Help with setting up larger tank for loaches

[MARITA]

I want to transfer my loaches from the current 10 gal tank to a 30 gal. tank. What is the best way to set up new tank so I make it safe for my 3 loaches?
Also, what is a good way to catch the little rascals (khuli & dojos) without hurting them?? They all are approx 2-3" long right now. I had them in the small tank for approx. 7 ms.
Since we have well-water, I've been using only bottled springwater - is that alright? Our well water is alright to use according to Petsmart. Should I slowly switch to our well water?

[Mark in Vancouver]

You'll want a larger filter on your larger tank, so what I would do is house the larger filter's sponge medium in your existing tank for several days - you can just float it, or you can weight it down. This will prep the sponge material with the bacteria needed for healthy tank water.

Just before the actual transfer of fish, it's not a bad idea to first transfer a quantity of substrate from the old tank to the new one, as it's also coated in beneficial bacteria. As well, 1/2 of the water from the existing tank can go into the new tank. If you're keeping the small tank going for other fish, just do it like a large water change.

Catching loaches is a chore, and they don't enjoy it. My best advice is to use a large net, with a good ten-inch wide opening. Position this with the wide (bottom) end resting on the sand and one edge against the front of the glass, but on a 45 degree angle, so it can be quickly shut against the glass. With your other hand you can slowly steer the fish into the net. It's tedious, but it works.

You might try catching them after transferring half of the water to the new tank, as they'll have less access to escape.

[Mark in Vancouver]

Oh, and even though it should be obvious, it's worth mentioning that your new tank should be fully equipped and dechlorinated and to the correct temperature for several days before the transfer. Don't try and do this all in one afternoon, or you'll lose fish.

[MARITA]

Thanks for the help - it REALLY helped me out. When you say "several days". does that mean like 2 or 3 days?

[Diana]

If you will not be using the smaller tank for a little while run the small filter and the larger filter together on the new tank for a month of so as well, to allow the bacteria to get well established in the new filter with a minimum of a cycle in the new tank. The bacteria are rather slow growing, and just a few days is not enough time for them to get well established.

[crocodylus]

No, most likely a week to 10 days or more. What you can do is take the old filter media (if its possible) from the 10G tank and put it to use in the 30G, that way you have a good head start for the cycling (preparing the water parameters) of the new tank. Loaches are very finicky when it comes to water parameters, the closest to 0 Ammonia and Nitrites and say 20 or so Nitrates the better

[Mark in Vancouver]

Marita, a week would be a wise amount of time to soak and enhance your filter medium. I don't know what brand or type of sponge you're going to use, but I have upgraded from one tank to another with HOB filters. You can actually jam a larger size sponge into the smaller HOB filter space, so that water continually runs through it. This is the optimal situation for seeding new filter material.

The act of setting up a new aquarium, or just upsizing, seems urgent. Don't let the apparent need for it all to be done in one evening spoil the transition for your fish. Before they are added to the new space, you're going to want to run your newly seeded filter material in the bigger tank for hours if not a week.

[loachmom]

Since we have well-water, I've been using only bottled springwater - is that alright? Our well water is alright to use according to Petsmart. Should I slowly switch to our well water?

MARITA,
I use my well water in all my tanks.

Perhaps you could start replacing one jug of bottled water with your well water. And at the next water change replace two jugs and so on, until you are using just your well water.

[mvigor]

Don't let the apparent need for it all to be done in one evening spoil the transition for your fish. Before they are added to the new space, you're going to want to run your newly seeded filter material in the bigger tank for hours if not a week.

Mark- After Marita seeds a filter pad for the filter on the new bigger tank, she isn't going to want to then move that over to an empty tank and run it for a week or the bacteria will quickly die off again for lack off food.

[groovyfishguy]

You can also 'seed' the new empty tank with some food and lettting it decompose. Or you can always use a hardy fish for seeding too.

[newshound]

Also, what is a good way to catch the little rascals (khuli & dojos) without hurting them?? Our well water is alright to use according to Petsmart. Should I slowly switch to our well water?

a-I think khuli's and dojo's reguire diff. h2O temp
b-seed with used sponge material like mark said...forget hardy fish or rotting fish food IMO.
c-NEVER trust anything from a LFS OR what you read on the net...including what Ive written

[mikev]

Also, what is a good way to catch the little rascals (khuli & dojos) without hurting them?? Our well water is alright to use according to Petsmart. Should I slowly switch to our well water?

a-I think khuli's and dojo's reguire diff. h2O temp

It actually may be better to leave the kuhli in the 10g, adding a couple more later, and move the dojos to the 30g. Temp is indeed different, and dojos would like a stronger current too....

[MARITA]

Thanks for all the info. Already used some of your advice to prepare the new tank. As far as the temps for dojos & khuli - I went thru several sources and was given the acceptable ranges
(Dojo 60 - 75 deg. and Khuli 72 - 78 deg) - so I kept the temp at a compromise of 75 deg. - and it seems to have worked so far.
I also have a 30 gal tank with goldfish - would that be alright?