Changing Gravel To Sand And Plastic To Real

[matt_bex]

Hi all.

I would like to change the gravel I have to sand and also all the plastic plants to real ones. Would this be done in one go or bits at a time. Would it be ok to remove the fish and put them in a temp tank whilst I carried out the change so as not to stress them too much?

Also I would like to change to an external filter. Whats the best way to do this without ruining the parameters too much.

Thanks in advance
Matt

 

[leah2296]

Hi Matt,
 
You can put the fish in a temporary tank as long as you keep your old filter and hook it up to the temp tank while you are doing your change. You can change the gravel so sand and put in real plants all in one go but do not change your filter to external filter at the same time! You want to preserve as much beneficial bacteria as possible and most of it lives in the filter.
 
After you have made your gravel and plant changes, wait for the tank to settle. Then you can add an external filter. The best way to switch filters is to have them both running on the tank for 4 weeks or so. That way the bacteria can colonize in the new filter. I've done this a few times and haven't had any problems. The key is just to give it time. If you can't have both filters running on the tank due to space limitations, you can also put all the media from your old filter into your new filter.
 
Canisters are awesome and I think you will be very happy with all of your changes!
 
ps do you have a testing kit? It would be helpful if you could monitor your ammonia and nitrites during all of these changes just to make sure all is good.

p.p.s - one other thing you can do is put some of the gravel in a panty house and leave that in the tank for a weeks too. There's some bacteria in the gravel too and as much as you can preserve the better. The reason for the pantyhose is just so that it's easy to remove when you are done and doesn't screw up your sand.

 

[fluttermoth]

You can do it all in one go; you might as well, as it would be best to strip that tank down to do such major work.
 
Here's a rough idea of what you want to do;
 
1. Drain as much water from the tank as you can into containers.
2. Once you've got as much clean water out as possible, take out all the current decorations (less water and no decor makes it easier to catch the fish).
3. Catch the fish and put in one of your containers; put the heater and filter in there, if you can, and make sure it's covered, so no fish jump out! 
4. Now drain the tank right down and remove the gravel; you will be shocked, I expect at how much crud is stuck down there! That's why you want to do this with no fish in the tank!
5. Add your well washed sand (and make sure it is really, really well washed), some of your saved tank water and your plants and decor.
6. Add back all your old water, and the fish.
7. Get your heater and filter running,if you can, and then top up with new water. Doing it this way means, for your fish, it's just like a big water change, and shouldn't do them any harm.
 
As to changing filters, if you put all your old filter media into the new filter the bacteria will settle down quite happily.
 
With any major overhaul you do on a tank, you should not feed for a couple of days before, and feed sparingly and test often for the first week or so, just in case you get any 'mini cycles', which might need an extra water change or two to sort out.

 

[matt_bex]

Thank you both for your detailed answers. That has really helped me as to what order to do things. I only wish I'd gone with sand and real plants to start with.

I shall post some pics once complete.

Once again, thank you.