Building Works and Tank

[Tom Raffield]

Hi everyone,

Hope you have had a good Christmas (as much as possible in this pandemic). Its been a while since I posted and the new tank has turned into a bit of a jungle but I do tend to prefer a 'messier' natural appearance to a pristine scape.

The purpose of this post is to seek advice and opinions on what is about to happen to my tank. I have building work scheduled to begin on 4th January which will see my ability to conduct water changes essentially end. The entire back of my house with access to the garden will be closed off. Access to a tap within reach of my huge hose and pump for refills will also be taken away. The building time frame is 12 weeks before I will be able to go back to normal. Will 3 months with no proper water changes be a catastrophe for the tank?

My current regime is listed below and I will be honest. I probably could (should?) do a lot more but for those who have not read my old threads or seen my journal, I wanted a very low maintenance, low/mid tech tank that required minimal interference from me. Oh, my 2 year old daughter is about to have a baby sister a few weeks into the build too. Talk about timing!

• Juwel Vision 260 with Fluval FX4.
• No liquid ferts dosed routinely. Micro and Macros added when frogbit looks like it needs a boost (it rarely does and it has taken over!)
• CO2 injected at a very low level of 3 bubbles a second.
• Fish fed once or twice a week.
• Lighting from JBL LED Natur Solar and Effect using a low light programme.
• Large water change once every two weeks.
• Water top ups weekly due to evaporation as my hood is open (dust will hopefully not be an issue as a temporary wall is being constructed)
• Plant stems trimmed back when needed, old leaves removed. I have no visible algae anywhere.
• All in all, I think everyone is going well. This for me, is an achievement!

So, what should I be preparing myself for? Am I in for a tough time watching my tank deteriorate or am I worrying too much? The best option I can see is to keep light low and perhaps change a few buckets (20L ish and this will still be a job via small buckets) a couple of times a week. Will this even be worth it in a tank of my size? All ideas welcome and I thought it would be good for you to see how the tank has changed from its early days.

 

[noodlesuk]

Nice looking tank, beautiful green.

What about access to a sink, could you not run a hose inside to and from a sink? Use the mains pressure to provide a supply to buckets, get temperature right and decloronate, then syphon/pour into your tank?

Get a nice new hose to use, so other half doesn't comment, too much! Maybe a collapsible one

Amazon product ASIN B01IFPS6JS

 

[Tom Raffield]

Trouble is the nearest sink is now a huge distance away. The kitchen is being removed and we have no downstairs toilet!

I could manage carrying a few buckets every so often but not in the scale of 100s litres. Maybe 20-30 at a push.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

I could manage carrying a few buckets every so often but not in the scale of 100s litres. Maybe 20-30 at a push.

• No liquid ferts dosed routinely. Micro and Macros added when frogbit looks like it needs a boost (it rarely does and it has taken over!)
• CO2 injected at a very low level of 3 bubbles a second.
• Fish fed once or twice a week.

I'd go for that. I don't see any reason why things shouldn't carry on much as they are now.

when frogbit looks like it needs a boost (it rarely does and it has taken over!)

I'd just thin it a bit, even low tech and low nutrients I take a few plants out most weeks.

cheers Darrel

 

[AverageWhiteBloke]

Is getting hold of some 25ltr containers not an option filling them up and storing them near the tank before work commences?

 

[tacy k]

I use a Python attached to the kitchen tap ( but you could just use a hose from a garden tap ) to fill plastic dustbins next to the tank and then a cheap pond pump to pump the water in. (500l change on a 1000l system.)

 

[rubadudbdub]

Tank is looking great. Are you pleased with the rescape? I use a python. The long versions or extensions can get pricey. I have decided that if I need to extend mine I'll probably get some cheaper pvc pipe and a pipe connector.

 

[Tom Raffield]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I'm really pleased with how the tank looks having gutted it over the summer.

The works have started. I've decided to opt for small water changes more often. But I will be paying close attention to the plants to see if anything more is required. Hopefully the tank sees it through the build and comes out the other side looking as good as it is now.

 

[Tom Raffield]

So here we are, over 12 weeks later and I finally have my downstairs back! Hurray.

During the works my second daughter also arrived (almost born beside the fish tank but luckily made it to the ambulance outside before making an appearance - quite a story) so I have had very little time to tend to the tank.

All I managed to do during the works was top up water levels when required, remove old leaves and reduce surface plants and dose ferts based on the frogbit. So essentially I did nothing! Yet it survived, and not only that but it doesn't look bad. A bit wild maybe and my monte carlo has largely gone awful but decent nonetheless.

Today I managed my first proper water change and have attached photos of the tank during this process and throughout the afternoon as the sunset phase of lightning kicks in. As the tank appears to have coped remarkably well with very very low maintenance (what I wanted), is there some arguement to suggest that I could really move away from weekly water changes if I keep all the other factors as they have been during the build? This would definitely help my life with the two kids under 3. Be interesting to hear your thoughts.

Thanks everyone.

 

[John q]

This would definitely help my life with the two kids under 3. Be interesting to hear your thoughts.

I think you have to fit the tank around your lifestyle, if the above works for you and fish are fine then everyone's a winner.
And to be honest I quite like the au natrel look that's going on.

 

[not called Bob]

Often the less we stick our hands in bodies of water the more stable they become.