# RE: Update on 1 1/2 year tank



## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*RE: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Hello all, I was told to come here with further questions since Diana is very busy and cannot answer every question I may have, I am going to start off with what I wrote to Diana.

"I was having trouble at home and had to move in somewhere else, so I wasn't able to keep maintenance on the plants, so they have over run the tank and I can't really do anything about it, however, testing the water the ammonia is basically 0 and so is the nitrite, nitrate is quite low, and the PH seems to be around 8.2ish if I recall correctly.

I have Trumpet Snails and some other snails that hitched a ride from the fish store, now I also have orange Cherry Shrimp that seem to be thriving.

Unfortunately my tank is nowhere near as gorgeous as your tanks or other peoples, but I think I remember you saying that looks aren't always reminiscent of fact(?). "

Now, just to clarify, looking at my photos I have linked the picture looks really bad but the water is actually more so clear with green tint.



http://imgur.com/PEC5Bun


Diana said


> "For keeping water clear, you need to have growing plants, not just stagnant plants. I would thin out about 20 of the plants in the foreground. Just snip off the top portion. This will encourage new growth. The rotting of dead roots in the substrate will generate CO2. A water change and the addition of a few new plant species wouldn't hurt."


So I'm going to do that. One more question, would my tank still be considered healthy? Even though it's really messy?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

No photos showed up??

Welcome to APC, where we are lucky enough to have Diana Walstad as one of our members and moderators. Try again to post the photos and I'm sure you will get some opinions about how healthy your tank is.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



hoppycalif said:


> No photos showed up??
> 
> Welcome to APC, where we are lucky enough to have Diana Walstad as one of our members and moderators. Try again to post the photos and I'm sure you will get some opinions about how healthy your tank is.


Hmm, it seems it won't show up so I have to post it as a link, is that okay?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Your original post now has a link to a couple of photos of the tank, so that problem is solved.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> So I'm going to do that. One more question, would my tank still be considered healthy? Even though it's really messy?


Welcome to the forum! And thanks for posting here.

I'd say your tank is plenty healthy. There are some folks that would be very glad to have a tank where the fish, plants, snails, etc are doing well. No fish diseases, dying plants, contaminated water, etc.

All you need is a little tweaking to get rid of cloudy water. (If you have to get rid of it, a UV sterilizing filter will fix it in 24 hours.)

How long do you keep the lights on per day? You may just need to damp down the lighting. If you've got LED lights on 9-14 hours per day, it probably is too much. In my 2019/2020 revision, I provided some information on adjusting LED lighting and made some recommendations that should help control greenwater algae.

Photos of your tank are now up and running.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



dwalstad said:


> Welcome to the forum! And thanks for posting here.
> 
> I'd say your tank is plenty healthy. There are some folks that would be very glad to have a tank where the fish, plants, snails, etc are doing well. No fish diseases, dying plants, contaminated water, etc.
> 
> ...


Hi Diana, I'm incredibly sorry for taking so long to respond, life is tough.

Anyway, I have done some "major" trimmings, recently, I might do more, what do you think?

Tank 1:


http://imgur.com/MC36nUk


Tank 2:


http://imgur.com/N88tmIh


If I recall correctly, you said that after I trim the plants some of them will rot? Which will clear the water? Or did you advise I should leave some of the trimmings in the tank? I have thrown most of them a way as there was a huge pile.

As you can see the first tank is overrun basically by Jungle Valve (I think that's the plant), I'm not sure how I am going to plant more species like you suggested in the email. The second take is a different story, as it hasn't been up for as long as the first tank. I have tried planting a carpet plant like Hair Grass, but it's proving to not be spreading, although it is alive as you can see in the pics.

Should I just keep trimming the plants in the fore ground in the first tank? How much more? I am a little afraid I'll disturb the life in there, as it is I have already accidently chopped a snail in half :-(.

About the UV stuff, I don't have that, I do have LED lights though, 1 for the first tank and 2 for the second, they are on from 8:00 AM to 1:00PM, then turn back on from 5:00PM to 10:00PM. Should I change it? They are around 806 lumens if I am correct.

