Complete Redecoration

[baileystar]

Hey guys,
I really want to redecorate my tank (take out plants, change substrate, etc) but I have fish in the tank right now. I have a bucket I could put them in and keep most of the old water while I redecorate but I don't want to have an ammonia or nitrate spike after putting the fish back in because I changed the substrate. I actually just want to make it a heavily planted tank but I only have gravel as a substrate. Would that be okay or should I have soil or something? Would it kill my fish if I did a complete redecoration or would it be ok if I save as much water as possible? Thanks

 

[Ziggy953]

How big is the current tank and how many fish do you have in it?

You could set up a small tank 10g or 20g to hold the fish while you work on the current system. I pulled all my fish out of my tank and put them in a smaller tank while I did the same thing to my 54g tank. The water isn't as important as the filter and the media in it. So if you want to do a complete rescape of your tank setup a smaller tank and use the filter from the current tank, fill it with water from the current tank and move the fish in. When all the fish are out and in the temp tank you could take your time and redo the tank. I would suggest looking into a good quality substrate for plants. I am using Brightwell Aquatics substrate and am very happy with great results.

 

[baileystar]

My current tank is a 16g bowfront. I only have 6 fish in it right now. Unfortunately I don't have another tank I could use for them to hang out in while redecorating. Is there anything I should have in the tank other than a good substrate? I know some people talk about CO2 but do I actually need one? Also, will the fish be okay if I add new substrate and can I put a layer of gravel over it or should the substrate be all one type?
Thanks