Big question . . .what if I want to change my whole tank?

[donttaptheglass]

Ok, so lets say I've gotten tired of how my 55 gal tank looks . . . .and I want to completely redo it . . . .

I want to change from gravel to sand . . .all new deco . . .

Can it be done without a completely new cycle . . . .will the fish deal with it and how do I go about it?

Here is the setup . . . .55 Gal Long . . .community fish . . . .XP2 300 GPH filter . . . .2x150watt heaters

My biggest interest is in changing the substrate . . .really don't like the gravel and want to go to sand

any suggestions or help?

 

[DeFeKt]

change everything but the filter and water
should be no probs, just keep a check on your params

 

[h8z2luze]

I wish I could help but I have no idea. I would think you would need to do a new cycle because you would need to remove all the water and everything probably.

 

[Blucat]

Regarding the substrate...... this is how I would do it, to minimise ammonia spike or a re-cycle, by giving a hance for the bacteria to build up on the new sand and deco.

Yes, keep the old filter cartridge, this is important.

empty 1/3 of the tank into another tank/container. Put the fish in this container with a heater and aerator. May also want to add some stress zyme. Then take all your plants and deco out of your tank. Scoop out half of the existing substrate, if the gravel is light then you can siphon it out. Push the remaining gravel to one side of the tank. Now cover the half of the tank with no substrate with sand. Your tank should now be half sand and half gravel. Place the new deco on the sand. If your old deco is quite large you may want to put the old deco on the old gravel also to retain bacteria. Siphon out another 1/3 more water to get rid of the detritus that will be suspended now. Fill the tank up with water until it is 2/3. Acclimatise fish and put fish back in tank. Now fill up the remaing 1/3 of water as you would normally do with a water change. Also may want to add stress-zyme.

Leave tank like this, monitor parameters for 1 week, but better if you leave tank like this for 2 weeks. Now the bacteria has a chance to grow on new deco and substrate.

After at least 1 week, repeat the same process but remove the remaing half gravel and old deco and put the rest of the sand in.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've changed out the entire substrate before and did not see any kind of ammonia or Nitrite readings. I would do the substrate one week and the decor the following, just to be sure. The filter holds the majority of the bacteria, not the gravel. And I wouldn't worry about keeping all the water, it doesn't hold bacteria anyway. If your changing to sand, take the fish out of the tank. Then scoop out the gravel, sucking out the nasty water that kicks up from the fish waste. Then pour in the cleaned sand. Refill with water. Add decor, heater, filter, and everything else for the tank. Wait about a half hour and reacclimate the fish. I've done mine like that twice with no ill effects (just low Nitrates, but thats not a bad thing )

 

[BillD]

Fishyfanatic has it right. That is all that is necessary.

 

[Dragonchild85]

Question....how do you clean sand? For gravel, you can use a gravel syphon to get out the muck, but wouldn't sand go up the syphon?

Sorry, I've always wondered about that.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you choose a heavier sand like pfs, you really don't have to worry about sucking much of it out of the tank. I move the sand around with the gravel vac. But don't fill the syphon up too much, otherwise you WILL suck out the sand. Just fill it up a little bit (about 4 or 5 inches, depending on the length of the tube, less if its a short tube) and quickly turn it to the side. The sand will fall back down. To get the debris out of the bottom, wave the vac above it to kick it up. Then suck it out.

 

[Andos99]

I have done this same exact thing in the past. Plan on around 3-5 hours of work. I just kept my fish in a 5 gal bucket the whole time and they were back in the tank by days end. Expect some cloudiness when you're finished, but that is normal. I did it the same way fishyfanatic suggested and I didn't lose a single fish. Just make sure you rinse out your sand thoroughly in a separate 5 gal bucket before adding it to your tank as it is extremely dusty out of the bag.

 

[SCFatz]

Slightly off topic (sorry) but if this is true and I assume it is:

The filter holds the majority of the bacteria

Then how does a filter change effect the tank....is it bad?

 

[Andos99]

There are multiple components of a filter. You commonly change the mechanical portion which collects floating debris from the water. You generally don't touch the biological part of the the filter (usually a foam pad, or anything bacteria can grow it) at the same time. So to answer your question, filter changes are good.......just don't clean both components at the same time or yes, you will kill off all your bacteria.

 

[SCFatz]

Interesting...Thanks for the reply.I'll have to look into that.
I used the filter system that came with the set up and I installed the filter cartridge (cloth covered carbon I think) and I was under the impression that I just needed to change it out as needed.Fwiw,I'v seen replacments for sale everywhere.Its a a whisper somthing or other and hangs on the back,pulling water via a tupe near the bottom and returning it in waterfall like fashion.It didn't seem very "two piece" like (the cartrige that is) so I'll have to check that out.

Boy am I glad I asked that question.Thanks again.

Fatz

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you have a filter with one cartridge inside, I'd recommend purchasing a different filter. Preferably one with a bio-wheel.

 

[SerLunchbox]

ok ... so as to help with seeding the sand with beneficial bacteria, here is what you can go (and i have done it myself. Get some large shallow containers. Clean your sand thoroughtly. Place your sand in the containters. Next, fill the container with water from your tank and add dechlorinater. This will help with certain parameters of your system. Next, take out the sponge from your filter (if you have one, or filter floss if you have that instead) and squeeze it out into the container. This will add a lot of bacteria to your tank.

Now, start stirring the sand so it all gets movement. If you happen to have a heater. Place it into the container (the heater dosn't have to be large) and then crank the heat to about 84F (this here is a temperature that is VERY good for bacterial growth). Leave it in there for about 4 days. Be sure to stir the sand quite consistantly (about 2-4 times a day.)

After that is done, then you should have no problem removing your gravel and then replacing it with the sand. To help reduce your "cloudiness" with replacing the sand put the sand in large fish bags (gotten from your LFS) and slowly fill these bags and then put them into the tank slowly pouring it onto the bottom. This method does take some extra time but it will also keep the stress level of the fish much lower and will allow you to place the sand where you want it.

As forementioned in another post, do the sand one week and your decorations a week or 2 later on.

If you have any more questions please be sure to ask