What to do with Fish if i dirt my tank?

I am thinking about dirting my 26 gallon tank. I do not like the results of eco complete mixed with plain gravel. The problem is that I do not have another tank to keep my tetras and shrimp in.  Would i be able to keep them in a big tote overnight or however long it takes to get the tank ready after dirting it? What should i put in with them? and also what is the best cheap brand of gravel to cap the dirt with?

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Permalink Reply by Chris T on June 17, 2012 at 8:05am

if your leaving them overnight you can just run an airline in it

Permalink Reply by Mitch Saulsberry on June 17, 2012 at 11:47pm

Thanks,and do you think overnight would be long enough? because how many and what % water changes should i do before adding the fish back?

Permalink Reply by Freshtadef on June 20, 2012 at 3:40pm

I put mine in a tote and hung the filter on the side check my pics

 

Permalink Reply by Mitch Saulsberry on June 21, 2012 at 3:54pm

Thanks freshtadef i will do that. I saw your pictures. How many water changes did you do before adding the fish again?

Permalink Reply by Freshtadef on June 21, 2012 at 8:59pm

I did 5 half a tank and 1 full tank water changes.

Permalink Reply by Nick's Wet World (0_o) on June 22, 2012 at 5:56pm

ideally you shouyld be able to add the fish back to the tank after dirting if your filter has already been established, have good fast feeding plants and if you have capped your dirt properly.

It also helps if you have pre soak your soil and squeeze the excess before adding it to your tank to remove small particles and excess nutrients.

as for capping. Any small pea gravel will work,  you don't want too big of a gravel size. .

Permalink Reply by Mitch Saulsberry on June 24, 2012 at 11:35pm

Thanks for the advice. so should i just soak it in a bucket? and then do water changes on the bucket or something lol?

Permalink Reply by Balaam ramirez on June 26, 2012 at 2:42am

i just placed mine in a 15 gallon tote with the filter, heater and part of the lid on it (to prevent any of my fish from jumping out). i also placed all the decors i wanted to keep in there, so that i can keep as much of the bacteria alive (Beneficial Bacteria starts to die after an hour if not provide enough oxygen) . i used play sand but you can also use pool filter sand. just make sure you wash it good. It is also best to let your dirt soak for a while to remove excess nutrients and start building bacteria. i let mine soak for a month.  but as Nick's Wet World (0_o) said you can place your fish in there right away. 

Permalink Reply by Mitch Saulsberry on June 26, 2012 at 10:06pm

thats what i am thinking about doing. when you soaked the dirt for that month did you you change the water in it?

Permalink Reply by Balaam ramirez on June 26, 2012 at 10:21pm

Yes, I did 50% water changes every week, and i also had about two hand fulls of Hornwort to further aid in minimizing any excess nuttrients. if you plan on letting it soak i would advice placing a thin cap (1/4-1/2 in), of whatever you plan on using on you tank. i have tried with and without a cap and without one i just ended up making a soup lol. I also set up a tank in which i didnt soak the soil and i had an explosion of algae. 

Permalink Reply by Mitch Saulsberry on June 26, 2012 at 10:06pm

Does anybody have a link for a good small rounded gravel? I want some cories :)

Permalink Reply by Clyde on July 14, 2012 at 7:55pm

I went to home depot and got a 32 gal rubber made trash can, put a few rocks fake plants and sand in it, Hooked my canister filter up to it with an air stone, filled it with water from my tank and added some PRIME they've been in there for a week and two days and I Swear they are happier then they were in the tank

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