Possible substrate problem

[Lady Hobbs]

Have you got a tote or larger dry box around there somewhere? I think I would move the fish and some of that tank water to a tote and redo your tank without anything in it. Add dechlorinatored tap water to the tote every 15 minutes or so to acclimate them to the lesser pH. When the tank is done being set up, let the filters run for awhile to drive off the undissolved gasses and then add your fish and the water in the tote back to the tank. (Acclimating as you go.)

You only are moving the pH a small amount, not like you are lowering it from 8.2 back to 6.0.

I shove all my substrate to the ends of the tank, scoop out what I can with a tupperware container and suck the rest up with the siphon. I don't think stressing out the fish for a week would be necessary.

[Cermet]

There is a simpler (but not necessarily easy) solution - go to any large chain and get a small 5 gal tank and if you don't have one, an air pump/line/air stone. Put tank water into the 5 gal, as well as the existing tank heater, and get the air stone running. Transfer the fish.

Empty the tank - remove old sand. Add new sand and then add water/treatment chemical. Get tank stuff setup, get filter running, adjust pH to match 5 gal tank - be sure temps are nearly the same. Then transfer fish, and heater. By the way, everyone should have an emergency air stone/air pump for their tank and a small qt. tank as well - this is money well spent, anyway.

I have done this for my large discus (I too had to change all my sand in a 75 gal tank - for two tanks!) and this worke fine and fast (I did have a hose for the water.)

Oops - Lady Hobbs already covered this procedure ... .

[MLBfan]

Ok, this sounds simple enough.

[MLBfan]

OK, so...

• Move fish into a tub
• get all my gravel out by moving it and siphoning rest out
• put new gravel in
• Add water (dechlorinated)
• drip-acclimate fish to new conditions

Is this correct?

[Lady Hobbs]

I would add half a pail of tank water to half a pail of tap water (dechlorinatored) and add your fish to that. They should acclimate while you're setting the tank back up and be ready to go once filled.

You are not doing a huge pH change. Just a small one.

[MLBfan]

If I could please get someone to respond quickly (trying to convince my dad that this will not take long):

How much water do you think will be removed?

[ScottishFish]

80% roughly?? Never done it myself but that what I'd think