Hi all!
Since selling our 60P last year I have been running a small Aqua One Beta Trio which has been planted with crypts. Well now we are left with just the one Beta I decided it was time to pull out the dividers and make it a standard-ish tank
Currently the substrate is some two or three year old ADA stuff topped with black gravel. It's looking really tired and well past it's best and a bit of cyno here and there, so I plan to do a substrate change to brighten the thing up. I no longer have any spare tanks of filters (the Aqua One's filter is built in as a rear sump) that would ease the operation; so I'm thinking the following:
Day one, remove the plants and rocks, do a water change. Keep the water to float the plants in but do a four day black out to knock back the cyno.
Day four, empty half the water out into a large bucket and put the fish in. Empty the rest of the water into another bucket and put the filter sponges in. Empty the tank of all substrate and give it a clean. Add 1cm of Tropica plant growth and top off with sand and the stones. Rinse off the plants and replant them. Half fill the tank with clean water, then add the fish and the other half of the old tank water and refit the filter sponges
Does that sound a viable plan? Would I be expecting any problems like ammonia spikes? Any other ideas are always most welcome
Many thanks
Since selling our 60P last year I have been running a small Aqua One Beta Trio which has been planted with crypts. Well now we are left with just the one Beta I decided it was time to pull out the dividers and make it a standard-ish tank
Currently the substrate is some two or three year old ADA stuff topped with black gravel. It's looking really tired and well past it's best and a bit of cyno here and there, so I plan to do a substrate change to brighten the thing up. I no longer have any spare tanks of filters (the Aqua One's filter is built in as a rear sump) that would ease the operation; so I'm thinking the following:
Day one, remove the plants and rocks, do a water change. Keep the water to float the plants in but do a four day black out to knock back the cyno.
Day four, empty half the water out into a large bucket and put the fish in. Empty the rest of the water into another bucket and put the filter sponges in. Empty the tank of all substrate and give it a clean. Add 1cm of Tropica plant growth and top off with sand and the stones. Rinse off the plants and replant them. Half fill the tank with clean water, then add the fish and the other half of the old tank water and refit the filter sponges
Does that sound a viable plan? Would I be expecting any problems like ammonia spikes? Any other ideas are always most welcome
Many thanks