# Transfer Process ?



## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

Im upgrading from my 29 gallon to a 75-90 Gallon soon,
and was wondering how to go abouts this process. I just got my Eco complete about
a month ago so no need to waste it, but due to me having goldfish and not
placing the goldfish in the new tank I wanted to start fresh on Mulm build up. 
Is it fine to just rinse off the eco complete and place in the new tank? Im gonna try my
hardest to make this new tank an algae free tank, so i dont want all that old depri and
junk...


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

**Bump


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I don't think there is any reason you couldn't rinse off the eco complete. You don't need to be incredibly thorough as a bit of mulm will help start up your new tank. If you are completely emptying the 29 gallon, you can swish the eco complete around in there a bit as you're removing it and get rid of the majority of the mulm. I did that when moving some eco complete from one tank to another and it ended up reasonably clean. The leftover water was great house plant fertilizer.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

When I did this, switching from a 29 gallon to a 45 gallon, I just scooped up the substrate from the small tank and added it as the lower level of the substrate to the big tank. Then I added new substrate on top of it. No problems occurred. The "dirt" in the old substrate is very beneficial to the new substrate.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

So you saying I shouldnt really rinse off all of it? I just didnt want to start scooping up a bunch
of Goldfish bio load and placing it into the new tank.... This is gonna be an algae free project...


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Algae are not caused by the bio load, as long as there are enough growing plants to use any ammonia that is generated, or the tank has been cycled to allow beneficial bacteria to inhabit the substrate, plants, hardscape and filter. Adding the mulm along with the old substrate adds a good starter culture of bacteria.

Good luck trying to make it a zero algae project. What other things are you planning on doing to make it that way?


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

hoppycalif said:


> Good luck trying to make it a zero algae project. What other things are you planning on doing to make it that way?


Im going to use this source from another site:

*• lay a depth of plant supporting substrate on the floor of the aquarium.

• Fill the aquarium half-way with water and plant a lot of new plants, translocated from other aquariums or acquired from other sources.

• Switch on the light.*

The whole view of it is they are saying TOO MUCH WATER causes algae growth.
So you plant heavy, much less than the aquarium can support. Further these plants need some time to settle down and start going about their business of utilizing their new environment. While they settle down all around them is water laced with nutrients for plant growth never giving algae a chance... Keep the lights on only for 4 hours then gradually kicking it up a bit as your slowly adding more water....


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Why don't you start a thread in the algae forum to let us know how well this works? It should be interesting.


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## Mr. Fish (Oct 24, 2007)

I will once I get my tank all up and everything...
Also decided to build my stand instead of buying one...they wanted 200...


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

This is just what I was looking for! I'm doing a move in a few weeks with my eco. I think I'll just scoop it out like ya'll said.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

When you start up your new tank, make sure to add a "dusting" of sphagnum peat moss to the bottom of the tank prior to your substrate addition. Here is an article with pictures on how to set up a substrate for a planted tank. The peat and mulm from the old substrate will help get the bacteria going in the new substrate. You can then add the new substrate on top of the old substrate and hopefully get off to an algae free start. The only time I've ever had major algae problems when starting a new tank was when I did not add the sphagnum peat moss prior to adding the substrate/mulm mix...and I have started quite a few planted tanks 

I've never used such a short photoperiod when starting a new tank either. Then again, I prefer to use a mix of CF and T-8 lighting (or all T-8 lighting) on my tanks. I honestly think 4 hours may not be enough and 6-8 hours would be a better starting point to get the plants growing well. I agree, it would be cool to see a new tank set up thread in the algae forum to document you algae free tank setup.


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

Matt, I'm not following your idea that peat moss will "kick start" the substrate. Is it that you think the peat moss will have bacteria already growing in it? Wouldn't the dry peat moss be abscent of any useful bacteria? I just need a little explanation here. Maybe you are doing it because it's "what has worked for you"?

I have 5 bags of eco already established in a 55 that I'll move into a 75. I think I'll remove most (leaving some of course) of the mulm and place that in the bottom of the tank. I'll then top it off with 2 new bags of eco. I'll also have some peat moss that I can put underneath that all


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

I have a 4 lamp Tek with 2 middays and 2 10K's I'll have on my 75. What would you recommend for a photoperiod as I start this thing up?


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

helgymatt said:


> Matt, I'm not following your idea that peat moss will "kick start" the substrate. Is it that you think the peat moss will have bacteria already growing in it? Wouldn't the dry peat moss be abscent of any useful bacteria? I just need a little explanation here. Maybe you are doing it because it's "what has worked for you"?
> 
> I have 5 bags of eco already established in a 55 that I'll move into a 75. I think I'll remove most (leaving some of course) of the mulm and place that in the bottom of the tank. I'll then top it off with 2 new bags of eco. I'll also have some peat moss that I can put underneath that all


This thread explains why people use peat as a base layer for the substrate. Posts #3 and #4 give the best explanations what peat does...basically making the nutrients in the substrate available to the plants until enough bacteria has built up enought to break them down.

On tanks when I have not used this dusting of peat (only 2 tanks) I have encountered both green water and hair algae within the first 4-6 weeks of tank setup. On tanks where I have used the peat (at least 10 tanks and probably more), I did not have either algae and diatom algae was my only issue. Maybe it is not the addition of peat but something else I have done differently. For the $3-$4 a bag of peat costs and the amount of tank this single bag will cover, it is definitely worth the expense in my opinion


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

For clarification, is there any difference between peat and sphagnum peat moss? I as a horticulturist have lots of access to sphagnum peat moss, but I'm not sure if "peat" is considered the same thing or if people are just saying referring to it (sphagnum moss) for short.

If i'm getting this right I need to use only sphagnum peat moss, right?

I also don't really get how the reduction process in peat allows nutrients to become more available, but I'll just take ya'lls word for it.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

When referring to peat on this site, people are usually referring to Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss...peat is just an abbreviated term for it. I did make the mistake of adding "Sphagnum Moss" to a tank one time when I first started out in the hobby and it wasn't pretty.

As far as your startup photoperiod, it would be a big guess on my part since I have never used a Tek fixture on a tank. I do know, through a fellow SWOAPE member, that a 2x54 Tek fixture over a 75g tank is more than enough light to grow almost any plant you want.

If it were me, I would make sure each bank of lights had a midday and a 10,000K light in it. I would probably run one set of the lights for 6-8 hours and maybe use a short mid-day burst for 2 hours in the middle of that. Again, just a guestimate on my part but that is how I would start out.


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