redoing an aquarium

[fishnewb]

i have a 10 gallon tank which one very spoiled betta resides in ... but the set up has been the same for months and i want to change things up a bit for him. i want to put all new gravel in, new plants, new driftwood, etc.....

is there a way to go about this without ruining my cycled tank?

also, how often should i change the filter (the blueish looking one with carbon in it. the package says quite often ...)

[oliesminis]

ok 1st step changing all the gravel will start a new cycle no way to avoid that. however new ornaments wont if added slowly

the filter thing will need changing rarely. ive not had to do mine yet. the reason the box says often is because they want to make money

hope this helps

olie

[mousey]

I would think it would be ok if you did a bit every couple of weeks. That would allow the remaining bacteria to catch up again after you remove some of the bacteria laden articles.
take your betta out of the tank when you remove the gravel- there is so much crap in gravel it is amazing.
Also the only reason you need carbon in a filter is to make the water clear or remove medications. A lot of us just leave it out. You can cut that filter insert open and remove the charcoal. save it for a rainy day! Then you will only have to change the pad every few months. just give it a rinse in old tank water when you clean his lordships water.

[emc7]

Rinse (preferable in old tank water, cold sink water if its really nasty) and reuse the blue cartridge until it start to fall apart. Unless your filter also has a sponge or biowheel 90%+ of your tank's biology is there. Changing it more frequently will give you fresh carbon and get rid of the scum on the surface of the water, but risks having to recycle the tank. Thats why its good to have 2 filters. If you don't touch the filter, you should be fine to change everything else.

[fishnewb]

aaah, thanks for all of the advice.

i just feel like he is bored in there ... needs some new toys! doing it gradually sounds like a good idea.

i feed him a variety of foods, pellets, flakes, peas occasionally ... etc.
the flakes are red and i've found the there's a red algae coating over the plants and decor. is this good or bad?

[Zoe]

A big part of your good bacteria are in your gravel, but most of it is in your filter, so don't worry too much about re-cycling the tank.

Unplug your filter and set it aside.

Remove as much of the water as you and put it in clean fish buckets to save some of the water, and put your fish in one of the buckets.

Remove the rest of the water and the old gravel.

Put in the new, rinsed gravel. Add your driftwood, and fill the tank with some of the water leftover, to about 2/3 full. Add your plants, and fill the tank the rest of the way. Put the filter back on, plug it in, and then put your fish back in.

You don't need to replace your filter sponge. Almost never, like just when it's falling apart. If it's getting gunky, rinse it in a bucket of tank water when you do a water change.

The carbon you can replace every month. It's best if you go with a filter and a carbon bag instead of those combo cartridges.

[JustOneMore20]

When you change the gravel, save a handful of it and put it underneath the new gravel so that you save some bacteria. Then, you can change out the ornaments (either at the same time or gradually before that).

They've given you good advice on the filter changing above.

edit: Haha...excellent advice as always Zoe! We posted at the same time.

[emc7]

Put some old gravel in a nylon. Don't put it in loose or it will mix together.

[Scuba Kid]

Originally Posted by emc7

Put some old gravel in a nylon. Don't put it in loose or it will mix together.

I was going to say the same thing. Don't hafta worry about the old gravel mixing with the new or having to change it out gradually. Just put it in a nylon in the tank with your new gravel and decor and take the nylons out after the mini cycle (if you have one at all).