Gill Passman wrote:

We are still looking at redoing the tank

Thanks
Gill



Hi Gill,
Because the tank seems to have settled down, why not carry on with it
for a few more months before breakdown? Were it my aquarium I'd let
things stabilize completely with continued proper feeding and
maintenance, and without adding any more fish.

Tank breakdown may cause loss of beneficial bacteria from substrate and
tank walls. The whole process can stress the fish, possibly leading to
more losses. Just some thoughts.
Steve (in Canada)


The fish would be rehoused in a mature, cycled tank before any tank
breakdown. The main reason for thinking of doing this was for Matt's benefit
as he was quite upset as we kept losing the fish and feeling very negative
about the tank (see earlier posts_. However having talked to Matt (who's
tank it is) he wants to leave it now it is settled, which IMO is what I
think we should do....so agree with you.

The only thing that does niggle me is the gravel which I don't think is the
best for keeping clean. Maybe after we are sure all is settled we'll look at
doing a gradual change of this.

Thanks
Gill



Hi Gill,
You mentioned you're using coarse pea gravel that can trap more uneaten
food than a finer or mixed-size substrate. I think you're right in
wanting to eventually change it, however diligent weekly/ biweekly
gravel vacuuming (don't disturb plant roots too much) and moderate
twice-a-day feeding (fish will eat most food before it enters the
substrate) would probably make for a healthy aquarium, despite the pea
gravel. You'll have an idea of whether much food is being trapped, by
any "flaky" grunge recovered with the gravel vacuum. From your posts it
sounds like you have an excellent understanding of aquarium maintenance,
in any case!

In an earlier post in this thread, I reported being very happy with
eco-complete plant substrate, to which I changed my big aquarium all at
once. If you wish try an all-at once substrate change, it might be best
to let the aquarium settle down for a few months as you are planning,
before attempting it. Happy aquarium-keeping!
Steve (in Canada)