Might have lost cycle while transferring from a 20 g to 30 g. What to do?

[Karen B.]

I kinda talked about this in a previous thread by now that the move is complete and all is left to do is add the fish, I was wondering if I should wait or add them right away and monitor.

It was my first transfer and while I did plan, I made few mistakes.

I temporarily let the fish in the old 20 gallons. It was empty beside floating plants, some rocks/decor, the sponge filter and the hang on back filter. They stayed there for a week. I fed lightly, parameters were the same (kh about 0, gh 300, nitrate about 30, no chlorine. Temp 76f. Only thing I didn’t test constantly is the pH because it doesn’t work on the aquarium coop strip for some reason)

How I proceeded for the transfer :

2 days ago : 

1 - I kept the old substrate in aquarium water. Added it to the empty tank. I had to add a full big bag of stoney river black sand (12kg). I rinced it (a lot) then I put it in the dirty water of the substrate I had just moved in the aquarium. When I added the new substrate on too of the old one, I forgot to mix the two. So the BB are trapped under the new substrate. Fail.

2 - filled the tank with new water (treated with Prime and Stability)

3 - Added the seeded sponge filter from the 20 gallons in.

4 - Added the new HOB filter I will be using. Stuffed it with filter floss and let it run for a day.

Yesterday

1 - I had to treat my plants for black beard algae and did so in clean water and (way too much) excel. A lot of my plants melt/died. The one I could use definitely no longer had BB on them. I planted the majority of what I wanted, added some rock and decor from old 20 gallons. Let it sit/run for the night.

Today

1 - I finished scaping. I added the HOB filter from the 20 gallons inside the 30 (so currently running on 2 HOB and 1 sponge filter).

2 - I squeezed every media from the 20 gallons HoB filter. That filter has been running for over a year. The water became brown and murky. 

3 - I put the fish in a smaller tub with some of their aquarium water and a heater. I tested my pH : old tank 6, new tank 6.8… so to somewhat acclimate them, I am adding some of the new tank water periodically.

I also put some of that 20 gallons water into the new tank. (About 5 gallons)

The water of the new tank kinda cleared up and is no longer brown and murky. I added liquid fertilizer.

The parameters are 

0 nitrate (or 10, hard to determine), 0/0

kh 40, gh 150, temp 76f

But the pH dropped to 6 (probably because of the water from the old tank I added?)

My fish population is : 3 honey gourami, 15 chili rasbora, 8 false julii corydoras and 3 nerita)

Should I leave them in the tub longer and perform regular WC while my tank cycle some more?

Or add them into the new tank, test a lot, and try to slowly bring up my pH (not too sure how, as it’s 7 from my tap water… yet 6 in my tank?!)

Here is the tank. A lot of plants need to grow of course. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/27/2022 at 11:36 PM, Karen B. said:

1 - I kept the old substrate in aquarium water. Added it to the empty tank. I had to add a full big bag of stoney river black sand (12kg). I rinced it (a lot) then I put it in the dirty water of the substrate I had just moved in the aquarium. When I added the new substrate on too of the old one, I forgot to mix the two. So the BB are trapped under the new substrate. Fail.

The bacteria won't be "trapped".  They needed to stay wet to stay alive with circulation in the water. The water caries the oxygen to feed the bacteria. So as long as the bacteria (substrate) is wet, with water, with circulation it will add to the cycle.

The big question is just about what happened with the filter media itself. Not the substrate, as far as your cycle.

On 4/27/2022 at 11:36 PM, Karen B. said:

2 - filled the tank with new water (treated with Prime and Stability)

Once you're done with this, you should be able to start adding fish.  The fish are going to a higher volume of water.  Just keep an eye on ammonia and change the water accordingly.  You can give it 24 hours and test. Feed the tank some flake food and that will introduce some ammonia over time. Then you can test to see if it is processed.

 

 

On 4/27/2022 at 11:36 PM, Karen B. said:

3 - I put the fish in a smaller tub with some of their aquarium water and a heater. I tested my pH : old tank 6, new tank 6.8… so to somewhat acclimate them, I am adding some of the new tank water periodically.

