frontyluv Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Hi to everyone. Have to move around 2 tanks to make room for a 6 footer. Exciting but also a pain in the butt. Is there a limit on how long you should keep gravel in a tank? Should it be replaced once a year or doesn't it really matter? Would stripping all the gravel from a tank,moving the tank & then replacing it in the same tank cause any issues i should be aware of?? If i replaced the old gravel with new gravel would i have any problems i should be aware of? Best way to set up this new tank so i dont have to wait forever ...please advise cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightexpress Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 you don't have to change gravel but more info is required eg.what sort of fish you going to keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontyluv Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 Fish are~ frontosa, pleco ~ this tank being relocated..same fish going back in this tank till new tank is ready. smaller tanks~ frontosa fry & bristlers.~ tank being relocated same fish going back in there till tank above is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 clean it if you want but there is no need to repace it. It is little rocks, why would that need replacment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightexpress Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 if you got the money why don't you change it to fine coral sand with a little bit of gravel. it will keep your Ph up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakes Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 hi, no need at all to replace the gravel. In fact unless its really dirty i wouldn't even clean it. It will retain some beneficial bacteria and your filter will soon clear the initial cloudiness. On the other hand if you're re-installing a mature filter it doesn't matter much what you do with the gravel. If changing to new gravel, make sure you do use a mature filter or you will have to cycle the tank. cheers Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontyluv Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 Midnight express....Had the shell grit/crushed coral whatever you like to call it in the tanks before because i lived in melbourne & the ph needed the boost. But tbh thought it made the fish look real drained of colour.(frontosa) Here PH isn't a problem the tap water is always up around 7.4. so back to the question..moving the gravel will not upset the bacteria etc.i wont end up with any spikes in ammonia or anything? Using some of this old gravel in the new tank would help to establish it faster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontyluv Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 cheers glenn thats all i wanted to know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 yeah, biologically you're best using the old gravel & water if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakes Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 no probs, but just as a side comment, alot of people would consider a pH of 7.4 a bit low for Rift Lake cichlids. You might want to consider using a buffer of some sort. cheers Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightexpress Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 lets not get into buffer debate on this thread as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontyluv Posted August 29, 2005 Author Share Posted August 29, 2005 yup ....use a buffer. tanks sit around 7.8. fronts breeding no probs but thats why i want to get everything right before i start the move around. dont need no mishaps. um so for the new tank to get it happening fast..i use some old gravel & some new ......im getting a new external filter for the new tank so should i run it in the old tank to build up the goodies first before dumping it in the new tank?yes?? geez wheres the help file on how to do it all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakes Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 hi, i don't see any point running the new filter in an old tank, especially if the new tank is just sitting idle in the meantime. The filter will take some time to mature regardless of what tank you hook it up to, but if you can hook it up to an old tank and stir up the substrate then i guess it might help the seeding process. Just make sure you use as much mature media as possible, either in the filter or in the form of old gravel, and you should be fine. As an example I recently set up a new tank with a new filter and added all the fish the following day. However - i did add about 20kg of gravel from a mature tank on start-up. It didn't miss a beat..no trace of ammonia or nitrite appeared. Glenn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OziOscar Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 It never hurts, if you have the time, to run a new filter on an old tank as it will definitely assist in the maturation of the media - not to mention a performance test to make sure it's going to work rather than the risk of a DOA out of the box. Alternatively, strip some of the old media into the new filter for seeding. The old gravel is pretty rich in various microbial action so that's a very, very good start. Lots of luck with your new big 'un. Cheers - OziOscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frontyluv Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 thanks to all the helpers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Bi-Carb will raise your pH if your interested in getting it up abit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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