firerescue2002
Aquarium Advice Regular
First I might as well give you an update on this tank here is the link of the original post. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=20345&highlight=. Since that post I convinced my friend to trade in the anenomes to the store for credit since he was not willing to go with pc or mh upgrades. Also all the fish have survived the outrageously high amonia and nitrate spikes. An additional powerhead and using ro/di water has nearly eliminated the cyano blooms, still a problem though. Tank spec now are amonia .25, nitrate .25, and nitrite 0, PH 7.8 (is being treated with buffer) And as soon as we get the tank looking better and parmeters down he will purchase lr and argonite sand replacing the dolomite gravel and the undergravel filter.
So that leads me to my question.... Changing out the dolomite and adding about 200lbs of Southdown playsand. Here is what I think would work best. Take 100lbs set up in a large sterile trash can with a few powerheads and a few shrimp to cycle the sand with bacteria. Once that has been done remove half of the dolomite gravel (one side of the undergravel filter) and replace with the now ls. Wait a few weeks while the other 100lbs. cycles and do the same to the other side. What do you guys think is removing half the gravel going to be too much of a shock to the system and fish? should I just do half of the half? I figured it might not be a shock at all especialy since I will be cycleing the sand before adding it.
So that leads me to my question.... Changing out the dolomite and adding about 200lbs of Southdown playsand. Here is what I think would work best. Take 100lbs set up in a large sterile trash can with a few powerheads and a few shrimp to cycle the sand with bacteria. Once that has been done remove half of the dolomite gravel (one side of the undergravel filter) and replace with the now ls. Wait a few weeks while the other 100lbs. cycles and do the same to the other side. What do you guys think is removing half the gravel going to be too much of a shock to the system and fish? should I just do half of the half? I figured it might not be a shock at all especialy since I will be cycleing the sand before adding it.