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ill soon be upgrading my dinky 20gal to a 55gal and was wondering the best way to do that? do i just put in all the tank water, decorations, gravel, and fish? clearly i wont be using the same filter as my 20gal but should i just keep the old filter running for a few days or weeks tso the bateria can grow?

also when im moving my fish will they need airholes if i put each fish type in a tuppaware container for maybe 30min or so?

ive got no idea what ill do with all that empty tank space..... more plecos maybe? or maybe i could put some female bettas in there. ive got a male but he is pretty peaceful for the most part, plus its a freaking 55gal so i think they would have enough room to get away from each other but i wanted to check with you guys first.

right now my 20gal is on the lower end of stocking, but i know ive got a huge bioload thanks to my 2 plecos. i can only imagine how empty my tank will look once i upgrade lol.

thank you! and the reason i dont want to use bags is because of my 2 plecos and their sharp fins. my newest one popped his bag on the way home from the store so now im paranoid about it

It is the fiber in the wood that they are after, from what I have heard, not to mention they use the underside as their preferential hiding place. My bristlenose never ventures far from it. It won't hurt your other fish at all as long as you get the right species of wood; some wood naturally excretes poisonous chemicals, or large amounts of sap which can cause problems. I have seen a post on a forum which contained discussion and a good list of what species of wood are safe for an aquarium, but I have misplaced the link. I will post it when I find it incase you decide to pick your own wood. Otherwise, you can purchase some from the aquarium store, although they can be a little pricey. It also may tint your water a little on the brown side, but this is natural, won't hurt the fish, and won't be extreme.

As for adding it to the tank, boiling is best to remove parasites and air bubbles (the air expands, then pops out of the wood when the temp rises.) You may also have to soak it for a day or two in a separate container, even with the wood which is attached to a stone weight. Also, if it does want to float, be careful with the glass! I decided to put mine in too soon, and when it bobbed up it also hit the glass. I had an "oh s**t" moment, from the sound I was sure it had cracked the side of my just-filled tank! sweatdrop

No bettas in a community? Hogwash. I have had a betta in a community as you have, and I never had any trouble either. I say keep doing what you're doing. xp


I never thought about that... They do have some nasty little spines, don't they? I'll have to keep that in mind during the next move!


I would, and it certainly can't hurt.


Be careful with this, I left my favorite paradise gourami in a container who's lid accidentally fell shut while I was working on the tank for only a couple hours, and I didn't think to check on him. I believe he obtained a little brain damage, I found him seizing in his container, and he was really screwed up for a couple days until he died. I would err on the side of caution with this one!

im going to be a wreck when i move theses guys. on the bright side since the new tank will be so huge and my tank isnt fully stocked for a 20gal i shouldnt have to worry too muuch about an amomia spike because of them stressing out right?

wow at the tea water you have there, irrlich. it makes the tank look really natural im guessing though, which is something my tank needs. right now its just got a bunch of stuff ive found for really cheap all tossed in

how much does driftwood cost? how big of a piecs do i need? and is there any other way to clean it rather than to boil it? im not sure if we will have a pot big enough if i need a larger piece. would freezing it then letting it soak for a few days work?

oooh, thanks for the info. where would i get an almond leaf?

Good question, it was about 2 years ago, so the specifics are not crystal clear. I know it was a little container w/ a lid used to store bread-maker-sized loaves which I poached for aquarium uses; it's about 1/2 a gallon, I would say, (and currently housing fish food -- innocent but doomed brine shrimp xp ) When the lid closed, there was at least a good 2"-3" of air, and I would say he was in there for about 3-4 hours. The dimensions are about 6"x6" (can't find my ruler, but it is as wide as my hand from wrist to finger-tips) I was actually pretty shocked, especially considering he is an anabantoid. I even checked the ammonia levels in the water he was in, just incase it was something else, but there was no other apparent reason for his condition other than asphyxiation.

I have always been rather paranoid about purchasing fish that must be shipped, myself--especially after the gourami incident. I am actually ready to break down and do it though, no decent pet stores close to me. I hate driving for 2 hours or more to get to a store and realizing they just sold the last of what I came for. stressed I believe many people fill the bag with pure o2 when shipping fish--I wonder if a small o2 tank would be cheap and easy for you to get ahold of? If you don't use it all, it's not really like it would have an expiration date, either. If you look into this, let me know if you find any good deals, I may soon start to have a little problem with ghost shrimp and corydoras fry... It is also best to have much more air than water, the o2 content in water is not very concentrated, and the shaking of the trucks during the shipping process would do well to ensure a good water-surface disturbance for oxygenating the water. The air-water ratio was what I assume was the biggest contributor to the gouramis demise.

Regarding driftwood tips: you may also want to take some measurements before purchasing your driftwood. Mine is just a tad too deep for being centered in the middle of the tank--it fits, but it blocks water flow from one side of the tank to where the filter is. Now that everything is settled, I have to up-root half the plants in the tank to move the wood to one side, so that there is one contiguous area. There is no bigger pain-in-the-a** than attempting to replant individual stems of dwarf hairgrass! I would say no bigger than 1/2 the depth of the tank would be a good rule-of-thumb. Mine is probably just over 3/4 the depth of the tank. sweatdrop Especially if the wood is elongated, I think it looks better a little off-center anyway... Big hunks are better centered in very deep, almost square tanks.


I was looking into this a while back, and I seem to remember a mention that you can often find them in asian food markets, as well. Anyone know for certain?

im not looking forward to the 20min drive with the buckets of tank water sloshing around xp
should i take all the old tank water from the 20gal or just some? because the day i move the fish to the new house may be the day i upgrade them depending on which house we pick out.

yes, a now house made its way into our hearts and both are in our price range, we make the choice this weekend on which one we will get. the timing of the 55gal depends on which house we get. one house has the perfect spot for a 55gal while the other house has alot of perfect spots for all my reptile tanks and only a decent place for a 55gal. also i havent yet counted all the outlets for either house so that also plays a huge role in which house we choose

Tell me about it, from experience I suggest using something with a lid if at all possible. Especially in the winter-time. xp

Haven't found the particular thread I was thinking about in regards to the driftwood, but this article should do you just fine: Driftwood Dos and Don'ts