take the plants out and half the old substrate and run the new tank for a week and run the old tank in the kitchen or somewhere in the meantime...