Ok all, I have transfered my three fish into the 55g tank. With the help of this forum and the people that post on it, my fish have made a big step to happy and healthy life. I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of answer, most of which were consistent. I placed the pleco in the tank first, yesterday evening. I pulled him out of the 29g inside of the cave that he frequents, he was attached to the inside of the cave until i flipped it over and pooled the water in it. I had a five gallon bucket, my fish bucket, half full with tank water that I placed him in, along with the cave. An easy drop into the other tank, still in the cave. The oscar came shortly after, the same bucket procedure was used but I had to net the oscar to get him out of the tank. When I initially put him in the tank, he was very lethargic. I think he was just scared. I watched him closely for some time, 2-3 hrs actually. He eventually swam about the tank, very slowly and was frightened by the small goldfish in the tank with him. Pretty much he hid behind a plant in the corner. I checked the water the this morning and everything looked good, and the oscar looked healthy, just still hiding. I got home from work this afernoon and everything looked good. I checked the water again and noticed that nitrate in my new 55g had jumped from 5-10 to a bit darker than 20. I pulled some water out and did a quick change to dillute the nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite have stayed steady at 0 the entire time. After the water test I decided it was time to get the jack dempsey in the tank. My net was hardly big enough to capture him, but after a bit of sweet talking and patience I finally did net him and used the same procedure with the 5 gallon bucket. When I placed him in the tank, he immediately went to the corner that the oscar had been hiding at. Sure enough, the oscar was over there, and they hung out behind the plant for probably ten minutes. Slowly they came out of hiding and have been extremely active in their new environment. They oscar is still following the jd around and they seem to be dancing. The move together as if they are schooling, then the oscar will stop and the jd will circle the oscar, under then over. This has happened several times since the two have been in the tank together, but the addition of the jd certainly made the oscar more lively. At one point the oscar swam under the jd and its fins vibrated, it seemed to be a part of their dance. Aggression, friendship, more...................? That's the question. Pictures to come within the next few days, borrowing a digital camera from my gf.
Very excited about the new tank!!!!!!!!!!!
