Redoing aquarium. Need advice

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Leo1234

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Jul 26, 2013
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so I am planning on redoing my 33 gallon aquarium and making a more accurate setup for my gobies. However, I need some help figuring out something

1. Where should I put my fish while I work on the tank? I mainly have Stiphodon gobies, but have an eel that’s being grown out for my 150. As these fish are great jumpers and escape artists, I don’t know where to put them.

2. Will the tank have to cycle if some old water and equipment will still be used?

3. I have to get rid of most of the sand as the setup will have gravel as the main substrate. Does a Hillstream have much sand and should I keep some?

4. Im thinking of buying gravel from a landscaping store. They have small gravel from streams. How should I clean these? Is it going to be any different from aquarium gravel?

5.What would be the best filter for this type of aquarium? It’s a 4ft long x 1ft wide x 1ft tall, but the plan is to fill it only 6-8in

6. These fish are jumpers. I was going to have a small “island” for my aquarium plants that might be slightly above or below the water. Will this be too risky?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be prepared as much as possible when doing this
 
Ahh, this is very interesting as I've been interested in those same gobies for a while so I'll be paying close attention to this thread.

#1. I'd reccomend that you simply get a 5 gallon bucket and put them in there while you're re doing the tank. Make sure to get the top and put it on. Not locked on but resting on it. If you're still worried then I'd get like a small clean trash can and put the bucket in there then fill the bottom of it with some tank water or so. If they manage to get out of the bucket then they won't be able to get out of the trash can and they'll fall into the water.
#2. I'd use the same filter, same decorations, and the same water from the old tank. Seeing as though you don't want to do that I'd get the new filter now and let it cycle on your current tank then move both filters to the new tank when you are ready to move the fish.
#3. I am not qualified to answer this.
#4. I'd check to make sure it's not a type of material that could leach anything into the tank. Cleaning it, it shouldn't be very different then normal aquarium gravel.
#5. I'd say a canister, maybe internal? Or perhaps look into a tetra whisper filter that can literally sit flat on the bottom of the tank with little help.
#6. Not qualified to answer it but personally I'd say that as long as the island isn't too big above ground they shouldn't be able to not wiggle their way back into the water.
 
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So there are 2 other species I am getting (Ctenogobius shufeldti, Awaous banana). I’m not sure what current speed they need, so I was thinking that maybe the island can go front to back instead of the corner. This would provide a slower water area for any fish that might want a break from the high flow. I need to draw diagrams so I can give a better idea of my set up when asking these questions.

If I do make the slower water area I will keep the sand there as to goive the Awaous gobies something to sand sift through

I’m also thinking of adding driftwood to the back and putting my emersed anubias collection in the tank with the leaves coming out of the tank. Is this a good or a bad idea?
 
Removing the sand shouldn't cause any issues and suggest a filter with strong flow. Stiphodon and Hillstream loaches prefer this.
 
Leo1234 said:
so I am planning on redoing my 33 gallon aquarium and making a more accurate setup for my gobies. However, I need some help figuring out something

1. Where should I put my fish while I work on the tank? I mainly have Stiphodon gobies, but have an eel that’s being grown out for my 150. As these fish are great jumpers and escape artists, I don’t know where to put them.
Could use a plastic storage tote, they make them with plastic lids, you just need to cut holes for your wires, filter etc.

2. Will the tank have to cycle if some old water and equipment will still be used?
The water doesn't hold any beneficial bacteria, so no point in recycling water, better to use clean water. The bacteria lives mostly in the filter. If you keep the bacteria alive (keep conditions stable, keep some fish to produce ammonia with it) then you can use this filter media to skip (or jump-start) the cycle.

3. I have to get rid of most of the sand as the setup will have gravel as the main substrate. Does a Hillstream have much sand and should I keep some?
fast flowing water usually has mostly gravel, since small sand particles get carried away or sink below the larger rocks. I would say all gravel is fine, most realistic would be a bit of sand underneath some gravel.

4. Im thinking of buying gravel from a landscaping store. They have small gravel from streams. How should I clean these? Is it going to be any different from aquarium gravel?
I have used this "home depot gravel" before- found it super dirty, I washed it very well in a bucket and it still clouded the tank for a while. Not necessarily bad for anything just might cloud water for a bit. Wash with only water in a bucket.

5.What would be the best filter for this type of aquarium? It’s a 4ft long x 1ft wide x 1ft tall, but the plan is to fill it only 6-8in
Filling only 6-8inches means you will need a filter with a sealed input that is below the water level. Most Hang-on-back filters won't work for you, will need a canister. Alternatively, could run the tank on just sponge filters and air pumps. This would be easier, but won't give you much flow.

6. These fish are jumpers. I was going to have a small “island” for my aquarium plants that might be slightly above or below the water. Will this be too risky?
I would just keep the water level low enough that they won't be able to jump. Or you could make a mesh top.

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to be prepared as much as possible when doing this
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I will post the rest of the stuff later, but I got 2 marineland maxi jet 1200 water pumps, 3/4”in 1”out reinforced vinyl tubing (lead free and non toxic according to the package), and 5 of 1” pvc pipes at 5ft (they were out of individual tubes) and got some elbow pieces for the tubing yesterday
 
It isn’t exactly like the original idea, but I thought of making it more like a stream in a rainforest or something like that. The Val are in here because they didn’t do well in my 150 and I didn’t want to lose them
 
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