# How to switch from 55 Gallon to 90Gallon



## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

Hello All! 

I've just purchased a 90 Gallon tank. I want your advice on what steps are necessary for me to take to safely switch over to the new 90 Gallon tank. 

I'm very tight for space and I can't have both tanks setup at the same time. So I'll have to transfer the fish over into buckets or something empty out the 55 gallon take it out of the place and then move in the 90 Gallon. 

Can you guys please comment on how I can go about doing that? What the best way that'll have least amount of stress on my fish. 

I'm able to get clean water bottles to keep the current aquarium water. 

I wanna change over to the sand substrate from the current gravel. I can move over the same HOB filter to the new tank and I'll also be introducing a Fluval 404 canister to that tank. 

Do I need to have a power head filter in that tank for increased surface agitation. 

thanks for everyone's help and advice!


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

it would make your life easier to get large rubber maid bins for the water.

the biggest thing is to keep the filters wet as their media will be essential in the transition.

as for agitation, normally any surface movement is fine, tall tanks need a bit more though.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Don't save the water. It makes no difference as long as your new water is the right temperature and dechlorinated. Treat it like a big water change. Get that big rubbermaid that neven suggested and put some water and your livestock in it.

Changing substrate is a bit trickier as part of your biobed is in the substrate. if you are going to add a 404 into the new tank, I would hook it up to your current tank for a couple of weeks to seed the filter. That should give you more media to seed and grow more bacteria. Then rinse out your sand really well, and fill up the 90, dechlorinate the water and warm it up and then hook up the filters and then add the fish after you've checked out that everything is ok. Not much more to it than just that. You might want to test for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate for a few days to make sure the mini-cycle resulting from changing the substrate is manageable. Having some Prime on hand to detoxify any emerging ammonia would be handy. That's about it.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree with 2wheelsx2. Don't worry about saving water. It serves no purpose.

If you don't have time to wait and seed the 404 on your 55g I would fill an old nylon with the gravel and put that into your 404 for the time being. The nylon makes it easier to remove later. Let them run for a few weeks so that the sand can seed properly, then switch out the gravel in the filter for the proper media.

If you are worried about your bio dying off in the filter, I'd just hook it up to the bin where your fish will be. But, it shouldn't take too long to switch the tanks.

Other than that, follow exactly what Gary told you and you'll be fine.


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

Don't save the water? intresting.. i suppose the water would be the same.. just for my own general inquiry.. if your relocating to a new place is it necissary to save the water as the water will be differant or am i just paranoid


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

Mostly being a little paranoid. A lot of people save the water as they think the bacteris is in the water. Its not, its on the decor, the substrate and the filter. Saving water is not necessary IMO. When I have moved my tanks, I completely refill them with new water, dechlorinate and add the fish. Never had a problem. Even the water they made the move in doesn't go into the new set up.


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## 1843 (Oct 23, 2010)

I agree that seeding the filter ahead of time is a good idea. Other suggestions: 
1. write a plan and go over it a few times. Things have to be done in a certain order, and you don't want the filter media sitting around while you decide what to do next. 
2. The time that the filter media is sitting stagnant, without running water, is what you want to keep the shortest. 
3. keep the heater unplugged in the new tank water for 30 minutes to allow the temperature thingy to acclimate. Write a big note on the tank, though, or you might forget to plug it back in. (Oh, and unplug the heater on the old tank first thing. I have my heaters down low so that I don't have to worry about them during water changes, but I've been caught out doing a 100% change over)
4. Of course, use the old tank water to keep the fish in the bins with. Keep the bins half full, then add new water to the bins a litre at a time to slowly acclimate the fish before you transfer them over. Kind of like a drip acclimation, but quicker and messier.

Put lids on the bins while you're messing with the tank set up (stressed fish like to jump out and flop around on the carpet. Trust me.) And again, keep the bins only half full. I've had fish try to jump out and smack the lid of the bin. 
5. Get a few friends to help you shift tanks around and level the new set up. The old tank with gravel and a bit of water left in it can get pretty heavy, and you don't want to have to spend the extra time scooping it out while your filters are sitting around. 
6. have shims on hand to level the new set up (adjust the level of the stand, not the fish tank on the stand)
7. Remember to wash your new substrate really well before you start to reduce the cloudiness of the water. 

