The big tank overhaul

[Ali Day]

Hi guys,
Would appreciate any input on a big tank overhaul that I'm going to carryout
in the next month or so, and any tips that you lot have from experience.

As you may well know I have a 600L tank stocked with;
4 Ottos
1 Bristlenose Pleco
2 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
10 Rummy nosed tetra
10 Clown loaches
6 Leopard danios
4 African Glass Catfish
4 SAE's
4 Diamond tetras
10 Guppies
1 Angel

My main reason is I'd like to change from the fine gravel I have at the
moment, as it get's dirty very quickly to gravel slightly larger and maybe
darker, and also to put in undergravel heating.

My plan is to buy two 150L bins drain alot of the water in to these two, and
put then fish in. I have two Rena XP3 filters and what I intend to do is put
the suction in one bin with the return going to the other bin, and then vice
versa so the water continually syphons through the two bins, with a heater
in each.

Then the plan was once the tank is cleaned fill the tank to the 300L leave
it a day or so, then put one bin worth of water back in the tank with a few
of the hardier fish giving them time to acclimatise, with one filter running
in the main tank leaving one in the bin. Then after a day or so put the rest
back in.

Any hints, tips or plain don't do's would be appreciated as it's the first
time I've done the strip down on something this size.

Cheers

A

[Richard Sexton]

In article >,
Ali Day > wrote:
>My plan is to buy two 150L bins drain alot of the water in to these two, and
>put then fish in. I have two Rena XP3 filters and what I intend to do is put
>the suction in one bin with the return going to the other bin, and then vice
>versa so the water continually syphons through the two bins, with a heater
>in each.
>
>Then the plan was once the tank is cleaned fill the tank to the 300L leave
>it a day or so, then put one bin worth of water back in the tank with a few
>of the hardier fish giving them time to acclimatise, with one filter running
>in the main tank leaving one in the bin. Then after a day or so put the rest
>back in.
>
>Any hints, tips or plain don't do's would be appreciated as it's the first
>time I've done the strip down on something this size.

Sounds perfect to me. Have fun.

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[Christopher Lewis]

>>Then the plan was once the tank is cleaned fill the tank to the 300L leave
>>it a day or so, then put one bin worth of water back in the tank with a
>>few
>>of the hardier fish giving them time to acclimatise, with one filter
>>running
>>in the main tank leaving one in the bin. Then after a day or so put the
>>rest
>>back in.


I am very new to keeping fish (see my post above) but i am an engineer. I
would just be carefull that the output of the two filter is exactly the same
as if its not you will end up with all the water in one bin!

I have seen plenty of pumps that are supposedly the same output but which
vary massively in reality. You may end up *in a very extreme case* with one
bin over flowing and one water level below th einlet to the filter.

Just a thought

Chris

[fish lover]

Why not leave the fish in the tank? Unless you want to move the tank
around. If all you need is taking out the gravel, you can buy a big
clear tube (I think about 1 and 1/2 inchs size is good enough) and
suck out all the gravel. I did exactly the same thing like that few
months ago and people here gave me that idea.

My tank is 125 g, I geuss is about 25g smaller than you tank but the
hight and lenght are the same.

Do it in few days instead of one shot. I vacumed 1/3 of my gravel in
every 3 days or so and replace all of them at the final day. I also
change 1/4 of water at the same time. Less shock to the fish for sure.

>Hi guys,
>Would appreciate any input on a big tank overhaul that I'm going to carryout
>in the next month or so, and any tips that you lot have from experience.
>
>As you may well know I have a 600L tank stocked with;
>4 Ottos
>1 Bristlenose Pleco
>2 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
>10 Rummy nosed tetra
>10 Clown loaches
>6 Leopard danios
>4 African Glass Catfish
>4 SAE's
>4 Diamond tetras
>10 Guppies
>1 Angel
>
>My main reason is I'd like to change from the fine gravel I have at the
>moment, as it get's dirty very quickly to gravel slightly larger and maybe
>darker, and also to put in undergravel heating.
>
>My plan is to buy two 150L bins drain alot of the water in to these two, and
>put then fish in. I have two Rena XP3 filters and what I intend to do is put
>the suction in one bin with the return going to the other bin, and then vice
>versa so the water continually syphons through the two bins, with a heater
>in each.
>
>Then the plan was once the tank is cleaned fill the tank to the 300L leave
>it a day or so, then put one bin worth of water back in the tank with a few
>of the hardier fish giving them time to acclimatise, with one filter running
>in the main tank leaving one in the bin. Then after a day or so put the rest
>back in.
>
>Any hints, tips or plain don't do's would be appreciated as it's the first
>time I've done the strip down on something this size.
>
>Cheers
>
>A
>

[NetMax]

"Ali Day" > wrote in message
...
> Hi guys,
> Would appreciate any input on a big tank overhaul that I'm going to
> carryout in the next month or so, and any tips that you lot have from
> experience.
>
> As you may well know I have a 600L tank stocked with;
> 4 Ottos
> 1 Bristlenose Pleco
> 2 Albino Bristlenose Pleco
> 10 Rummy nosed tetra
> 10 Clown loaches
> 6 Leopard danios
> 4 African Glass Catfish
> 4 SAE's
> 4 Diamond tetras
> 10 Guppies
> 1 Angel
>
> My main reason is I'd like to change from the fine gravel I have at the
> moment, as it get's dirty very quickly to gravel slightly larger and
> maybe darker, and also to put in undergravel heating.

