Total tank redo, Good or bad idea?

[Cheesejawa]

I really want to totally redo my 110 litre. I would like to get some daltons aquatic mix under the gravel to help plants, rearange the plants and get a canister filter. My internal is pretty good but it clogs a bit and I have heard canisters are quieter. Heres my plan.

1. Change half of the water out window as normal.

2. Siphon 20 litres into a bucket and put the fish, filter, heater in it. filter and heater should keep fish happy in there

3. Carefully scoop plants with gravel around them into trays of some kind without disturbing roots too much and remove recor.

4. Siphon the rest of the water into buckets.

5. Scoop up remaining gravel into container

6. Put daltons in tank.

7. Add old gravel plus more into tank.

8. Add back the decor and the plants back to the tank and rescape the tank.

9. Pour water back into tank.

10. Add the bucket with the fish in it and put back in heater and filter.

11. Add new water.

12. Add canister?

Is this a good plan? should I do anything else?

[Dixon1990]

Sounds alright,

Make sure you clean your gravel well before it goes back in and make sure you leave your old filter in for a couple weeks.

[supasi]

thats pretty much what i did when i moved house.

Infact i still have some guppies living in a bucket, lol.

when you replant the stem plants you may find they grow all straggly at first, once the settle they will take off again.

With daltons aquatic mix, make sure you have nearly 2 inches of gravel above if you use pea gravel.

if using propergating sand make sure its at least 1 inch deep.

As once water is added the aquatic mix will cloud the water if disturbed.

when adding water make sure you dont pour it directly onto gravel, use a dish as not to disturb substrate, or you will have cloudy water for a few days.

I use exclusivly aquatic mix and propergating sand so if you have any questions just ask.

[supasi]

Also

Dont be to hastey

your better to take your time and get it how you want it(planting that is) before adding water, as once you add water, its very easy to mess it up by removing and replanting plants.This causes aquatic mix to come to surface and tends to help feed algae with nutrients.

Trust me , im speaking from experiance.

[Dixon1990]

Whaere can we get propagating sand?

[David R]

I'd suggest getting the canister a few weeks in advance so it can establish before you do the big remake as you're likely to lose a lot of bacteria.

[Cheesejawa]

I'd suggest getting the canister a few weeks in advance so it can establish before you do the big remake as you're likely to lose a lot of bacteria.

I would keep both filter running for a few weeks then remove the internal or just keep it there for use in another tank later.

Just wondering do you mix the propagating sand with the aquatic mix? or put on top? then I add 5 or 6cm of gravel on top?

[Adrienne]

I mixed the propagating sand with the aquatic mix, it seemed to make it a less solid lump imo when I finally removed it from the tank. Its really up to you.

[David R]

I would keep both filter running for a few weeks then remove the internal or just keep it there for use in another tank later.

That would work, but if you're changing a large portion of the water, disturbing gravel etc it would be better if you could put the canister on there all ready established.

[Cheesejawa]

Ok it gives me more time to organise the redo.

[supasi]

The red shed

Mitre 10 mega

Bunning

and most plant stores

[supasi]

Just wondering do you mix the propagating sand with the aquatic mix? or put on top? then I add 5 or 6cm of gravel on top?

Layer it. gravel on top, less messy

Plants will send roots down into it

[AMAZONIAN]

Hi all.

In your case Dixon 1990,

I suggest you go to "NORTH END SAND AND SHINGLE" by the PINES.

Get some "Blinding Sand", I get a bag full each time I'm down.

Mix that with the Daltons and you wont look back when growing plants.

[Navarre]

Ok firstly I have Daltons and sand spare if anyone wants it.

Secondly, redo sounds ok but I have to say that when I did mine, tank was very cloudy and there was a bit of a film on surface for a while.

So might pay to do tank then filter/settle for a while till tank is ok THEN add fish...or may be good fromm get go.

HTH

Navarre

[Dixon1990]

Amazonian- What colour is the Blinding sand?

[curtur]

When I did a re-do on my tank and got a canister filter I put some of the old filter sponges from my hang on filter into the canister to help kick start it and it seemed to work very well in getting it seeded with bacteria, although I still waited a week or so before putting my fishies back in.