You can look up the slow acclimation method used for shrimp and sensitive fish. This might be the method you want to follow if you're concerned.  You would slowly add water over a few hours until you have doubled the water volume. You can then drain water off and continue the process if you want and double the water volume again.  At that point, I'd add the fish into the new tank without any concern on the PH difference.
 

On 4/27/2022 at 11:36 PM, Karen B. said:

1 - I finished scaping. I added the HOB filter from the 20 gallons inside the 30 (so currently running on 2 HOB and 1 sponge filter).

Someone else can confirm, but I honestly think you're perfectly fine to add fish.

Your KH is low, which is likely why you have the drop in PH.

[Guppysnail]

I have upgraded quite a few tanks. The sponge filter alone brought enough bacteria to help it establish. I add fish the same day as long as I have moved an established filter of some type. I feed very light for a week or two monitor and wc as needed.  The thing I usually get is a small amount of nitrite for a bit. I’ve never had issues. I think the fish will be less stressed to acclimate and add sooner vs later and monitor. I never have issues this way.  My journal contains lots of tank upgrades for reassurance and none had issues. I took much less precautions than you I only used the existing substrate once or twice. Often new tank was bare bottom.  I literally took a few hours from start to finish with fish happily enjoying their new tank. I seen a faint hint, like not even the lowest number on api master kit, of ammonia I think twice. Highest nitrite I saw was second api block and that I combined fish from two tanks. Hope that helps set your mind at ease to enjoy your new setup. 

Ps it looks great. 

[Karen B.]

On 4/28/2022 at 3:00 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

The bacteria won't be "trapped".  They needed to stay wet to stay alive with circulation in the water. The water caries the oxygen to feed the bacteria. So as long as the bacteria (substrate) is wet, with water, with circulation it will add to the cycle.

The big question is just about what happened with the filter media itself. Not the substrate, as far as your cycle.

Once you're done with this, you should be able to start adding fish.  The fish are going to a higher volume of water.  Just keep an eye on ammonia and change the water accordingly.  You can give it 24 hours and test. Feed the tank some flake food and that will introduce some ammonia over time. Then you can test to see if it is processed.

 

 

You can look up the slow acclimation method used for shrimp and sensitive fish. This might be the method you want to follow if you're concerned.  You would slowly add water over a few hours until you have doubled the water volume. You can then drain water off and continue the process if you want and double the water volume again.  At that point, I'd add the fish into the new tank without any concern on the PH difference.
 

Someone else can confirm, but I honestly think you're perfectly fine to add fish.

Your KH is low, which is likely why you have the drop in PH.

Thank you very much! 
My low kh has been a problem since forever. Working on it slowly with seachem alcaline buffer. Don’t want to go too fast!

 

On 4/28/2022 at 6:40 AM, Guppysnail said:

I have upgraded quite a few tanks. The sponge filter alone brought enough bacteria to help it establish. I add fish the same day as long as I have moved an established filter of some type. I feed very light for a week or two monitor and wc as needed.  The thing I usually get is a small amount of nitrite for a bit. I’ve never had issues. I think the fish will be less stressed to acclimate and add sooner vs later and monitor. I never have issues this way.  My journal contains lots of tank upgrades for reassurance and none had issues. I took much less precautions than you I only used the existing substrate once or twice. Often new tank was bare bottom.  I literally took a few hours from start to finish with fish happily enjoying their new tank. I seen a faint hint, like not even the lowest number on api master kit, of ammonia I think twice. Highest nitrite I saw was second api block and that I combined fish from two tanks. Hope that helps set your mind at ease to enjoy your new setup. 

Ps it looks great. 

Thank you so much! It reassured me. I did add my fish they seem happy. And am testing often. Upgrading tank is nerve wracking, don’t know how you manage to do it often. But I am happy to give so much more space to my fish. I was a bit sad as I lost some plants in the transfer but am looking forward in 2-3 months to see how it will look!

[DaveO]

I like how your new tank looks now. In a couple, three months it will be fantastic.