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Thread: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one?

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    What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one?

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    Hi Guys,

    Just want to get some information on what to do if i want to transfer all my fauna, plants and substrate from an old tank to a new one? Should i wash the substrate first and must i keep all the old tank water or just half of it? I understand there might be bacteria growing in the substrate so I am quite worried if i move the substrate over the bacteria will be destroyed.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    Dont think you need to wash anything other than removing the obvious algae-infested portion of the plant if any.

    Even though in theory at least some of the beneficial bacteria will perish, using the existing substrate, wood and plants will ensure that at least some of the bacteria will live to fasten up the tank maturing process vs all new setup.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    its best to restart in your case, as in cycle your new tank to suit your old tank life stocks. you can actually add bactarlife into the new tank's subtract for them to establish first. good luck.
    CRS - CRazy about Shrimps
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    You can't explain it simply, you don't understand it (well enough )..." - Albert Einstein

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    hdarius, can we know what soil you have currently?

    If the soil is ordinary ones with E.g. JBL Fert base which is already expended. I'd say go for a new soil type, dump the old one, not worth the effort.

    If the soil is power type and still used not long, you can reuse it but instead of "washing" it, you just need to siphon out of badies from the soil then do your soil transfer. You might need water or reuse some water that is suck out to siphon the badies out. Just need to wait a while for the dusty badies to settle down.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    I'm using ANS planta soil. Setup has been for about 2 months only so its quite a waste to start afresh with everything. My old tank has quite a few scratches and i think its almost 10 years old so was thinking of just switching to a newer tank maybe an ADA one. Just need some guidance from the experts here before i make the move. Don't want to stress my Malayan Shrimps and White Clouds when i move them over without taking proper steps.

    Thanks so far for all the suggestion.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    If the soil is just 2 months, you can remove everything, well you have to lower your water level to facilitate easier fish catching. 2 hands of course, left to chase and right with net.

    Now assume the fish are removed, add water, siphon the soil bed to remove the dirts. Once you are satisfy, remove the soil and put on newspaper, thick layer of course. Let it wind dry first. After the soil is wind dry for one week, you can sun dry it for another week. Once that done, bottle them up in CNY Goodies bottle. Tuck the soil into your storeroom. If you do direct sun dry immediately when the soil is still wet, you get algae, then congratulation, you can throw those soil away.

    Given the timeline, maybe you can do that after CNY when you confirm there is no visitor coming. You can proceed your plan for the new tank and the new soil. So in the meantime, your fish got to stay somewhere right? I think this is one area you need to consider. A simple tank with simple air pump should do the trick. Maint is still a must to keep the fish healthy. How about the plants? Think of this as well. If the plants are rotting, throw them away. You can start afresh AFTER you have cycle the new tank. If you are so eager to add plants and let dust settle on the plant, make sure you know HOW to WASH plants. So think very carefully before you act. Logic must prevail over impluse.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    Thanks Blue Whale for the detailed advice. Sorry another question, if i want to use back my old planta soil should i air dry it, sun it? or can i just make the transfer after i siphon out most of the dirt in it?

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    Quote Originally Posted by hdarius View Post
    Thanks Blue Whale for the detailed advice. Sorry another question, if i want to use back my old planta soil should i air dry it, sun it? or can i just make the transfer after i siphon out most of the dirt in it?
    Like I said, you need a thick layer of newspaper. Use a mug to scoop the soil, overturn to drip drip a bit, then spread it on the newspaper for wind dry. After the soil is dry then pull near the windows for sun dry. After sun dry, you store it in bottles with caps.

    When you want to use it again, just open the caps and you can use directly. If your bottle is not air tight, you can put a plastic before screwing the cap. Make sense?

    Now the question is after siphoning the soil is still wet. Right? You can let it be (wind dry) or direct transfer to the newspaper. Either way will work. But using a mug will allow you drain water and you might want to have a pail to stand by for that. Before someone comes to suggest using a HAIR DRYER, unless you want to arm yourself with Dust pan and brooms, you better think Thrice. Especially for those people with Mother or Wife as your Floor Manager, you might end up being hack by their kitchen knives. Think Thrice....and no FAN.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    Thanks so much for the clarification Blue Whale. I will plan it out over CNY. Thanks once again for the help.

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    Re: What should i do when i want to transfer everything from an old tank to a new one

    You are most welcome.

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