Loseing the UGF and substrate questions

[ostrichkiller]

ok i am finally moving at the end of the month. i presently have a 55gal FW with a UGF and am going to convert it to somewhat planted tank, mostly just some java moss and fern to start, and was curious about a few things. my fish are listed on the bottom with my signature and i'm replaceing the UGF with a penguine HOB filter

1.) will my water need to cycle again after i move when i change the filter and substrate if i am keeping the same water i have been useing in the tank since early july?

2.) i already have some rocks and driftwood i am going to secure the java moss and fern too but what type of substrate should i look at for future plant additions. have herd about pete moss, clay, sand, and some pre mixed things

3.) will i have many problems with the fish i have a plants?

4.) the water where i am moving if BAD, for water changes can i run the water through a brita water pitcher first and not kill the fish by taking out too much stuff, really don't feel like buying bottled water for fish.

5.) is it necessary to gravel vac the gravel once a week still with a planted tank as apposed to a fake plant tank

i will probably have more questions as i get closer to moving time but that is it for now

 

[Guest]

1, if you have the hob filter, get it running on the tank now, then it will have a good crop of bacteria on it when you move. keep the media wet w/tank water while you move. If you change out all the substrate during this move, you will probably still have somewhat of a cycle, your gravel contains much of the nitrifying bacteria.

Read the sticky by Rex at the top of this forum, it will basically give you the rest of the answers to all of your other questions.

The water through a brita pitcher, no idea if it would help much. What exactly is wrong with the water where you are moving? Water parameters there would help.

 

[shawmutt]

1. You will lose a lot of bacteria when you change out the substrate. A good option would be to get a filter bag and put a bunch of the old substrate in there and then in the tank to "seed" the new substrate.

2. Someone else will give a better answer than I could.

3. ?

4. The water where I live is bad, and I just go to Walmart with a few 5 gallon jugs to the water station refill. The water is filtered, ro filtered to about 6 tds, and uv sterilized. It may seem like a pain, but I'm used to it and it has become part of my tank care routine. LOL...I wouldn't want to wait for my Brita pitcher to get my water ready--just waiting for enough for a glass of water after I forgot to refill it is torture! Plus the fact that the filter can only handle a certain amount of gallons before needing replacement. If you are saying bad water because of metals, then yes, a Brita will work, but it seems like it might be more bother than it's worth.

5. Better answered by someone else.

 

[tkos]

I used to use britta water and it works fine. It is mostly a carbon filter that can remove heavy metals. You will still need a dechlorinator though.

I am confused. You say use the water that you have had since July. Do you mean you have the same water in there? There is no real bacteria in the water so loosing it is not a problem. A problem may come about if the water where you are moving is very different in pH and hardness. This could shock certain fish if the water is drastically changed too quickly. I would save some water for the move if you can and then add new water to it slowly. If possible I would get some water from where you are moving and start adding that to your tank now to help the fish adjust.

Adding the HOB filter now is a great idea if possible.