To sum everything up from above, here it is.
1. Remove filter and ornaments, keeping filter media wet in tank water.
2. Move tank water over to small tank.
3. Move some gravel over.
4. Move fish over, no acclimation necessary as it's the tank water and the temp is very close to the same.
5. Remove all but 6 inches of water.
6. Remove rest of gravel.
7. Add sand. You can rinse small amounts of sand, then add to aquarium until you have the depth you want. I use a pitcher to do this, put about 4-5 inches of sand in the bottom, then run under faucet til it overflows. As it's overflowing, stir sand gently with hand til the water that is overflowing is clear. Don't stir too hard as the sand is light, and might go down the drain as well.
8. Fill tank up with water and add dechlor (Prime is recommended by most people) as you are filling.
9. If cloudy from sand, do a
PWC to remove some more cloudyness.
10. Let tank sit about an hour or til it's pretty clear. Might be shorter, might be a little longer.
11. Install heater, filter and media and plug it in.
12. Acclimate fish and put in tank, as there will be a slight difference in water chemistry and temp.
13. Setup decor, etc., then you are finished.
Hope this gives a clear picture. Should only take 4-5 hours at the most.
Then test water daily for the next few days for ammonia and nitrite to be sure all's well. If all's well, 25%
PWC's weekly. If ammonia and nitrite spike, daily 30%
PWC's til spike passes. then 25%
PWC's weekly.
