smidey Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Hi all. I am getting rid of my community fish in the next few days to change my 200L community tank to an african setup. my favourites (africans) are out growing their tank & i don't have the space for another big tank. Should i just remove the fish, plants, driftwood & substrate etc leaving the existing water in the tank. Then add the crushed marble that i intend to use as a substrate & after settling for a day or two start adding the africans or completely empty the tank & start from scratch as if was a new tank? hope all that makes sense to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Just chuck the new substrate, rocks etc in and wait a couple days for it to settle in and get the water parameters right, then chuck the africans in, no need to restart a cycle.... you may need to drop the water level to half when you put your substrate in so it doesnt cloud the water too much, then fill it back up again, treat it like a water change..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Just chuck the new substrate, rocks etc in and wait a couple days for it to settle in and get the water parameters right, then chuck the africans in, no need to restart a cycle.... you may need to drop the water level to half when you put your substrate in so it doesnt cloud the water too much, then fill it back up again, treat it like a water change..... i thought i may chuck it in then do a water change an hour or so after & let it settle. i am going to remove the sand/gravel substrate first which i may let settle then use a gravel vac to get the last of it. this may turn to custard & i may have to start from scratch thinkn bout it. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Id just start from scratch, keeping any filters etc running, then give it a few days to settle before adding the fish you will be fine There really is no point in trying to keep the old water etc as long as you have cycled filters you will be sweet.. Make sure you put some pics up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 Id just start from scratch, keeping any filters etc running, then give it a few days to settle before adding the fish you will be fine There really is no point in trying to keep the old water etc as long as you have cycled filters you will be sweet.. Make sure you put some pics up I guess if it turned the filter off, emptied the tank as quick as possible & refilled it the bacteria in the filter wodn't die over that time....... what about the temp vs the bacteria? if i filled it with the hose would the temp kill everything in the filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 22, 2007 Report Share Posted July 22, 2007 These bacteria confuse me! lol some people say they will die out real fast but I have had filters disconnected and turned off for upto 24 hours plugged them back in and they're been fine.. But others haven't been so lucky so who knows? If it were me id fill (or even half fill the tank and gradually fill it) with cold water and bucket in a few buckets of warm water and chuck some dechlorinator in before I turned the filter back on just to be safe, but im unsure how much effect it would have on the bacteria, I know the chlorine will be bad but unsure on the temp so just would take it easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2007 well, i have just done it. I ended up emptying the tank completly as the sand got all mixed up. I turned off the taps to the canister. added the crushed marble substrate then half filled the tank with a hose & added hot water to get the temp up while the heaters were also working. once the temp got to 24 i opened the taps & pluged in the filter. all seems to be fine for now, will test the water tomorrow & see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2007 well, its done & the fish are happily swimming around in their new larger home. went from this to this in under 24 hours. please excuse the aquascaping, that will be progressively done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.