From: pjs@gvgdsd.GVG.TEK.COM (Peter J. Stonard)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: [F] Tank Upgrade (long)
Date: 8 Jan 93 21:48:06 GMT
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: gvgdsd.gvg.tek.com

In article <1iflvaINN8jv@hp-col.col.hp.com> dsavard@col.hp.com 
(Don Savard) writes:
>I'm thinking of upgrading my 10 gal freshwater to a 29 gal fresh. 
Good choice, IMHO. I have tanks from 10 to 55 gallons, but I keep 
looking at the 29 gallon as my favourite tank size.

I gave a 10 gallon set up to a friend about a year ago, she had no
previous fish hobby experience except that she would always hang 
out in my aquarium room. The gift was on the understanding that if 
it didn't work out for any reason I would take the tank back, no 
questions asked. To my pleasant surprise she was actively seeking 
a larger tank by the end of the summer and settled on a 29 gallon. 
So we've recently gone through the same transistion that you plan 
to make.

>I'm going to try to keep the 10 as a hospital
>tank for quarantine purposes until the larger tank is fully occupied 
Good idea, but I bet you can't keep it empty :*) :*)

>A little history :
[.....] Details of community tank and plants deleted.

>Here's the plan:
>The fish place I frequent will sell me the tank, I'll get a 15% discount
>on the add-ons, and a fish club membership that entitles me to a 10%
>discount on fish for a year. (Sounds like it could be a good deal).
Yes. ordering tanks by mail is to no advantage, so patronize a pet 
shop that you like. Plan 'B' would be to look for a used tank. 
The fish club card will go along way to stocking your tank, provided 
that you like the quality of fish and your selections are available.

>I plan on getting a small sponge filter for the 10 gal, which will 
>stay as the primary filter for the hospital tank. 
Okay, but I would seriously consider a power filter, unless you have
plans to use the 10 gal as a nursery in which case the sponge is safer
for the fry.

>I'll be running the 2 filters for a
>couple of weeks to establish the sponge filter before taking the 
>Whisper out and into the new tank. I'll also be taking out 80% of 
>the gravel in the 10 & adding it to the gravel in the larger tank. 
>How long would it take to cycle the sponge filter and the new tank 
>this way? Anyone try this before? Complications?
Good. I have started new tanks by doing all or some of what you
plan. In fact it was a bit of a shock when I needed to start my
existing tanks (that had been in storage for a year or two) and I 
didn't have a 'seed' tank to use. New tank syndrome all over again!

The two filters should be left together for a week or two. If the
new filter is a power filter you might only need one week.

>Better ideas? 
You do not need to transport gravel from the old tank unless you want
to, a seasoned filter (to remain in the 10 gal when you pull out 
your existing power filter) will do. If it was me I would buy a 
large(r) power filter for the 29 gallon, season it in the 10 gallon 
and leave the existing power filter there. Buy a sponge filter later 
when you have a specific need for one. Provided you don't have whirl 
pool current in an aquarium, IMHO, more filter capacity can't hurt.

My favourite power filters are those made by Supreme. They are simple,
rugged, and allow me to use bulk floss and carbon, instead of 
expensive 'pads'. I had an AquaKing (on a 55gal) running around the 
clock for eight years and I only retired it because the motor was 
noisy. The replacement was another Aquaking (which now has ball 
bearings in the motor), and I expect it will run into the 21st 
Century. There are other brands of power filter that I'm sure are 
also good value for your dollar.

>I'm also planning on buying some plants through mail-order from 
>That Fish Place.  Anyone have any recommendations regarding this idea?
I too thought about this and decided against it. They have a $25 
min on plants and some stiff restrictions, plus a $7.50 postage
fee. I prefer to look locally for fish and plants as the quality
varies so much and I can also do some impulse shopping. Let us know
how it works if you buy plants from them.

Disclaimer: I have no connection to Supreme, except liking their
aquarium products. I've never met Eugene C. Danner, or been to
Central Islip, New York.

Let us know how your project progresses.

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Peter J. Stonard        +                                /^\  /^\
Grass Valley Group      +                       /^\     /   \/
Grass Valley, CA. 95945 +                     /     \ /    /  
pjs@gvgspd.gvg.tek.com  +     Fish keeper in the Sierra Foothills
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If it looks like; sounds like; quacks like; an Opinion. It's mine.
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria