The Big Change

Hey what's up everyone? I got myself a 29gal kit awhile back. It's my first tank ever and although the first fish I got have all passed I've had my new community healthy (3 black Molly fry- the spawn of a deceased generation- 4 neon tetras, 2 albino Corys and a retail shark)and thriving for several months (close to a year I think). The thing is... I want to overhaul the tank, that is, convert from gravel and plastic to dirt and live plants.

The set-up is pretty low-tech. Whisper 30 HoB filter, 200 watt heater which is far more that I will ever need since I live in Florida and we keep the a/c around 78 in the summer... And an air pump rated for a 10 gallon tank. The lights are LED but I'm not sure about their power.

I've done my research and have a plan in place for the conversion. I only have 2 concerns though that I thought I could get some feedback on...

#1 is it to soon for the community of fish?
#2 do you think the LEAD light strip I have will be adequate for some lava fern, dawrf sag, Amazon sword and Anubis?

0 members like this

Comment by 3 for 3 on March 23, 2017 at 9:13pm: Most of your biofilter is in the gravel since you only have a hob. There is a risk of having a mini cycle when you convert over to a new substrate. If you want to be safe. Vacuum enough area of your gravel to fill a miracle whip bowl sized bowl. Do not let that gravel touch tapwater or dry out. Set it off to the side while switching everything. After you get new substrate in the tank place the bowl inside the tank for a month or two. Also another idea would be to leave your decorations in tank water and add them back to the tank after switching gravel for some time. Do not clean tham as you will be removing beneficial bacteria. They to have bacteria on them that can help recuperate your biofilter. Try and save as much tank water as possible to refill the tank back up. 4 + buckets. The fish can be put in those buckets while you switch. Drain water & transport fish into buckets before removing the gravel. So it doesn't make a messy cloud and you can't see.

Feed fish very light for 3-4 weeks after the switch. Less food equals less poop equals less ammonia during the mini cycle.

As far as your light goes no one can tell you if it will work without knowing what it is. Join us in the chatroom for further help.