AdamHorton
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I've had a planted tank, the tank itself has been around for around 4 years, and it has been planted for at least 1 1/2 years. Something has been going on and for some reason, the only thing I've been able to keep alive in the tank has been the plants. I've started other threads on here trying to figure it out, I've asked around, and done my own experimenting. I've come to the conclusion that it's time to start this tank over.
I'm going to remove everything, clean it up real good, put in all new filter media, and do a fishless cycle. Then, I'll be attempting to make it into a shrimp tank. There's nothing about this that I don't think I can handle...
...however, I want to have the same plants that are in there now (and that are doing so well) in the restarted tank. I'm wondering what the best way to do this is: should I keep the plants in a separate "quarantine" tank while this one is cycling? How should I care for them during this time?
Here are the specs:
Also, here's a picture of the tank. It's only a couple of months old and nothing about the plants, substrate, or driftwood setup has changed significantly since this picture was taken:
http://www.adamhorton.com/files/flog/good/shrimptank01.jpg
What would be the best course of action to take here?
I'm going to remove everything, clean it up real good, put in all new filter media, and do a fishless cycle. Then, I'll be attempting to make it into a shrimp tank. There's nothing about this that I don't think I can handle...
...however, I want to have the same plants that are in there now (and that are doing so well) in the restarted tank. I'm wondering what the best way to do this is: should I keep the plants in a separate "quarantine" tank while this one is cycling? How should I care for them during this time?
Here are the specs:
- 20G long glass display tank – 12″D x 30″W x 12″H
- Two AquaClear 20 filters – no carbon inserts, I use an extra foam insert instead
- 50W submersible heater, I keep the temperature between 78F and 80F
- Four small pieces of driftwood used for decoration. The java fern is attached to one of the pieces of driftwood.
- Substrate: there’s an inch of EcoComplete fertilizer at the bottom, with an inch of Flourite red gravel above that
- Lighting: Nova Extreme T5 10000K 30″ system, which is on about 8 hours each day.
- Every other week I do a 50% water change using tap water and SeaChem Prime water conditioner.
Also, here's a picture of the tank. It's only a couple of months old and nothing about the plants, substrate, or driftwood setup has changed significantly since this picture was taken:
http://www.adamhorton.com/files/flog/good/shrimptank01.jpg
What would be the best course of action to take here?