A clean slate

[babygeige]

The population of my 30 gallon tank has been declining lately, partly because really old fish are dying off and partly because something has been wrong with some of my harlequin rasboras since I got them and it's finally catching up with them.

And I figure since I'm so frustrated with the plants anyway, I might just to an almost complete tear down and start over. I'll probably keep the gravel, but I'm thinking about getting rid of the rocks I've had in there and getting a long piece of drift wood or something.

My LFS has a trade in program for lights, so I traded in the T5 fixture I had and got a basic Marineland Double Bright LED fixture. I know it's not the best LED light, but I'm probably just going to go back down to low-light requirement plants.

Another thing I was tossing around was removing the gravel and replacing it with a finer substrate and getting some of those silly shell-dwelling cichlids, or other fish that like sandy substrate. I've never had sand before though...is it hard to keep clean without vacuuming it all up?

[Carl]

Another thing I was tossing around was removing the gravel and replacing it with a finer substrate and getting some of those silly shell-dwelling cichlids, or other fish that like sandy substrate. I've never had sand before though...is it hard to keep clean without vacuuming it all up?

Yes IMO, it takes a very soft touch along with constant "kinking" of the hose to prevent sand from being sucked up.

One way I have dealt with a fine sand in both marine and freshwater aquariums is to place about 1/2" of medium gravel on top of the sand to trap larger debris and make vacuuming easier and lessen the chance of Hydrogen sulfide build-up

This idea may defeat the the purpose of having fine sand for shell dwelling Cichlids, but if the layer of more coarse gravel is light enough, this should not present to much of a problem .

BTW, good luck with your aquarium overhaul, which often is a good way to re-kindle interest in your aquarium

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Sorry to hear that your fish have been dying off. I have similar going on with very old fish as well. The sand and cichlids sounds like a really cool idea. I haven't ever had sand substrate so I can't give advice on cleaning. However, I personally find tanks with sand quite beautiful. Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your new setup when you restart!

Renee

[babygeige]

I'm used to keeping a gravel siphon kinked while cleaning my 10 gallon shrimp tank (and I STILL almost always suck up baby shrimp!), so that might not be too difficult.

I've got a couple of big decorative rocks in there now. I'm definitely tired of them, so they are absolutely going to be out of the future tank.

We'll see. I've got some research to do, and my fish aren't dead yet, so there's time. Somewhere around here I have a "wish list" of fish I've been thinking about keeping. Now I just have to remember where I put it...

[eighty8]

Alternately you can just let the sand get sucked up and then strain it from the bucket when you're done (assuming you're using a bucket). I have a few strainers in the kitchen made from a really fine plastic mesh that work well and I find it easier than trying to meticulously skim the sand.

[devonjohnsgard]

Good idea eighty8 and welcome to the forum! It's good to have your opinion.

[babygeige]

May 28, 2013 7:39:15 GMT -5 eighty8 said:

Alternately you can just let the sand get sucked up and then strain it from the bucket when you're done (assuming you're using a bucket). I have a few strainers in the kitchen made from a really fine plastic mesh that work well and I find it easier than trying to meticulously skim the sand.

Yeah, that's an idea.
I'm leaning toward just keeping the gravel I have now. There are enough other fish I can get that won't require me to go through all that. I'll change up the plants and the decor and that should be enough.