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Well All its been a few months, i havent been about for a while, 2 jobs, school kinda makes it hard for some time. My tanks have gotten out of control with snails and algae. Most of the plants have either withered so there is nothing left or died. So I need some help, I want to completely ablitorate them and start over completely, new substrate, filtration, CO2, ferts. So I need to know where to start?

What do I do with my fish?
What do I do with my existing plants, what about the ones that are dying can I revive them??
Should I do one tank at once?

I need some help with a plan.

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

Are there two tanks with compatible fish if so put into one tank then work on one tank at a time. If not either get another tank or a suitable container that will do the job.

By doing one tank at a time it will be far easier for you.

Plants there is a good chance there could be snail eggs put them all in one tank with a CL or another suitable snail eater.
By floating the plants and using a good liquid fert they "might" come back to life the same goes for when relocating them into their new tank let them float for several weeks OK it will look untidy a bit but who cares the plants will pick up quickly and have a better chance of surviving.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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Hi,
Remove the plants from the tank and clean them under
running water that is about the same temperature as that
of the tank.
Healthy plants should be firm and the roots should be
white. It the stalks or crowns are soft and mushy,
then discard them. Any brown or black roots should be
removed from the base of the plant.

Replant the "keepers" and I'd add some fertilizer such
as SeaChem's Flourish.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

hey shane!
heres how i would do it:
empty the tank water into a large tub or container (rubbermaid coontainer may work).
put the filter onto the tub and place the fish and plant in there.

scoop out the old gravel and rinse it well. put it out on a cookie sheet or a few and sun dry. once dry place in a bag, several bottles, or a tupperware or similar container.

take the tank outside and hose it out and off very well. dry it with a towel well then take it inside. place the towel beneath the tank and let it sit for a day ot two.

get the new substrate rinsed and place it in the tank. then when doing a WC on the tub with the fish take that water and put it in the tank and finish filling it. then throw in a ZD or two to kickstart a cycle and put on the new filter... after a week i would move all the fish over and do another WC on the tub using the water from it into the tank. along with moving the filter form the tub onto the tank (to help with the cycle).

after a week or two the fish should be settled and the cycle complete so you should take off the old filter, clean it out well with warm water, allow it to air dry, then pack it away.

as far as ferts i use a pre mixed one like the flourish, but I actually use
tetra FloraPride.

I am not familiar with CO2, so i would ask about that in the planted forum (how to intall a CO2 sytem on a newly started/remodeled tank). you should get some better responses there. also look into whether you want pressurized or DIY.

GOOD LUCK!
-Brandon

as far as the

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

oh and for the plants, i would later put them into a large jar or soemthing with an airstone and ferts in a window or somewhere with lots of light so they can regrow... substrate may or mak not be used... but like keith said before i would suggest you do one tank at a time and not both or all of them simultaneoulsy as that can be a disater waiting to happen! as far as the snails you should look into "renting" a CL and exploiting it in the removal of the eggs and snails before you tear the tank apart!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

So okay, after reading your guys input, here is what im thinking

I can move my rasboras into my 35 gallon tank as its a community anyways, I can probably move the plants into a bucket I guess with the light and ferts.

I was thinking of going with ADA ammazonia soil but not sure how much id need for a 12X24 Sq Inch floor. Also im thinking I want to go canister but not sure of a cheap but quality canister filter out there for a 20 gallon.

Also do you guys think DIY or compressed CO2 and if compressed any cheap sites for parts???



Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

So I have been wanting to try the ADA soil for quite sometime now ever since I saw it at the NACU meetings i go to in which a tank had been setup with just rocks and small plants like LF. I also want to set one of those style up one day also but I want to go for a river look in this 20 gallon.... Anyways I have the parts needed for the DIY CO2 i have two 2 litre bottles setup, im just worried about mixing the yeast n stuff.

As far as filters are concerned im looking at canisters. they are EHIEM 2215 or the Ecco Comfort 2236 or the Rena Filstar XP2, now the Filstar supposedly does 300GPH where the ehiem only does somewhere in the range of 165 or so.... which do you think would be better???


Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

mmm prolyl wrong reply here but ive heard that the standered turnover for a tank should be 7x per hour, so devide 300 by 20 and you get 15, so itll turn over 15 times a hour, and devide 165 by 20 and you get like 8.5 turnovers a hour, less cleaning power, less current, but still suffeccint imo. But then, since when did my opinion matter

Hi,
In doing a search on aquarium filter turnover, I found
recommended turnover rates that varied from 3 to 10 times
per hour. That is a tremendous difference of opinions.

IMO, it would depend upon the size of the tank, and the
fish being housed in it. A turnover rate of 10x/hour in
a small tank would be like living in a wind tunnel.
Without substantial rocks in it, there would be no place
for the fish to "rest" they would be fighting the current
24/7. A very low turnover rate would lead to dead spots
sometimes called "sumps" where detritus would accumulate
and begin to rot. It could have areas where the water
temperature was actually lower than what the heater was
set for, and conversely, areas around the heater that
were hotter than its setting.

The turnover rate should also take into account the fish
that are living in the tank. Some fish avoid high currents
like the plague, while others frolic in it like kids in a
playground. Virtually all of them, however, need to have
sheltered areas provided so that they can get out of the
currents for rest be it a few hours or an overnight period.

Larger tanks should have higher turnovers, if for nothing
else than so the currents reach all parts of the tank
eliminating any dead spots and filtering all of the water
at least a few times an hour. Hard-scape should be
designed with the turnover rate in mind as well as its
appearance. The hard-scape can also be used to direct
the filter return currents about the tank.

To me, a filter return of 3x/hr would be fine, depending
upon the fish and tank capacity in a small tank. A filter
return of up to 10x/hour would be better in a "big water"
tank of 100G or larger.

Just some thoughts...
Frank

PS Skeye, everyone's opinion matters on FP.

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--