what should i do

[LestWeForget13]

ok in about a week or so i ws guuna empty out my tank and clean it all out anb maybe change the substrate and put it on a new stand. what steps shold i take and how should i do them?

oh and i was going to change my substrate to sand and i was thinking i was guna keep some of my water in order to keep the bacteria and whatnot

 

[Billsgate]

Make sure you keep your filter wet. Put it in a bucket with aquariumwater, not tapwater.
Where are you going to keep your fish? I would suggest you put them in buckets as well with tank water, or any onther container that is large enough. Run a heater in this container if you'll be working for a long time.
Once you removed your fish and filter, take out all decorations and plants (put the plants in water as well).
Remove your gravel and throw it away, or clean it and put it back in.
Clean your tank with hot water.
Add gravel
Add decorations+plants
Add Filter
Add Fish!

HTH

 

[LestWeForget13]

i was going to put my fish in a 10 gallon temporary tank whilst i work on the main one


and i ws going to use playsand or pool filter sand(?) for the substrate. is there any special process that needs to go through or is it okay just by itself

 

[BASSNMAN]

A rubbermaid tub works well for doing change overs. Partially fill with used tank water. Install filter, heater and any plants and decorations. Save some of the old gravel in a 1 gal container or sox and put in tub. Clean the tank and replace on leveled stand. Partially fill with warmed water and add declor. Install filter and heater. Set the bucket of gravel in the tank along with plants and decorations. Add used water from the tub. Top off with declored water as necessary. Allow to run for 24 hrs. Check water chemistry. If all looks good, add fish.
I followed this procedure while changing over to a 125 from a 55. I basically had no cycle. Good Luck.

 

[LestWeForget13]

thank you both but i ws going to change my substrate to sand, is there any special process needed?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Just make sure you wash your sand thoroughly before adding it to your tank and you should be fine.

 

[TankGirl]

What I do (I love pool filter sand, btw, has a coarser grain than playsand and does not tend to fly around the tank and get into your filter motor) is put the sand in a bucket and fill it with the water hose, and stir it with my hand as it overflows. The sand will be cloudy and I don't think you will ever rinse it enough to rid it completely of cloudiness, but it helps. Once you have it in your tank it may take a few hours or as long as a day to clear up.

If you are tearing everything down and cleaning everything you will almost definitely experience at least a partial cycle.

 

[LestWeForget13]

so with what all of you are saying, will i have my fish out of the original tank for more than a day? and if so will they all survive in a ten gallon tank with original filter and heatert?

 

[TankGirl]

I don't think the fish will need to be out of the tank for more than a day if you are prepared beforehand, and have help moving the tank onto the new stand, etc.

Depending on how many fish, how large they are and how aggressive they are, they should be able to hang out in a 10-gal for a while, and keeping your original filter running is a great idea.