Thanks for responding Diana, I really appreciate it. I know my aquariums look ugly, but as long as I can keep everything healthy, I don't mind. Though I would like to keep things neater, although I'm unsure if it's possible with the first tank anymore.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Bump.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> If I recall correctly, you said that after I trim the plants some of them will rot? Which will clear the water? Or did you advise I should leave some of the trimmings in the tank? I have thrown most of them a way as there was a huge pile.


She said that, as a result of the trimming (and yes, toss out the trimmings as you did), some of the roots will begin to decompose, releasing CO2. The tops and roots of plants form a sort of balance, you could say.

Picture the grass in your yard: taller grass has longer roots under the soil. If you mow the grass really short, the living roots will be shallower (because the plant no longer needs* deep roots, nor can the short "tops" support growth of deep roots). If you keep the grass taller, it will have deeper roots, because the plant needs the extra root mass to feed the "tops", and the tops, in turn, foster more root development.

(*I say this cautiously...looking in the realm of an aquarium. Your yard grass DOES kinda' "need" deeper roots, to help it survive drought and such things. But that gets into another topic altogether.)

Regarding your tank with all the Vallisneria (if that's correct): If you want to make room for more species, to get a variety in there, you'd probably have to start hand-pulling to make sure you get all the runners. But you don't necessarily HAVE to (if you are satisfied with a mono-culture scape). It seems to be working for you. But yeah, cramming additional species amongst a healthy stand of Jungle Val isn't likely to work for those new plants.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Not sure what to say. It seems like there's something in both tanks that's causing cloudy, tea-colored water. The second tank looks like you've got driftwood in it. Driftwood could cause the cloudiness problem and/or there's something weird about the substrate.

Do you have driftwood in both tanks? Did you use the same substrate in both tanks?

Usually cloudy water is due to green water algae or bacterial growth in new setups. In a 1 and 1/2 year-old- tank packed with Vallisneria, I would expect to see crystal clear water.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



davemonkey said:


> She said that, as a result of the trimming (and yes, toss out the trimmings as you did), some of the roots will begin to decompose, releasing CO2. The tops and roots of plants form a sort of balance, you could say.
> 
> Picture the grass in your yard: taller grass has longer roots under the soil. If you mow the grass really short, the living roots will be shallower (because the plant no longer needs* deep roots, nor can the short "tops" support growth of deep roots). If you keep the grass taller, it will have deeper roots, because the plant needs the extra root mass to feed the "tops", and the tops, in turn, foster more root development.
> 
> ...


So my soil isn't deep enough? This is all starting to puzzle me 

Would it be okay for me to go in there and "start pulling"? I mean, is it okay to disrupt everything like that? Everything seems really sturdy and completely rooted in there, it was hard enough getting some out of the 50 gal.



dwalstad said:


> Not sure what to say. It seems like there's something in both tanks that's causing cloudy, tea-colored water. The second tank looks like you've got driftwood in it. Driftwood could cause the cloudiness problem and/or there's something weird about the substrate.
> 
> Do you have driftwood in both tanks? Did you use the same substrate in both tanks?
> 
> Usually cloudy water is due to green water algae or bacterial growth in new setups. In a 1 and 1/2 year-old- tank packed with Vallisneria, I would expect to see crystal clear water.


This is where I confess I made some miscalculations, the substrate I got was too small, and what ended up happening apparently is that the dirt from underneath actually came up to the top, I'm guessing this happened in the 50 gal as well. I used the same substrate in both tanks, this one to be exact: LINK.

The second tank has quite a lot of drift wood, my first one however, the smaller tank, has no driftwood. The water has a greenish tint.

