z rock
07-22-2004, 04:44 PM
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[img]How to change out your substrate without re-moving fish:
1.First rinse the new substrate and have it in a Rubbermaid and ready to go. You do this by filling a 5 gallon bucket a little less than half way with material and stick the water hose in there with it running. Stir it around, using the end of the hose, till all the dust particles and garbage floats out and the water runs clear. I tilt the bucket a little and let it pour out in the yard. If you use one of those brass shut off valves you can turn the water on and off as needed to dump and refill the bucket, then it won’t waste water.
2.Drain water down enough to get your arm in there and remove the rocks. Leave as much water in the tank as possible. You may want to turn the filters off. Depends on what type of substrate you are removing. If it’s gravel leave them on. If you’re removing sand turn them off.
3.Take a plastic dustpan and a Rubbermaid container and remove the old substrate into the Rubbermaid. You may want to take a break and turn the filters on and go clean your rocks at this point.
4.After rinsing the new substrate take a large plastic butter dish or bowl and start scooping the new stuff in there. You want to set the bowl full of clean sand all the way to the bottom and release it slowly so there are no dust storms.
5.After all the new substrate is added, drain the tank as so to do a 50-70% water change. replace rocks. Refill tank.
6.DO NOT clean filters for at least 2-3 days. This should only be done only on a well-cycled tank. You will be removing the bacteria in the old substrate and a lot of the bacteria that reside in the water. The bacterium in the filters is all your fish will have to survive on.
Cleaning sand substrate-
If you use sand,watch out when cleaning the glass,it will scratch it.I use a Kent stainless scraper down close to the bottom and a scrub pad up higher.
Run the intakes on the hang on filters without extentions.If they are high enough the fish won't spit sand in them.Sand will shred a hang on and it will make noise from then on.
The idea when cleaning is to vacuum the poop off the top and stir it up a little.If you get it plugged up in your siphon hose you have just messed up!Some recommend a nylon stocking for catching the sand then dumping it back in the tank.Or run the end of the hose in a container.The water will over flow and the sand will sink to the bottom.
I’ve used this method several times in the past. It probably stresses the fish worse putting them in a strange container than just leaving them in the tank.
[img]How to change out your substrate without re-moving fish:
1.First rinse the new substrate and have it in a Rubbermaid and ready to go. You do this by filling a 5 gallon bucket a little less than half way with material and stick the water hose in there with it running. Stir it around, using the end of the hose, till all the dust particles and garbage floats out and the water runs clear. I tilt the bucket a little and let it pour out in the yard. If you use one of those brass shut off valves you can turn the water on and off as needed to dump and refill the bucket, then it won’t waste water.
2.Drain water down enough to get your arm in there and remove the rocks. Leave as much water in the tank as possible. You may want to turn the filters off. Depends on what type of substrate you are removing. If it’s gravel leave them on. If you’re removing sand turn them off.
3.Take a plastic dustpan and a Rubbermaid container and remove the old substrate into the Rubbermaid. You may want to take a break and turn the filters on and go clean your rocks at this point.
4.After rinsing the new substrate take a large plastic butter dish or bowl and start scooping the new stuff in there. You want to set the bowl full of clean sand all the way to the bottom and release it slowly so there are no dust storms.
5.After all the new substrate is added, drain the tank as so to do a 50-70% water change. replace rocks. Refill tank.
6.DO NOT clean filters for at least 2-3 days. This should only be done only on a well-cycled tank. You will be removing the bacteria in the old substrate and a lot of the bacteria that reside in the water. The bacterium in the filters is all your fish will have to survive on.
Cleaning sand substrate-
If you use sand,watch out when cleaning the glass,it will scratch it.I use a Kent stainless scraper down close to the bottom and a scrub pad up higher.
Run the intakes on the hang on filters without extentions.If they are high enough the fish won't spit sand in them.Sand will shred a hang on and it will make noise from then on.
The idea when cleaning is to vacuum the poop off the top and stir it up a little.If you get it plugged up in your siphon hose you have just messed up!Some recommend a nylon stocking for catching the sand then dumping it back in the tank.Or run the end of the hose in a container.The water will over flow and the sand will sink to the bottom.
I’ve used this method several times in the past. It probably stresses the fish worse putting them in a strange container than just leaving them in the tank.