from 20g to a 55g...

[Phillies804]

I am planning on getting a 55g in the next couple of weeks and was wondering if i were to take the gravel and water from the 20g would I be able to put my fish in the 55g right away? Or should I just be patient and do a fishless cycle?

Henry

[garfieldnfish]

The water does not contain very many biobugs. I would keep the fish in a bucket with it while you move the gravel and then return some of the water to the old tank and toss the rest. The gravel and the filter have most of the bugs. Are you going to use the same filter? Or could you use the filter pad of your old tank in the new one? If that is possible you should be able to move all the fish at once. Moving just the gravel I would probably only move half the fish and then add the rest a couple of weeks later. Seeding the new tank with the gravel from the old let's the bug increase in numbers rather rapidly so you should have a very short cycle, maybe 2 or 3 weeks tops. And then another minicycle when you add the remainder of the fish.

[Phillies804]

OK. So i will use my gravel and some water, but about the filter i currently have a filter which hangs on the back, i think a Tetra Whisper on my 20 gal. The 55 gal. comes with a fliter that also hangs on the back but should i buy a wheel filter or a different type? If so which type is the best?
Thanks.

Henry

[DUSTIN323]

I say use your old filter along with your new filter for a while because most of the bacteria is in there and the gravel bed

[Damon]

Agreed. Purchase a new filter (the type you use depends on tank inhabitants and biotype) and run both. Using the old gravel will be beneficial.

[Phillies804]

Ok so I will use the old filter, and the new one. But my other question is if i should buy one of the wheel ones or not. What I am trying to go for is a a tank with a fair amount of plants, some swordtails, neons, and mollies. Any other fish I should add into the mix? Should I also get a wheel filter and/or an undergravel filter? Will the filter it comes with be sufficent?

Thanks
Henry

[ron v]

The science behind bio-wheel filters seems solid. I'm sure they do a good job of biological filtration, but they are certainly not required. Fish were kept in aquariums long before bio-wheels were available. With the fish you are proposing, an undergravel filter is also worth considering ( won't work with anything that digs ). There has been much debate over the advantages/ disadvantages of u/g filters. You might do a net search. What filter comes with the 55?
I agree with garfieldnfish, Simpte and Dustin. Use both filters on your new tank. No other cycling will be necessary. Just remember, if you add more fish than you had in your 20, a mini cycle will still occur.

[GuppysInMyBrain]

id go with a bio-wheel. It's not required yes, but it is very easy to build bactieria on AND, when the bugs are on the bio-wheel, you can change the filter cartridge without having to worry about the bugs

[mrmoby]

I'd go with the bio-wheel. I run Emperor 400's on both of my 55g's. Like was said before, I'd also run the old filter alongside the new one, that's what I did when I got mine going, and it worked well.

When shopping for filters, look online. I bought my Emperor online from Drs. Foster and Smith and it cost me $35 as opposed to $80-85 in the retail pet shops around here.