Tank Remodel

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InaneCathode

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Well, i feel my tank is well stabilized (10 gallon heavy planted, betta, 4 albino cory cats) and i also believe it might be time for a planned tank remodel.
Im thinking about switching to sand, and i have a few questions:


Is there any way to change over to sand without having to completely destroy the tank and upset the fishies?

What about my plants? I do adore my java fern and moss (good god in heaven, it's taking over that corner of the tank!) I'm also in love with my (albeit terrestrial) lizard tail ivy, i dont want to destroy their roots. How do i plant them in sand?

Will this upset my fish? I've already had a few cories die due to bacterial fin rot/whisker rot (might be due to the gravel, but it IS epoxy coated, and isnt that sharp really)



I suppose i'll squeeze in a few random questions here as well:

I have little java fern plantlets growing off the tips of the java fern i have already (probably about 8 plantlets in all) with little roots and leaves and everything. Would taking a shot glass full of finer substrate and planting these plantlets in those to grow a bad idea? Or a good idea because then they become moveable?

My HOB filter seems to clog VERY easily (after 3 days most the water starts going over the overflow instead of through the filter) are these how they normally operate?

How many hours should i have the lights on in my tank? It's on a timer currently, and i just set it to 12 hours light 12 hours dark, i'd like to have it on longer so i can inspect the tank when i get home and actually get to see my fish, but i'm afraid that a longer light period might be harmful to my environment in the tank.

I like shrimp, i think they're neat. Is my setup (perhaps planned remodel) conducive to having shrimp? Are there any special accomodations i need to think about before concidering shrimp?

Thanks in advance you guys :D


PS
Tank is doing fairly well, been a while since i battery tested it but other than 4 cories dieing over the past 3 months due to bacterial infections everything is going along swimmingly, so to speak :D. The only complaint would be that DUCK WEED IS EVIL, KILL IT NOW! I put some in my tank, and a foam divider to keep it under control. One day, the duck weed went evil and decided it would dislodge the divider, get pushed under the surface, and clog my hob filter completely for 6 hours (nuked water quality grrr). Anyway, in happier news: Sammy Davis is a happy betta indeed, he dances whenever he sees im looking at him, and eats all his betta bites like a good little fishy. The cories are, in a word, weird. Probably due to the gravel 3 of them have shorter whiskers and very slightly nippy looking dorsal fins, but for whatever reason, the huge cory (probably 2.5 inches long) is totally unscathed, full whiskers, full fins, and an apparent bad case of paranoia (he freaks OUT if theres any vibrations or sudden movement). They eat all their wafers (over a period of 2 hours or so) and, apparently, recently laid eggs on the glass (didnt get to them in time, didnt know what they were, were'nt prepared, didnt have any kitten raising materials etc). The plants are doing very well. The java moss has exploded (save for a section that was shaded by my ivy) the java fern is growing plantlets, my ivy is growing as good as you can expect a terrestrail plant to be growing, my corkscrew vallis is growing slowly but surely, and my dwarf onion has grown all the way up the back glass, all the way across the surface, and 3 inches down the front glass :D
Anyway, apologies for the long post script, but i did start a cycle journal/build journal that i never finished, so to those who remember, this is the finish to it :D
 
i dont think moving them will be too hard on them. cories should be kept on sand anyway. just cause the rocks arent sharp doesnt mean that it wont irritate them. your plants should be fine if you do switch to sand, and they might even like it better in the long run.
 

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