I am going to change gravel/rescape my tanks and need some help!

[CharlesTheG]

Not physically its only a 20 I just have a lot of questions. I've been contemplating it (the process of how to do it). I have a 20h and it currently has green and white gravel. It was my first tank i thought it looked cool. HOWEVER after getting a mossball I figured out plants are awesome. Long story short I now have a low light low tech planted tank where the only decoration is drift wood. And that terrible green and white gravel. I have looked up how to do the change with fish in it but I'm not sure as to what to do about the plant. Here is my plan so far!

-I figured Id rinse the gravel with hot water strain it and rise it as all hell to make sure its fine, BTW its 25lbs I figured that would be enough? Shoud I get more?

-Next Id do about a quarter water change and siphon out as much crap my my gravel as possible into a 5gal bucket

-I figure I could then remove my plants: Java Fern, Anacharis, Mossballs(I have my amazon sword and anubius attached to my drift wood it looks back but I'm not sure where I'm gonna fit the drift wood)

-Then leave one half log hideout decoration in the tank and commence removing gravel either with net or some type of bowl

-Once everything is out dropping in new gravel putting plants back in position and dropping in drift wood

-Then probably dropping back in some of the dirty siphoned water? To keep beneficial bacteria right?

-And then refilling with water and dosing stress coat and stress zyme?

Is my plan full proof am I missing something please any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :))

[troy tucker]

What are you using as a filter? The sponge and media in the filter hold the bacteria.
Get 2 5g buckets siphon your tank water in to both buckets. Fish in one plants in the other. Take the filter off the tank and put it on the bucket with the fish. The driftwood with the plants will be ok out of water for a few min. remove the rest of the water. now you can take the tank out side and dump out the old grav. Wash the tank and put it back to gether. Make sure you wash out the new substrate befor you put it in.
Thats how I would do it.

[prostreet69camaro]

+1 same as Troy

[CharlesTheG]

What are you using as a filter? The sponge and media in the filter hold the bacteria.
Get 2 5g buckets siphon your tank water in to both buckets. Fish in one plants in the other. Take the filter off the tank and put it on the bucket with the fish. The driftwood with the plants will be ok out of water for a few min. remove the rest of the water. now you can take the tank out side and dump out the old grav. Wash the tank and put it back to gether. Make sure you wash out the new substrate befor you put it in.
Thats how I would do it.

Aquaclear however I changed out the media like a week ago. And so I should remove the fish?

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[troy tucker]

Yes, remove everything you want to keep. Fish, plants, and driftwood. Pickup the tank take it out side and dump everything you do not want out. Fix the tank back to your liking...