Last Few Questions From The Idiot

[steve_jones83]

So all stuff arrived to do my tank makeover. Just a couple of quick questions:

When I put my new ex1200 in, which media do I take out to put the old media from my internal filter in

How much of the original water do I use, all or put some new water in

When the fish are in the container whilst I swap the gravel for sand, do they need an airstone, heater etc

Even sillier question, do I put the fish in bags then in the container or straight into the container.

Thanks for your help

 

[ZoddyZod]

Dear Mr Idiot,

If this is a straight switch from one filter to a new one, take all the ceramic/bio balls, etc etc, from the baskets in the current one and whack them in the new one. Then just add the new media that came with the filter (they normally give you plenty of room). Ideally place the old media FIRST in the flow direction, so that the new stuff is seeded more easily.

If you only have sponges in the old filter, just squeeze them into the buckets instead, but again place them before the new stuff in terms of flow direction.

job done!

did you just edit with new questions?

ok....

if you are upgrading the tank to a larger size, I would say take as much of the water as you can, then you are reducing the risk of shock to your current fish when they move. Might be considered overkill by some, but it's not any additional effort.

if the fish are only staying in the container an hour or so, I wouldn't worry about heating or filtering it. 2+ hours then yes, filter and heater should be used.

no need for bags....fill the container with your current tank water. Transfer the fish directly.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Kind of repeated yourself there a little bit, i see.


If the container is clean and has only been used for fish (or is brand new and has been rinsed) then put the fish right into the bucket. An airstone would be nice as would a heater, especially if the fish will be in there a while. (I'd also add some Stress Coat+ or Prime to the bucket to deal with ammonia while they wait.) Also, be sure that the bucket is in a safe out of the way location and there is a lid loosely on top and it is not filled so much that the fish could jump out!


It will be easier to remove the substrate with NO water in the tank (or almost empty at least). For me though, I think putting sand in place is easier to do with there is about 6 or 7 inches of water in the tank. THen the sand can be poured gently from a pitcher into the tank (submerged) and the sand will spread out nicer. If you put it into the tank without water, the sand will just pile up. (You did clean the sand first, right?!)


For the filter media question, I'm not familiar with the new filter but if there is a black carbon section, take that part out and put the old media into that spot. There is no need for carbon in a fish tank unless you are removing meds. Just leave it out and reserve for the future when you have to remove meds. Don't turn the filter on until the sand has had a chance to settle, otherwise you can pull little bits into the filter messing up the filter. Let the sand settle in for an hour or so before you turn the filter on, even if you have to put the fish back in the tank. They'd be better off in the tank than they would in the bucket.

 

[steve_jones83]

Thanks

Not sure what happened with the post, maybe cause its on my iphone.

So if I remove the first section and put the sponges and ceramics from my internal filter, what shall i put instead of the activated carbon??? or just leave it empty.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Put the old media in place of the activated carbon. If you still have an empty spot, put more sponges or ceramics.

 

[steve_jones83]

Cool, thans for your help