Would it be okay for me to go ham in there and pull out roots and plant a more varied selection of plants? I'm thinking if worse comes to worse I could always try and start over. In the second tank, I don't know if you saw, but I tried planting dwarf hair grass, and while it seems to be alive, it just won't spread, so I'm kind of stuck for what to do.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Nothing wrong with vacuuming the mulm and do a water change to make it look good.
Fish health would be better for it.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> So my soil isn't deep enough? This is all starting to puzzle me
> 
> Would it be okay for me to go in there and "start pulling"? I mean, is it okay to disrupt everything like that? Everything seems really sturdy and completely rooted in there, it was hard enough getting some out of the 50 gal.
> 
> ...


Okay, so it's not the driftwood. I wouldn't do anything (no planting, pulling, etc) until I know what you used as a substrate in these tanks. That said, your link was very helpful.

According to the link you provided, you used quartz sand (0.1-0.3 mm) as a substrate. Does the substrate consist entirely of this sand? Or did you just use it as a cap? Did you add any other solid material to your substrate?

If the substrate in the two tanks consists entirely of this sand, that would explain all your problems. Sand provides no nutrients, so plants grow poorly in it. Once mulm accumulates, a tough plant like Val can do okay, but not other more demanding plant species.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



dwalstad said:


> Okay, so it's not the driftwood. I wouldn't do anything (no planting, pulling, etc) until I know what you used as a substrate in these tanks. That said, your link was very helpful.
> 
> According to the link you provided, you used quartz sand (0.1-0.3 mm) as a substrate. Does the substrate consist entirely of this sand? Or did you just use it as a cap? Did you add any other solid material to your substrate?
> 
> If the substrate in the two tanks consists entirely of this sand, that would explain all your problems. Sand provides no nutrients, so plants grow poorly in it. Once mulm accumulates, a tough plant like Val can do okay, but not other more demanding plant species.


I apologize once again for the very late reply Diana. I'll explain what I did;

I followed your book, what I could remember or at least understand, I added 2 inches of soil, regular potting soil, and topped it off with that sand that I sent you in the link. I then added a few different plants like you suggested in my first emails to you.

On another forum not too long ago, someone said the that the sand that I used to top was too small (the grain that is), and basically it's fallen to the bottom, which is why in the first tank you may notice that the bottom is white and the top is brown/black.

I am thinking I have probably made a mistake that's gonna cost me my tanks now, should I restart over again? What do you recommend? I guess all I can do is learn and move forward.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Normally we use 1-3 mm sand, not 0.1-0.3 mm. And, it is true that tiny particles always migrate to the bottom, while larger particles migrate to the top. I think you have identified what your problem is!!


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## Daz (Aug 15, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> On another forum not too long ago, someone said the that the sand that I used to top was too small (the grain that is), and basically it's fallen to the bottom, which is why in the first tank you may notice that the bottom is white and the top is brown/black.


Been there, done that; the very fine sand eventually displaced all the soil at the bottom of the tank. I ended up siphooning out all the dirt, but the plants never really did great, and when I finally dismantled those tanks (after a few years), the roots of even huge Echinodorus uruguayensis were partially rotten. Additionally, new waste doesn't penetrate into the sand, and just sits on top of it.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> I added 2 inches of soil, regular potting soil, and topped it off with that sand that I sent you in the link.
> On another forum not too long ago, someone said the that the sand that I used to top was too small (the grain that is), and basically it's fallen to the bottom, which is why in the first tank you may notice that the bottom is white and the top is brown/black.
> 
> I am thinking I have probably made a mistake that's gonna cost me my tanks now, should I restart over again? What do you recommend? I guess all I can do is learn and move forward.


You're getting _invaluable_ input from other members of this forum. Thanks guys!

Note: I recommend 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil.

I would be inclined to start over following my book's recommendations. One inch of potting soil covered with 1 inch (or less) of gravel (1-3 mm size). Note that the gravel compacts the fluffy potting soil and increases its ability to deliver nutrients to plant roots. Lots of factors...


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



hoppycalif said:


> Normally we use 1-3 mm sand, not 0.1-0.3 mm. And, it is true that tiny particles always migrate to the bottom, while larger particles migrate to the top. I think you have identified what your problem is!!


Just so I'm not missing anything, I ended up using the wrong topping substrate?



