fresh water 55 gallon tank

Question
hi  I have set up my 55 gallon it was a kit, and everything is working , and i have all my water condiners in..........I want to know HOW long do I wait b4 moving my 5 goldfish, 2 moores, and placeo, out of there small home of a 10 gallon, into thier new' home>??? and also, what is the BEST way to transfer them>>????

Answer
Good evening Starla,

Your equipment is running, but there is no ammonia source to get the beneficial bacteria going since there are no fish in the tank. Having fish in the tank while it cycles is very stressful, it is the #1 cause of the death or disease of pet fishes. What to do? Fishless cycle! Just take a piece of cocktail shrimp and put it in the tank. In about a week, it will become a greyish goo and will have mostly degraded.

You should test the water with a water test kit (you can find a liquid test kit at Petsmart or such, strips are OK but not as accurate and more costly in the long run) to make sure that ammonia & nitrites are 0 ppm, and nitrates show up at trace levels. If you don't have a piece of shrimp, give the tank a tiny pinch of flakes daily. The tank probably came with a heater, so set the heater for 86 F. This will help to expedite the cycling, since beneficial bacteria multiply more rapidly at warmer temperatures. When the tank is cycled (no ammonia & nitrites, a hint of nitrates) it is ready for fish. It can take days or a week, it depends.

I really commend you for making the fantastic upgrade! I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that this is still too small a tank for 7 goldfish. Following the general goldfish guideline of 10 gallons minimum per goldfish, a 75 gallon tank would be necessary to house this many goldfish. Since 20 gallons would be much better, 125 gallon tank would be preferable. Add the pleco into the mix and you can see how your tank will become overstocked as the goldfish mature - so while they are still youngsters, do see if you can find a home for some of the other goldfish. Try to find a home for at least two of them, preferably three of them.

The best way to transfer them is to put them individually in 5 gallon buckets. The bucket should have 2 gallons of old water and 2 gallons of new water from the 55 gallon tank. While the fish are in there, drip some of the new water in every 15 minutes or so, until the final gallon is added. Read here to learn more about acclimation procedures:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=6&acatid=427&aid=...

Taking a filter cartridge or using some of the gravel from the old tank (or both) will help to "seed" the new tank with beneficial bacteria. Read lots about this and more here:
http://freshaquarium.about.com
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/category_home.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=6&acatid=15...

Both sites are a starting point for research. And since you are a goldfish keeper, I would also like to recommend these sites below. Reading makes us better fishkeepers!
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com
http://www.goldfishparadise.com

I hope that helps, feel free to write again.

Take care,
Nicole