Aquarium advice

[jglass38]

Thanks to the wonders of Craigslist I've found a slightly used 29 gallon and the price is right so I'm picking it up tomorrow. Should I siphon the water back out of the tub (this is the water that was in the established tank) into the new tank, and just add the last several gallons with new water? I was due for a partial water change but I wasn't expecting something this complicated, lol. I'm used to maintaining tanks, all this moving around has me a little freaked out, lol. I still have no filter on the tub, all inhabitants are doing fine (colors are a little off because their territories have all moved around) and I assume they'll be okay until tomorrow afternoon. What a fiasco!

Good find! You should be fine to use mostly old water with about 20% fresh (treated with Novaqua/Amquel). What type of filter did you use? If biological, were you able to keep it running (keep the biowheel moving or if a canister, keep water circulating through the biological media). If so, this would be helpful in getting the new tank established. Jewel cichlids are hearty so I wouldn't worry too much.