the_fuzz Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Just after some advice about doing a substrate change. Currently have a 4foot Malawi tank and during the Christmas break was looking to remove the standard "gravel" and replace with crushed marble. I have have a 3d background that I was going to remove and replace with black paint. Now, I was going to remove all water and fish and put it all into a 220L drum, change the substrate and background and then let settle for a couple of hours and then put fish back. Just for clarification, is this ok? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjmowens Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 the substrate change will be the easy part. you will need to do more than one coat of paint and therefore it will take alot longer than a couple of hours. even when there are no fish to be stored painting a tank is not something that you would like to rush. i suggest that you can change the substrate but maybe you should reconsider the background... HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Just remember to make sure whatever paint you use doesnt go into the main tank either, cause it could cause a fatal injury to your fish if it gets wet and dissolved when the tank is refilled Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbuna man Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 people have killed fish by spraying windex on the glass. So I imagine fumes from the paint might be just as fatal, may i sugest black contact if you wanted such a quick turnaround. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luket Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 people have killed fish by spraying windex on the glass. So I imagine fumes from the paint might be just as fatal, may i sugest black contact if you wanted such a quick turnaround. Are you serious? (windex I mean) Is it the fumes that kill the fish? Does anyone have an alternate method of ccleaning exterior glass? I've heard brown vinegar and news paper can be used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fongyfong Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 It should be okay but i suggest leave the background in, cos its gonna be a big hassle removing all that silicone off the tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phenomena Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 ...may i sugest black contact if you wanted such a quick turnaround. I second this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 people have killed fish by spraying windex on the glass. So I imagine fumes from the paint might be just as fatal, may i sugest black contact if you wanted such a quick turnaround. Are you serious? (windex I mean) Is it the fumes that kill the fish? Does anyone have an alternate method of ccleaning exterior glass? I've heard brown vinegar and news paper can be used? This is no joke, It almost happened to me! All the fish appeared to be gasping for air and after a detailed analysis of what could be the source it was found to be the windex sprayed to clean the outside of the tank. I believe that when you spray the outer part of the tank, the small particles of the spray (or fumes) are able to travel unto the water surface and settle (where a filmy coat can sometimes be noticed if the water isnt agitated much) from this point it starts causing problems in the water leading to a possible fatality of your fish should there be a large enough quantity that got in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fry_2_buy Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Oh, forgot to mention... if anyone ever comes across this problem be sure to do a water change and remove any film that might be sitting on the water surface, add some prime or equivelant and add some carbon into your filter. This should hopefully solve a potentially devastating crisis. As for what else there is to clean with, I believe it was recommended to me to use some metholated spirits or something along that line, HOWEVER I cannot confirm that so dont go trying it out until you know for sure. The best is to ask your LFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Siphon out the gravel. You shouldn't need to remove too much water doing this and if you do regard it as a water change, taking only as much gravel out as is safe for water levels, and do gravel removal in two or more stages. Consider using crushed limestone sand instead of marble. Leave fish in tank with filter running. Don't know how your background is attached inside tank but what ever is holding it in place can't be toxic. Just rip the background off and scrap silicone (or what ever) off with a blade. If concerned about floating particles, use a fine white net or be ready to siphon out debris. Don't know what access you have to back of tank but I assume you have this in hand. If you paint the back use a paint brush and I'd be very surprised if this causes death to fish. Move the air pump if this is close. If you want to remove the fish make absolutely sure that you maintain the filter's biological media with as much care as the fish. I clean all my tank glass with just a wet rag and dried off immediately with a clean dry rag. It's not like you are eating dinner off it - how dirty can it be? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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