It's been a couple of years since I moved a set up, so that's all I can remember. Good luck and let us know how it went.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

TCR said:


> Don't save the water? intresting.. i suppose the water would be the same.. just for my own general inquiry.. if your relocating to a new place is it necissary to save the water as the water will be differant or am i just paranoid


I guess if you're moving from Kamloops to Vancouver then that might be a problem. Or from a well to utilities. I guess there are exceptions to everything. But no, there is no beneficial bacteria (no appreciable amount anyway) in the water. All it has is nitrates/phosphates and the stuff you don't want. Just treat it like a big water change. If you can do a big water change without adjusting the water, then you can move without taking the water...that's probably a better rule.


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## katienaha (May 9, 2010)

That's not even much of a problem either. Think of fish being shipped from place to place - you would assume to acclimate slowly if that was the case with the water from the bag the fish is shipped in.

To help seed your new filter, as suggested, get it on your 55g a few weeks in advance (this way you can figure out the mechanics of draining the 55, moving it out of the way, and putting in the 90. I think I am going to have the exact same thing to do in the next couple months as I have a small home too, please journal this move if you can, I am interested!)

And your main concern is saving the amount of bacteria you already have and attempting to clone that to the new tank. Assume large water changes in the bins regardless, as it will be impossible to perfectly clone your tank, and you dont want to poison your fish with ammonia. 2 or 3 days before the actual transferring of your fish to bins and back into the tank, fast them, so they produce less waste.



2wheelsx2 said:


> I guess if you're moving from Kamloops to Vancouver then that might be a problem. Or from a well to utilities. I guess there are exceptions to everything. But no, there is no beneficial bacteria (no appreciable amount anyway) in the water. All it has is nitrates/phosphates and the stuff you don't want. Just treat it like a big water change. If you can do a big water change without adjusting the water, then you can move without taking the water...that's probably a better rule.


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> I guess if you're moving from Kamloops to Vancouver then that might be a problem. Or from a well to utilities. I guess there are exceptions to everything. But no, there is no beneficial bacteria (no appreciable amount anyway) in the water. All it has is nitrates/phosphates and the stuff you don't want. Just treat it like a big water change. If you can do a big water change without adjusting the water, then you can move without taking the water...that's probably a better rule.


Well very helpful!!.. as im moving again it will be wayyyyy easier without all the water (150gal was a lot to move.. feel a lil foolish now but i suppose if one dosent know its just a learning curve)

so just the filter and the substrate is the bigger deal then eh


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

TCR said:


> Well very helpful!!.. as im moving again it will be wayyyyy easier without all the water (150gal was a lot to move.. feel a lil foolish now but i suppose if one dosent know its just a learning curve)
> 
> so just the filter and the substrate is the bigger deal then eh


Yup, you got it. And if you've never been told, no way to know. I used to think I had to keep all the water as well. Definitely makes moving much easier without it.


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## zhasan (Oct 28, 2010)

Great responses everyone. I feel a lot more confident now. Thank you and keep adding if you think something is missing. I'll try my best to Journal it as accurately as I can.

I'm in the planning stage right now. I have the tank, now I have to build a stand. I'm planning to do that this weekend. 

I thought of using my old 55Gallon stand with the addition of a 2x6 frame in the back but then when I saw the DIY ... I gathered the courage of building my own stand. Plus it'll give me time till next weekend to do the actual move and meanwhile I can clean the sand thoroughly. 

One more concern, I've been reading about the sand substrates and how gases sometimes get trapped in the sand bed. How how should I go with the sand bed? Any idea of how much I'll require for a 90 gallon? I'll be going to the LFS this weekend to ask for their advice.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I go the the local garden shop and fill a couple of the large Rubbermaid type bins with Lava rock.

I put them in the driveway and using 5 gallon buckets to wash half a bucket at a time.
I then added them to my pond for a couple of weeks.

Then when I moved the pond fish inside I moved the lava rock with them to give me a bio mass.

When I got the large tub (150 gallon) I just reversed the procedure.

On my ponds I keep a 55 gallon of make up watter on hand and use a small pump to pump watter from the pond into the barrel and allow it to drain back into the pond via an overflow hose hooked up to a through a garden tap threaded into the plastic barrel. 
The barrel has 3 inches of lava rock in it and about a 2 inch layer of duckweed/fairyMoss and frog-bit floating on top.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

zhasan said:


> Great responses everyone. I feel a lot more confident now. Thank you and keep adding if you think something is missing. I'll try my best to Journal it as accurately as I can.
> 
> I'm in the planning stage right now. I have the tank, now I have to build a stand. I'm planning to do that this weekend.
> 
> ...


You need about 100 lbs if you want a 2" deep bed. That's what I am planning to add to my 90 when I finish building my stand for it.


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## MadgicBug (Apr 22, 2010)

As an added note....Make sure your PH is the same or close to your old tank water.


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