Daz said:


> Been there, done that; the very fine sand eventually displaced all the soil at the bottom of the tank. I ended up siphooning out all the dirt, but the plants never really did great, and when I finally dismantled those tanks (after a few years), the roots of even huge Echinodorus uruguayensis were partially rotten. Additionally, new waste doesn't penetrate into the sand, and just sits on top of it.


Okay, oh well, I guess this will have to be a learning experience!

When I dismantle my tanks, what do I do about the snails and shrimp in there? I usually end up tipping everything out of my tanks into the garden (except the driftwood of course, I keep that), but is there a humane way of getting rid of all those Shrimp and Snails?



dwalstad said:


> You're getting _invaluable_ input from other members of this forum. Thanks guys!
> 
> Note: I recommend 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil.
> 
> I would be inclined to start over following my book's recommendations. One inch of potting soil covered with 1 inch (or less) of gravel (1-3 mm size). Note that the gravel compacts the fluffy potting soil and increases its ability to deliver nutrients to plant roots. Lots of factors...


Oh yes! It was 1 inch I used, I'm used to the "cm" metric so I got them mixed up. Diana, and everyone else, I can't thank you enough for the help, even though I stuffed up my first two attempts at the Walstad Method, at least it's been a fun learning experience.

Diana (or anyone else), one last question before I go, what gravel do you recommend? When I first started the tanks I used sand because I was thinking of adding Cory's in, and I heard they like soft sand because it's easy on their whiskers. When I restart over, will carpet plants thrive in the gravel? I'm probably mistaken but I thought possible if the gravel is too big it might crush the plant roots and they won't be able to get nutrients from the potting soil below the gravel.


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## Hank Junior (Oct 1, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Stace, haven't set up a Walstad style tank yet, only just got the book, but my long term plan is to keep corys. Starting with plants first.

Currently experimenting with a high-light and low-light section of tank so I can keep both high light loving and low light plants together in the same tank, but my goal eventually is to have a sand section for the cory's, maybe 1/4 of the tank in space. Just fine sand, nothing else.

If you have a large enough tank you could consider different sections - a planted section, fish catching end like described in the book, etc... The Corys can have their ideal substrate and the plants their section too - just a thought. My dream has always been to have a huge tank with different areas in it - not sure I will ever get that far.

To acheive different substrates in the one tank may take some ingenuity though - rocks as dividers etc... This way it would be a say 70% planted tank, 30% other....


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> Just so I'm not missing anything, I ended up using the wrong topping substrate?
> ...........
> Diana (or anyone else), one last question before I go, what gravel do you recommend? When I first started the tanks I used sand because I was thinking of adding Cory's in, and I heard they like soft sand because it's easy on their whiskers. When I restart over, will carpet plants thrive in the gravel? I'm probably mistaken but I thought possible if the gravel is too big it might crush the plant roots and they won't be able to get nutrients from the potting soil below the gravel.


Yes, you used sand with too small particles. If you have access to swimming pool filter sand, that is the ideal size particles. I have used that sand many times with very good results.

Corys are not harmed by the sand particles. They can dig around in whatever sand you use. All aquatic plants do well in pool filter sand. Remember, nothing is very heavy when in the water. Buoyancy affects sand particles just as it affects human bodies. Roots don't support the sand particles, the roots grow in the open areas between particles, so they can't be crushed by heavy sand. Plant roots grow towards where they can get nutrients, so they will probably end up in the soil below the sand. Soluble nutrients in the soil will spread into the sand too, and into the water.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Easy to get cm and inches mixed up. I admire your persistence.

I'm not sure that potting soil mixed with very fine sand would cause a major problem. After all, soil often contains fine sand. I would not give up entirely. The first tank looks like it just needs a water change and some carbon filtration. You could try adding _potted_ Amazon swordplants, Red Tiger Lotus, stem plants, etc. There's no reason to start over. You can just cut off the tops of the Val and squeeze in a pot or two, making sure bottom of pot rests on the bottom.

I noticed that the second tank has driftwood that seems to be sitting on top of the substrate. Be careful about putting driftwood and rocks on top of substrate. They will "smother" the soil layer.