Assuming it's a planted tank, keep in mind that coarser gravel is a bit
harder to grow plants in, and you will have lost all the mulm, which will
set them back.

> My plan is to buy two 150L bins drain alot of the water in to these
> two, and put then fish in. I have two Rena XP3 filters and what I
> intend to do is put the suction in one bin with the return going to the
> other bin, and then vice versa so the water continually syphons through
> the two bins, with a heater in each.

I've tried putting tanks in series using canister filters. I had a
bare-bottom holding tank filled with plant eaters, and a smaller plant
tank which I put in series to screen out any ammonia in the holding tank.
The set-up was temporary (1 week) and I expected the canisters to have
different flow rates, so I set up restricting valves to fine-tune them.
It worked, but it was horribly inefficient. For the first day, I was
adjusting the valves several times an hour. By the 2nd day, I only had
to adjust them hourly ;~). It takes very little flow difference (and
there will be a difference) to create a problem. I sort of solved it by
letting the larger tank slowly fill (giving me more time to make
adjustments), but all in all, other than it doing what I wanted
(plant-filtering a tank), it was one of lousier ideas.

> Then the plan was once the tank is cleaned fill the tank to the 300L
> leave it a day or so, then put one bin worth of water back in the tank
> with a few of the hardier fish giving them time to acclimatise, with
> one filter running in the main tank leaving one in the bin. Then after
> a day or so put the rest back in.

Sounds like it would work fine. There are a few ways to do it, not
neccesarily better, but do what you're comfortable with. I would be
doing large water changes now, so that by the time the overhaul starts,
your tank water is very similar to your tap water.

I would refill the the 600L, let it run a day (match temperatures with
your holding tanks), then dump 300L out of the tank, and put the holding
tank's water & fish in, in one go (by putting in about 100L catching the
fish, then putting the rest in, for each one).

> Any hints, tips or plain don't do's would be appreciated as it's the
> first time I've done the strip down on something this size.
>
> Cheers
>
> A

Don't do the series filter idea. Two filters, two holding tanks. jmo
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Ali Day]

"fish lover" > wrote in message
...
> Why not leave the fish in the tank? Unless you want to move the tank
> around. If all you need is taking out the gravel, you can buy a big
> clear tube (I think about 1 and 1/2 inchs size is good enough) and
> suck out all the gravel. I did exactly the same thing like that few
> months ago and people here gave me that idea.
>
> My tank is 125 g, I geuss is about 25g smaller than you tank but the
> hight and lenght are the same.
>
> Do it in few days instead of one shot. I vacumed 1/3 of my gravel in
> every 3 days or so and replace all of them at the final day. I also
> change 1/4 of water at the same time. Less shock to the fish for sure.

I can't leave the fish in the tank as when I add the substrate the water
will turn to mud, I need the gravel in place before hand to keep it in
place, but what I do like is the idea of removing everything with the tank
in situ.

Cheers

A

[NetMax]

"Ali Day" > wrote in message
...
>
> "fish lover" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Why not leave the fish in the tank? Unless you want to move the tank
>> around. If all you need is taking out the gravel, you can buy a big
>> clear tube (I think about 1 and 1/2 inchs size is good enough) and
>> suck out all the gravel. I did exactly the same thing like that few
>> months ago and people here gave me that idea.
>>
>> My tank is 125 g, I geuss is about 25g smaller than you tank but the
>> hight and lenght are the same.
>>
>> Do it in few days instead of one shot. I vacumed 1/3 of my gravel in
>> every 3 days or so and replace all of them at the final day. I also
>> change 1/4 of water at the same time. Less shock to the fish for sure.
>
> I can't leave the fish in the tank as when I add the substrate the
> water will turn to mud, I need the gravel in place before hand to keep
> it in place, but what I do like is the idea of removing everything with
> the tank in situ.
>
> Cheers
>
> A


Depending on the substrate you're using, rinse, rinse & rinse, then pour
it down a gravel vacuum tube. If that doesn't contain enough of the
fines, connect a hose to the tube and siphon the worst water (what is in
the tube and low to the gravel). Just ideas that have worked for me in
the past.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[sylvan butler]

On Sat, 4 Feb 2006 20:42:22 -0500, NetMax > wrote:
> I've tried putting tanks in series using canister filters. I had a
> bare-bottom holding tank filled with plant eaters, and a smaller plant
> tank which I put in series to screen out any ammonia in the holding tank.
> The set-up was temporary (1 week) and I expected the canisters to have
> different flow rates, so I set up restricting valves to fine-tune them.
> It worked, but it was horribly inefficient. For the first day, I was
> adjusting the valves several times an hour. By the 2nd day, I only had
> to adjust them hourly ;~). It takes very little flow difference (and
> there will be a difference) to create a problem. I sort of solved it by
> letting the larger tank slowly fill (giving me more time to make
> adjustments), but all in all, other than it doing what I wanted
> (plant-filtering a tank), it was one of lousier ideas.

Yup. Really the way to do it is pump from the lower tank, and let an
overflow on the higher tank drain back to the lower. That way, the only
concern is not to pump faster than the capacity of the overflow. The
overflow can even be a captive siphon style rigged to carry water over
the edge of the tank.

sdb
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