Rescaping an existing tank

[pmasa]

Hi all,

I have to move my tank in about a months time, and want to rescape the tank considering it will already be drained. I want to change the substrate from an inert gravel to ADA amazonia owing to the fact i want to grow some more plants/get a carpet going. 

I have read online that amazonia will produce amonia for weeks after it's addition to a tank. Not wanting to harm the inhabitants  (neons and RCS) i was thinking that i would try and cycle the soil in a separate container first and then add it to the tank, what are people's thoughts on this?

The tank is fully cycled (60l) with a ehiem 2215 filter.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Madmerv]

Hey Pmasa.

I'm no expert on this but i will throw in my 2c worth and start the conversation.

Any sub you put in the tank that has fertilizing properties will leach to the water column for a while as the water passes over and through the surface layers. To try and cycle a sub until it stops leaching would be to remove all the goodness from the soil and make it as inert as your existing gravel. 

Is what you really want to be doing is pick up the level of cycled bacteria in your existing filter and tank setup to be able to cope with the increased ammonia expected when the new sub goes in. This way the initial spike can be taken care of as it happens and processed to Nitrate immediately.

How to do this without stressing your livestock is another matter. My first thoughts would be to get hold of a second filter, seed it from the one you have, then run it in a bucket with a really high (4ppm) ammonia level for the next month to get the max amount of bacteria in there. Constant water changes would be needed and close monitoring to make sure the nitrate level does not stall the cycle. Then do the sub change in the tank and add the new filter as well as the 2215 and that should take care of any spikes.

Another option would be to increase the ammonia in the tank with just the 2215 to increase the bacteria in it but i dont know how to do this safely.

Hope that gives you something to go on.

[pmasa]

Thanks for the thoughts madmerv, i currently have a second filter in the tank that i had being meaning to remove so that could be some use... i am wondering if it might be worth putting the livestock in a container with my small filter for a couple of days and hope the canister deals with the worst of it?

[Madmerv]

Just like cycling a new tank i think the ammonia bacteria will get there pretty quick but the Nitrite bacteria need a few weeks to build up. Those in the know would be able to tell you how much ammonia Amazonia will leach and for how long.

Good luck.