Major landscape overhaul : keep the fish in, or put 'em in a bucket?

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kindafishy

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 9, 2011
Messages
184
Location
France
Found a nifty piece of driftwood, want to put it in my tank, but this would mean some major redecoration 'cause the sucker is BIG. Want to use the opportunity to do a really good gravel vac as well, get rid of plants that aren't working out, trim, wash off some diatoms, do some re-planting and organizing etc etc etc.

MEANWHILE....I don't want to stress out my fish in the process. Is it best to leave them in the tank, or put them in a bucket while I go all Martha Stewart on my tank? Or would a bucket just freak them out more?
 
If you are going to be doing a lot of rescaping then I would remove the fish. Whenever moving the substrate around and digging holes for plants, rocks, etc... you can turn up a lot of muck.

All this can cause spikes in your parameters. I usually net the fish, keep them in a bucket or QT (if it's empty) and do my rescape with the tank empty.
 
Thanks. I don't think this would take me more than an hour or so, maybe a little more (depending on how much caffeine I've consumed in preparation). I assume they'd be ok for that long in a bucket?
 
IMO they would be fine for an hour, however the bucket(s) water temperature will drop off pretty quick so you will need to reacclimatize them to the tank when you are done rescaping because your tank water will be a lot warmer than the bucket water and the shock will be really stressful on the fish. Hope this helps.
 
I usually throw my heater and filter on the bucket. I got more of a square shaped bucket just for this reason. It also came with a lid that I cut out notches in for power cords and filter.
 
I would acclimate them back regardless. I am a bit OCD.. but I drip my fish for an hour regardless of whether theyre coming from a store, mail, friend, or just a different tank in the basement.

I agree that a bucket is the best bet... much easier to re-work a tank without fish.
 
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