Looking for re-build advice.

[FintasticBubbles]

Hello, I want to make some drastic changes to my tank. I have a 55-gallon freshwater community tank; all of the plants have died and I am down to 4 small fish and some snails. None of the fish, decor/plants were specific to any region or "theme". I am interested in changing all of the hardscaping, adding new plants and new fish with a south american/amazon river theme and would like to pose the following questions to the community:

1. Is changing the substrate unheard of and/or recommended or not? Currently my substrate is eco-complete however it is over 5 years old.
2. Should I leave the fish in the tank while changing everything out or put them into a bucket with heater and air stone?
3. Does the overhaul require new "cycling"?
4. Anything I should keep in mind when considering such a re-build?

Any info you all can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Well for an 'extreme makeover' I think I'd remove the fish into another tank, bin or bucket, with heater and perhaps filter or at least an air stone with the filter media (to preserve beneficial bacteria).
I would replace the media. I'm not a fan of the commercial planted tank substrates. Instead I prefer sand, either silica (pool filter) or play sand (from the big box store). You just need to wash (er rinse) sand really well to remove fines.

Sand is of course inert so you may need root tabs for root feeder plants and an all purpose fert (like Seachem Comprehensive, Easy Green, or Thrive) for the water column. Some swear by dry fertilizers and mixing your own and you could, but I don't bother, preferring the liquids.

If you do a decent job of preserving your filter media AND considering you will have plants, you should be fine to add fish right after to set the tank back up. However, you should monitor closely and be prepared to do one or more water changes as/if necessary. Now if you use Prime, you'll have an additional advantage as it neutralizes ammonia/nitrites/nitrates for 48 hours.

Take your time on the re-scape adding stone, wood, and then your plants. A little extra time/care can make for a much better display (although you can make minor changes in the future, it's always nice to step back, happy with the original aquascape).

Best wishes and keep posting your progress.

 

[mikey11]

1 - if your changing the substrate for looks, then go for it, other then that leave it, substrate has beneficial bacteria in it which is good for the tank, substrate never "goes bad"

2 - definitely remove them

3 - no....as long as the bacteria in your filter are not killed....to prevent this, store your filter media in a zip lock bag filled with tank water and do not let the filter media dry out

4 - uuummm,how much work it will be?....money it will cost?

 

[Byron]

1. I would recommend changing the substrate. Eco-complete from the experience of many of us has no benefit for plants, and it is rough for substrate fish. I had Flourite for two years, worthless. I now have play sand in all 8 tanks, nothing much is better as it is completely safe, not rough, plants grow well in it, it looks natural, and substrate fish have no problems.

2. As has been mentioned, I would move the fish to a temporary tank (a "spare" 20g or 15g is a good idea). Removing the substrate means removing all décor and plants, and this is much too stressful to leave fish in the tank.

3. With plants that are growing, and floating are best for this, you will not have cycling issues, as has been mentioned.