tear down tank

[valice]

how do you guys keep your fishes when you tear down ur tank to do rescaping and stuff?

my 2ft tank is leaking... and so i hafta get a new one and transfer my plants and everything over... wanna know how i shld keep my fishes and still successfully 'break' my new tank...

wanna get all the info i need before i go buy my tank... my old tank was a result of haphazard management... so wanna do it the more systematic way this time round...

another question is whether the plants will be harmed if i cut some of its roots to shorten it when i transfer? and do you guys add in the water first before planting or plant alreadi then add water? cos my glosso tends to float up when i planted it in a watered tank...

think alot of questions...

[|squee|]

In order of questions:

1) Drain your tank of water and put that water in a pail. Put your livestock in there, and transfer the filter into that pail. Essentially the pail is now a makeshift tank.

2) If you can tear down the tank on the same day you set up the tank, you can "break" in your new tank using mulm from the old tank. Very important step as it will determine how easy your startup is going to be.

3) The plants will be harmed, but they'll recover soon enough.

4) I add water to cover the substrate first, then plant glosso/other plants. After that I fill with water gently.

[vinz]

Adding on...

In order of questions:

1) Drain your tank of water and put that water in a pail. Put your livestock in there, and transfer the filter into that pail. Essentially the pail is now a makeshift tank.

Keep as much of the existing tank water as possible. At least 50%, if not 75%. Then you don't have to worry about chlorine, etc in the new tank. You definitely do not want to fill your new tank with 100% new tap water.

Keep the filter running. Don't turn off the filter for longer then half an hour. The shorter the better. Basically you want to keep the bacteria in your filter alive, so that you don't actually have to break in your new tank.

Aerate the pail... provide oxygen to both the fish and the filter bacteria.

2) If you can tear down the tank on the same day you set up the tank, you can "break" in your new tank using mulm from the old tank. Very important step as it will determine how easy your startup is going to be.

Basically, re-use the old gravel. What I do is carefully remove the top inch of gravel (which is assume to be cleaner) and give rinse or two, then put aside.

The rest of the gravel I keep too, but don't wash.

If you have base fert at the bottom, you can decide to keep it or replace it with new stuff.

When I set up the new tank, the base fert (new or old or mix) goes to the bottom. The dirty gravel is next layer, then the cleaned gravel on top of that.

That will transfer most of your mulm, substrate bacteria, etc over. Keep the gravel moist and covered.

If you are getting a larger tank, then don't clean the old gravel at all... reuse all of it as the middle layer and use new clean gravel as the top layer.

3) The plants will be harmed, but they'll recover soon enough.

The plants will quickly grow new roots. just shorten the roots to about 1 to 2 inches. While you're at it, remove dead/dying leaves, dead roots, etc. Good chance to do some plant maintanance. Stem plants, you can cut of the scraggly bottoms and just plant the pretty tops.

4) I add water to cover the substrate first, then plant glosso/other plants. After that I fill with water gently.

Slightly different for me.

As the soil is already moist, I will plant the big and medium rosettes first, like water lilies, echinodoruses, aponogetons, criniums, crypts. Don't trim the roots of these plants too short... maybe 2 inches or longer. Dig a hole, place them in, let the roots spread abit and then cover with gravel.

Then I add water till the water just starts to cover the gravel. Plant all the shorties and any other plants that can stay upright on their own, like small and medium cryptocorynes, anubias, javaferns, newly bought emersed stems like hydrophilias. The shorties won't float away, it's easier to see and the gravel is looser.

Next fill to half and plant the rest of the plants (the floppies).

[vinz]

Oh yah... it is important to reuse as much of the old tank water as possible to lessen the new tank syndrome. If you cannot save as much water as you like, then don't top up the new tank as much. For example, if you can only fill 50% of your new tank with old tank water, then only top up the new tank with fresh tap water till about 75%. Won't look so nice, but it'll save your fish and filter bacteria. Let the tank sit for 3 days to a week, then top up the last 25% with aged water. (I'm paranoid, after my own recent experience with tap water)

Don't wash your filter. You want to keep as much of the old fitler bacteria alive as possible.

[valice]

thanx guys,

i will keep in mind ur advice. shall go tank shopping over the weekend.

[amidala]

This is such a detailed explanation of what to take note of in the process of tank transfer - really useful information for those who want to upgrade their tanks as well. Makes a great sticky thread? Thanks squee and vinz for sharing!

[valice]

well, i managed to do my tank transfer...
a few casulties after that... 2 cherries and 2 runmy hit the dust... guess they too stressed after the whole ordeal...

one problem i had was that apparently my gravel has some white spot spores in them... so after my transfer, some of my rummy was infected wif white spots... prob also due to the stress of being chased all around in the tank...

btw, for pple who wants to do transfers, start early... hahaha... i started in the late afternoon and only finished the whole thing at midnite... backache from the glosso planting...

[Sidious]

always have an extra tank.. dont have to be the same size but still big enough to keep your live stock in...

[|squee|]

This is such a detailed explanation of what to take note of in the process of tank transfer - really useful information for those who want to upgrade their tanks as well. Makes a great sticky thread? Thanks squee and vinz for sharing!

This thread has been added to the "list of useful posts" in the "Please read before asking questions" sticky.