Changing substrate, quick question...

[CoolhandLocke]

Decided I've had enough of the Fluval subtrate as it's generally a pain in the arse in my nano tank for the 3 months I've had it in there. Am going to change it out with some eco-complete and clean out the snails as I've got more snails than shrimp now in my lil' 2.5 gallon.

How I had though I'd do this is to take the majority of the water out, put it in a clean bucket along with the sponge filter, then add the shrimp to the bucket with the running sponge. Dump out the old substrate clean the worst of algae off, and then plop everything back in.

I would assume that this shouldn't bother the cherries in the tank, they've done well in the tank over the past few months with just 1 water change a week and only a sponge filter with some plants. Want to do it now as my first batch of babies have gotten big enough to easily get out (I think) so I figure now is the best time to take it on. Should take less than an hour start to finish to get it all done.

I guess my main question is should I mix some of the old water with the new and keep it about like I would with my usual water change when I put everything back into the new tank? Hope it all makes sense, on my way to work and wanted to tackle this small project when I get back this afternoon.

[acitydweller]

i would drain the water into a bucket from the top of tank. then net the shrimp and dump the rest. This would be the least amount of impact on the shrimp. Just be extra careful with the babies aas they are known to hide in the substrate as well.

[CoolhandLocke]

Originally Posted by acitydweller

i would drain the water into a bucket from the top of tank. then net the shrimp and dump the rest. This would be the least amount of impact on the shrimp. Just be extra careful with the babies aas they are known to hide in the substrate as well.

Thanks for the advice, will definitely use the top o' the tank water.. if I get anywhere near the bottom of the tank with basically anything it makes a mess. I generally take my plants and let them sit/soak in a seperate bowl in case any babies are hanging on, but never thought about them hiding in the substrate! I could definitely see them digging down in the loose fluval substrate as they're a curious little group

[Nubster]

A turkey baster works great for sucking up the babies.