I think you're just going to have to experiment a little until you get something that works for you. This is why I always recommend that people start out with small tanks. There's often a learning curve to keeping planted aquaria.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



hoppycalif said:


> Yes, you used sand with too small particles. If you have access to swimming pool filter sand, that is the ideal size particles. I have used that sand many times with very good results.
> 
> Corys are not harmed by the sand particles. They can dig around in whatever sand you use. All aquatic plants do well in pool filter sand. Remember, nothing is very heavy when in the water. Buoyancy affects sand particles just as it affects human bodies. Roots don't support the sand particles, the roots grow in the open areas between particles, so they can't be crushed by heavy sand. Plant roots grow towards where they can get nutrients, so they will probably end up in the soil below the sand. Soluble nutrients in the soil will spread into the sand too, and into the water.


I see, yeah I was mostly talking about gravel, the pebble ones I heard can hurt Cory's, I'm unsure whether it's true or not.

Would this kind of sand work? Is there any specific brand you recommend? Specific size?



dwalstad said:


> Easy to get cm and inches mixed up. I admire your persistence.
> 
> I'm not sure that potting soil mixed with very fine sand would cause a major problem. After all, soil often contains fine sand. I would not give up entirely. The first tank looks like it just needs a water change and some carbon filtration. You could try adding _potted_ Amazon swordplants, Red Tiger Lotus, stem plants, etc. There's no reason to start over. You can just cut off the tops of the Val and squeeze in a pot or two, making sure bottom of pot rests on the bottom.
> 
> ...


I see, I'm not sure whether it's that noticeable in the photos, but there's a lot of very dark algae visible on the side of the tank under the substrate, I'm guessing this is probably because of the skylight I have that the tank is under, which I probably should and covered up.

If I were to start over with both tanks, how do I go about with the shrimp and snails? I don't feel entirely comfortable just, you know, "throwing them out" during the restart.

I'm thinking if I have made such a vital mistake I might as well start over, after all the Dwarf Hair Grass plants aren't spreading, but their not dying either (not sure if you might possibly know a reason for that), but I'm guessing it could have something to do with the imbalance in the tank and the way I've structured it.

The reason I'm thinking it may be better to start over is because I've realized it's probably better that I'm there preforming regular maintenance in the first couple months, which I failed to do with both tanks because of my living situation, but it should be doable now. Would it be better to put the drift wood in first next time? Then add the potting mix around it and the gravel on top?



Hank Junior said:


> If you have a large enough tank you could consider different sections - a planted section, fish catching end like described in the book, etc... The Corys can have their ideal substrate and the plants their section too - just a thought.


I don't recall everything I read in the book, I do however vaguely remember something about different sections, truth be told I had to read over a few chapters a couple times because I was struggling understanding everything.

Ultimately I remember seeing this video , which interested me because I love the concept of a completely natural tank, or as natural as you can get which acts as a eco system like in the wild, where the cycle is continuing with little to no maintenance.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

That pool filter sand should work very well. I have tried several brands and didn't see any difference between them. This is the one I plan to try next: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...pa-and-supplies/swimming-pool-equipment/83029


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## Daz (Aug 15, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> I see, yeah I was mostly talking about gravel, the pebble ones I heard can hurt Cory's, I'm unsure whether it's true or not.


Not sure if "hurt", but in my experience cory's barbels were a lot longer in my fine-sand turned-over tanks than in my gravel tanks.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



hoppycalif said:


> That pool filter sand should work very well. I have tried several brands and didn't see any difference between them. This is the one I plan to try next: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...pa-and-supplies/swimming-pool-equipment/83029


Oh okay. About tearing the tank down, what do I do with the snails and shrimp in there already?


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## Daz (Aug 15, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> Oh okay. About tearing the tank down, what do I do with the snails and shrimp in there already?


why not put them in the new setup?


