New To The Site And In Need Of Some Advice

[Lee-nelson]

Hi everyone new to this site just wondering if someone could help me I have a well established fish tank and have recently decided to redo my tank . In my tank I have fine gravel and was wondering weather I can add more to it because I didn't put enough in when I first set it up

 

[Wills]

Hi Lee, yes you can - just make sure it is well washed before you put it in. A trick I have learned is to put it a clean bottle of some kind (no labels or glue residue on it) then lower it into the tank the air escapes from the bottle which makes as little disruption as possible in the tank compared with just pouring it straight in.
 
Wills

 

[Lee-nelson]

Thanks for your help . I have been to my LFS but they no longer supply the sand/gravel for my tank . Thinking of redoing it all together . How long after adding the gravel and using my old water can I add my fish back in ?

 

[Wills]

Doing a total substrate change can be a bit tricky - what kind do you have now? If its the pea gravel type it can hold a lot of bacteria in it but sands and finer substrates are a bit easier.
 
Also what kind of filtration do you have and how old is the tank?
 
If you were to do a total change over once the tank is about 80% clear I would add the fish back just keep them warm in buckets - cover it with towels etc and they will be fine for quite some time. You can even add an air pump to the bucket which will help   When doing a big job on a tank like this I find the biggest problem is rushing, its when mistakes get made (or at least when I make mistakes) but in reality once the fish are settled you have quite a while to talk your time.
 
Wills

 

[Lee-nelson]

I did have 2-3mm what gravel but that was covered in algie and didn't really like the gravel to start with so pulled it all out n put jbl sansibar black in .

I have put all my fish in my second tank so have plenty of time to let it establish and do a fish less cycle .

I have a fluval 206 filter with a spray bar

Seeing as my filter already has the bacteria in it would my tank establish faster once I turn it on?
Or would I need to add something like tetra safe start help speed up the process

Lee

 

[fluttermoth]

You don't need to do a fishless cycle; your filter is already cycled. As long as you're using all the old media you can add the fish back anytime.

As with all major tank upheavals, you should feed sparingly and test often for the first few days, just in case you have lost any bacteria.

 

[Lee-nelson]

Mite just run it for a couple of days to see how it is before I add any fish don't want to stress them or even worse kill them .
Will hopefully be able to turn it back on tonight .

As for plants still not sure really .
Any suggestions on plants . Easiest to keep low mantenence and ones fish less likely to eat

Lee

 

[fluttermoth]

You must keep the filter and fish together, or you will risk either killing your fish or starving the filter bacteria.

 

[Lee-nelson]

I see didn't no that will leave it in my second tank until I use it