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Hey all. I am new here and have been enjoying the site so much. It's filled with so much information! I got some feedback on my tank setup and decided it best to remove the gravel and go bare bottom.
I didn't find a lot of videos available with information on this, so I decided to take my own and share it. Let me know what you guys think!
https://youtu.be/vDMeaWRqNxI
Thanks!
oh my goodness you are so cute with your little baby angelfish and cute little dustpan and dust broom. 2 well maybe 3 things I have to say
1. it would have taken me longer than your whole video to catch all my fish, you are an expert with that net why is it always so hard for me and I wind up soaking wet, which brings me to my # 2
2. you are still dry, what the heck I would have been drenched, as well as my floor, how did you do that I'm amazed.
3. for everyone out there, if you go to do this, and you get down to the tiny amount left at the end, one helpful hint is to take the end of your python tube off and just suck the gravel up with your siphon tube, without the head thingy. A half inch / 3/4 inch PVC tube will deliver quite a bit of suction...but you don't want to do this down the drain obviously, maybe out a window.
excellent job OP, your fish (you need more discus btw ;) ) will love you for this, angel fish too. its also only temporary, once they are adults you can add back sand if you like.
Lol. Thank you so much. Your post made me smile. And blush a little lol.
They really weren't darting around too much on me to catch them. Made it really easy.
How I remained dry? I have no idea! Lol
Tomorrow I will use your suggestion for the small bit left behind when I do my 50% water change. Thanks for the awesome suggestion!
i think u will be amazed at the colour difference in ur discus w/o the dark substrate.
i usually use a large net to remove substrate, but a dust pan is a good idea. just a caution - dont drag the net/dustpan along the front glass when scooping... i scratched an aquarium doing that once, which is why i also scoop towards the sides/back of the tank as well, to avoid scratches
another thing to consider is possibly painting the bottom of the tank if there is no base under it. sometimes discus will be uncomfortable and surf a clear glass bottom tank looking downwards etc, and may feel more secure if the underside is painted or if paper etc is taped there. i cant tell if ur stand has a flat base top or is open base like mine where u can see down right into the cabinet.
ur water remained very clear while removing the gravel, which tells us ur substrate was quite clean (i think its newly set up tank?). in many cases one would need to remove 100% of the water when removing gravel, due to all the crud accumulated in it which would be disturbed and cloud the water. just wanted to note this on ur post for others who might decide to follow suit and try BB.
You're absolutely right. It was the eco-complete substrate but I did this fairly early on so I wasn't surprised by the gravel all coming out. With removing 100% water it would be much easier to remember be all of the substrate including all the small bits left behind like in mine.
Lol. Thank you so much. Your post made me smile. And blush a little lol.
They really weren't darting around too much on me to catch them. Made it really easy.
How I remained dry? I have no idea! Lol
Tomorrow I will use your suggestion for the small bit left behind when I do my 50% water change. Thanks for the awesome suggestion!
Thank you skip!