Fertiliser

[riccia]

hi everyone

newbie here asking newbie ??? again.

i m going to tear down my current planted tank set up (60cm X 60cm X 60cm)and transferring them to a slightly smaller tank (60cm X 40cm X 30cm). the base fertiliser and soil (lapis sand) are pretty new (2 months old only). when i m removing the soil, the current base fertiliser should be mixed together with the soil during the process.

Q?
do i need to add on new base fertiliser? or can i just use the current soil which is already mixed with the fertiliser and add on root monster pellet to enhance the root growth? any recommendation for a good base fertiliser?

thank you guys for your help.

[juggler]

You can salvage the materials from your current setup since there's beneficial bacteria in there and will quickly stabilise the new setup.

Some suggested steps I would try:
1. Drain water till the top gravel is exposed.
2. Scoop the top layer of gravel from the big tank as much as you can. You can wash it clean in a pail.
3. Next transfer the base fert to small tank. A little mixed with gravel is ok as you are going to add clean gravel on top later.

I guess you know what to do following. You got more gravel and base fert needed for your smaller tank, so not to worry.

BTW - why you want to switch to smaller tank?

[riccia]

You can salvage the materials from your current setup since there's beneficial bacteria in there and will quickly stabilise the new setup.

Some suggested steps I would try:
1. Drain water till the top gravel is exposed.
2. Scoop the top layer of gravel from the big tank as much as you can. You can wash it clean in a pail.
3. Next transfer the base fert to small tank. A little mixed with gravel is ok as you are going to add clean gravel on top later.

I guess you know what to do following. You got more gravel and base fert needed for your smaller tank, so not to worry.

BTW - why you want to switch to smaller tank?

hi bro kf

thank you for your suggestion. however my fertiliser was placed in between the gravel which means it is being sandwiched.

Base - thin layer of gravel
Center - fertiliser
Top - thicker layer of gravel

that's why if i remove the gravel, the fertiliser will surely be mixed with them. what should I do then?

thinking of changing to a smaller tank for easier maintenance. the current 2X2X2 with cabinet is quite high and always have to climb up the chair to carry out cleaning and maintenance.

[reefsin]

This was what I did when I overhauled my 4 ft.:-

1 remove all plants and critters
2 mix gravel and fertiliser
3 wait for fertiliser to settle (I left it alone for a day)
4 syphon away fertiliser that settled at the top of the gravel
5 top up with water and repeat process until water becomes clearer

Hope it helps.

[krabbie]

Wa Say ... how long did the process take?

[reefsin]

The fertiliser settles quite fast. It took a few days to clear but I wanted to be sure most of the fertiliser were removed else might have algae problem.