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Adding flourite to established non-planted tank... Best way?

1K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  lauraleellbp 
#1 ·
I'm converting my 29 gallon non planted into low tech planted.
It currently has a regular substrate about 2" high.

What is the best way to add Flourite to it without making much mess?
(2 bags of Flourite are prewashed already).


I'd appreciate your advice!
 
#2 ·
I think you mean Flourite and not Flourish (as in plant fert).

Really depends on what's in the tank.

Without getting really complicated. I use a small plastic pint container, scope up some of the substrate, get it down as close to the bottom of the tank and just pour it in slowly. Yes it will kick up some dust but it should be minimal if the done slowly enough.

OR

If there's nothing in the tank. Take out the water and pour in the Flourite. Then the issue is when you refill the tank with water you need to disperse the water by aiming the flow into a plate or something.

Are you just capping your old substrate or planning on mixing it in?
 
#3 ·
I think you mean Flourite and not Flourish (as in plant fert).

Really depends on what's in the tank.

Without getting really complicated. I use a small plastic pint container, scope up some of the substrate, get it down as close to the bottom of the tank and just pour it in slowly. Yes it will kick up some dust but it should be minimal if the done slowly enough.

OR

If there's nothing in the tank. Take out the water and pour in the Flourite. Then the issue is when you refill the tank with water you need to disperse the water by aiming the flow into a plate or something.

Are you just capping your old substrate or planning on mixing it in?
Yes, Flourite, what was I'm thinking :)
Not sure if I should remove my old one... Is mixing ok?
 
#4 ·
That depends on the look you want. How deep you want the substrate to be and how much of it you have, Flourite, that is. Three inches is pretty much the standard, though I myself have tanks with less.

Mixing is OK, will make a bigger mess. If you just cap the old stuff and the Flourite is smaller in size it will in time migrate to the bottom.

What do you have in the tank???? This may determine which way to go.

As far as plants and substrate are concern. You just need to keep in mind what kind of plants. Different plants have different needs and you need to figure out how to provide them.
 
#5 ·
This is a community tank with harlequin rasboras, ottos, green corys, some clown plecos and amano shrimps. Oh, and two bamboo shrimps.
Plants will be mostly java ferns and anubias for now on a couple of driftwood stumps.


That depends on the look you want. How deep you want the substrate to be and how much of it you have, Flourite, that is. Three inches is pretty much the standard, though I myself have tanks with less.

Mixing is OK, will make a bigger mess. If you just cap the old stuff and the Flourite is smaller in size it will in time migrate to the bottom.

What do you have in the tank???? This may determine which way to go.

As far as plants and substrate are concern. You just need to keep in mind what kind of plants. Different plants have different needs and you need to figure out how to provide them.
 
#8 ·
I havent read through all the posts, so I'm not sure if someone has said this, but I just use big freezer ziplocks and fill them up and then put the zip part near the bottom and then open it up and it pours out without clouding. Faster than scooping a million times, lol.
 
#9 ·
i did the same thing to my 29. i wound up removing as much water as possible. put all the fish in 5 gal buckets, scooped the old gravel out by hand. i left the old mulm in the bottom of the tank, and just capped that with a mix of florite and onyx sand. filled it back up and let the filter run for a day to reduce the dust storm and then just had to re-aclimate the fishies. it took me the better part of an afternoon.
 
#10 ·
I'd take everything out to replace the substrate.

Save as much of the old water as possible, and DON'T clean the filter for at least a few weeks.

Lay down the Flourite and carefully refill with the old water, hook back up the filter, put back in the fish.

Be ready to do water changes over the next few days in case you get an ammonia spike (likely, but shouldn't take long to pass since you've kept the filter established).

If you do all this on the same day it shouldn't be that huge an ordeal.
 
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