FreedingFrenzy Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Okay, so I've had my tank for over a year now, and it's looking a bit forlorn - I've just purchased some live plants off trademe (big bunch) and I was thinking of giving my tank a total clean out and a rejuvenation before the plants arrive.. This would include emptying the water (putting some into a bucket with my fish and the heater), giving the gravel and the ornaments a huge scrub, algae scrubbing the inside of my tank, giving my filter a thorough clean and replacing my light bulb.. Would this be a good thing to do? Like I've heard that replacing 100% of the water can be bad for the fish.. Also I read that dark coloured stones are best for fish and I have the natural stones, do you think my fish would benefit from new stones? All adivce would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johannes Visser Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Okay, so I've had my tank for over a year now, and it's looking a bit forlorn - I've just purchased some live plants off trademe (big bunch) and I was thinking of giving my tank a total clean out and a rejuvenation before the plants arrive.. This would include emptying the water (putting some into a bucket with my fish and the heater), giving the gravel and the ornaments a huge scrub, algae scrubbing the inside of my tank, giving my filter a thorough clean and replacing my light bulb.. Would this be a good thing to do? Like I've heard that replacing 100% of the water can be bad for the fish.. Also I read that dark coloured stones are best for fish and I have the natural stones, do you think my fish would benefit from new stones? All adivce would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks With that much cleaning and scrubbing you will be left with no or very little good healthy bacteria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz_Nomad Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Like Johannes said. Keep your filter media whilst you clean in old aquarium water. Keep at least some of your gravel to mix with the new. If possible, keep the filter running to allow the water to circulate over the bacteria living there. If you're planting your aquarium, try to think about putting some fertiliser under the gravel. You'll need a good layer of gravel over the fertiliser, so you may well need more gravel anyway. Check the water parameters before adding fish once you've cleaned and scrubbed. Make sure it is at least reasonably close to the old conditions. Don't forget to keep the fish warm and comfortable whilst you change their home around, and make sure you acclimatise them to the new water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 If you're planting your aquarium, try to think about putting some fertiliser under the gravel. You'll need a good layer of gravel over the fertiliser, so you may well need more gravel anyway. Check the water parameters before adding fish once you've cleaned and scrubbed. Make sure it is at least reasonably close to the old conditions. I know this is going to make me sound like a total noob but.. Where would I get the fertiliser from? And what do you mean water parameters? would that be like ammonia levels and pH levels and things... ? Sorry if I sound really stupid :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz_Nomad Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Water Parameters - if you're cleaning the tank and rearranging it's decor, don't worry too much about ammonia etc, just pH and temperature. Ammonia, Nitrate and nitrite levels should be about 0 anyway after a clean out like you describe. Fertiliser for aquariums is available from most good aquarium shops. Just ask what they have available and try not to go over the top in price, some fertiliser types are bloody expensive! I recommend not using JBL fertiliser balls, they get exposed easily and stain the water brown. Get some that is like soil/sand that will sit under your gravel nicely. Most specific aquarium fertilisers are fairly generic in what they contain (within reason) and safe to use with fish etc. The stuff I use is about thirty bucks a bag for a couple or three kilos. Plan for about an inch over the bottom of the aquarium. Where are you in Auckland? We may be able to recommend a good shop if we know roughly where you're situated. Oh, and join your local FNZAS club. You know you want to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 I'm West/Central - but I dont mind travelling a little bit - probably not to the north shore though - Would HFF be a good choice for the fertiliser? Oh, and join your local FNZAS club. You know you want to! How would I go about doing that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Check out the rest of the website http://www.fnzas.org.nz/clubs/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 thanks really like your quote btw - terry pratchet is an excellent author Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz_Nomad Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Mine's Terry Pratchett too! http://thinkexist.com/quotes/terry_pratchett/ http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Terry_Pratchett/ For signature quotation guidance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 thanks i already found a quote i like from the first link you gave me, second one down. very very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I like this one.. “"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worth while?" Death thought about it "Cats," he said eventually, "Cats are Nice†I wouldn't clean the filter out for a while, as Naz said, keep it running in a bucket if you have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Palmers and/or Kings Plant barn have Daltons aquatic mix. Personally I wish I hadn't used it in my tank, makes cleaning so much harder. I would rather use flourish excel but its everyone to their own preference really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naz_Nomad Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 Like Adodge said, each to their own. Personally I use Flourish Excel AND some sort of posh soily thing that the LFS love to sell me. Flourish excel encourages growth and all that but I like to think that adding stuff to the bottom of the tank encourages root growth and makes for hardier plant life. I may be totally wrong and have wasted a few bucks on fertiliser, but my plants all look happy and are flourishing in my planted tanks. Well, apart from where the bristlenose have had a chew but even then they seem to recover very well. I am also a fan of not adding too much to the water, so my doses of Flourish are a lot less than the recommended dosage on the bottle. I agree with Adodge that cleaning can be harder with fertiliser under the gravel, hence the need for a good thick layer of gravel over the fertiliser. Everything that gets deep enough to be a problem to clean out is plant food in my book anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesejawa Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I would say change 50% of the water and put the rest in buckets if you want to empty the whole tank. Whatever you do though dont rinse the whole filter, keep some media to keep the bacteria alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 I went to HFF today and looked at their plant fertilises... Besides the one I was recommended AGAINST buying (cant remember it exactly atm JBH or something) everyone this way out of my budget... (they were around $80).. Would using tablets or the liquid form of plant food be okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 depends on the ,plants , what lights do you have etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreedingFrenzy Posted April 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 to be honest i have no idea.. I just bought the lot of plants off TM today and the description was just "bulk" so it could be a huge variety... and as for my light.. no idea - it was built into the fish tank i bought and didn't come with an instruction manual, however got a new 15W bulb for it today... Sorry, I'm a big noob at this sort of thing :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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