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## Hank Junior (Oct 1, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

Stace, just to explain - "the different sections" was my idea, I have always tried to have tanks with not a uniform layout, ie one section for plants, another darker or sandy section for fish - I like the creative aspects of it. In the book there is mention of how to catch fish in a planted tank, and the author explains that she has a non-planted end and uses dividers to corall and catch fish there. That was my meaning.

For quite a few years I have kept some left over tiles (natural rock smooth tiles) from a house build and have been planning to use them with sand in a cory dedicated tank, and incorporate a small planted section for tank and fish health. One day soon I will find the time and location to do it.

I don't have alot of fish experience though - most of my experience is plants and most of my tanks have only had plants in them.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Daz said:


> why not put them in the new setup?


How would I do that? I will be tearing down each tank, I have nowhere else to put them, plus my snails are all over the place, I am unsure if I'll be able to save them all, same goes with the shrimp.

@hoppycalif


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*

When I was younger, and able to work all day, I used a 5 gallon bucket as the resting place for my fish as I removed the substrate, etc. from my tank, cleaned it, put new substrate in, replanted it, filled it with water. Then I put the fish back in the tank. I don't recall it harming any of the fish, but it was an exhausting all day job. Snails lay eggs all over the tank, so you quickly have plenty of new snails when you do this.


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## Stace (Sep 17, 2020)

hoppycalif said:


> When I was younger, and able to work all day, I used a 5 gallon bucket as the resting place for my fish as I removed the substrate, etc. from my tank, cleaned it, put new substrate in, replanted it, filled it with water. Then I put the fish back in the tank. I don't recall it harming any of the fish, but it was an exhausting all day job. Snails lay eggs all over the tank, so you quickly have plenty of new snails when you do this.


Wow, I'll try that. I'm feeling kind of nervous, I'll need to get everything ready before I do that. Or I could try move all the little creatures to my 50 gal while I reset the 13 gal tank.

Another thing I am afraid of is stressing out the shrimp, they are very difficult to catch when I look back to my first bunch I got.

Another question Hoppy, what is the best substrate you use in your opinion? Overall I just want a tank that is going to be as healthy as possible, kind of like what you see out in nature. I don't want to make the same mistakes I made last time. Sorry for asking so many questions, please excuse my ignorance.


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## Daz (Aug 15, 2020)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> kind of like what you see out in nature


More often than not, "nature" in tropical rivers and ponds means muddy substrate, debris covering most plants, at least slightly turbid water and algae growing all over the place. "Nature" can also mean a river stream with sandy or rocky substrate with a few patches of plants, but mostly "empty". Don't let this "nature" concept that goes around so much (and is so far from what you actually see in nature) sway your decisions; instead aim for what *you *want your tanks to look like, without seeking for validation in a supposedly "proper" way of having tanks. As long as you are not unnecessarily causing pain to other life forms, whatever makes you feel good, *is* good.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: Update on 1 1/2 year tank*



Stace said:


> Wow, I'll try that. I'm feeling kind of nervous, I'll need to get everything ready before I do that. Or I could try move all the little creatures to my 50 gal while I reset the 13 gal tank.
> 
> Another thing I am afraid of is stressing out the shrimp, they are very difficult to catch when I look back to my first bunch I got.
> 
> Another question Hoppy, what is the best substrate you use in your opinion? Overall I just want a tank that is going to be as healthy as possible, kind of like what you see out in nature. I don't want to make the same mistakes I made last time. Sorry for asking so many questions, please excuse my ignorance.


The "best" substrate depends on what "system" you are using. For a regular aquarium, that is fertilized regularly and has high intensity lighting, ADA Aqua Soil - Amazonia was the best for me. For a substrate with soil as the bottom layer, I had the most success with river bank soil (silt) as the base and pool filter sand as the top layer. But much of that success might have been because of how well I maintained the tanks.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

“Another question Hoppy, what is the best substrate you use in your opinion?”

As Hoppy noted, it kinda depends. For just starting off, my most successful aquarium was with Flourite as substrate. It has a drawback in that it needs copious rinsing before putting in the tank, but it’s a fantastic basic substrate for low tech/moderate lighting.


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