I assume you’ve likely watched this video (but linking anyway
)
I don’t know how big sieves are in the UK (though I suspect that Tim is just much more patient and energetic) but I quickly lost interest during my first Soil Sieving attempt - I may’ve done 1%
(and I’ve yet to manage to dry any aqua soil except as a passive process)
Instead I remove livestock, trimmed stem plants - water still clear - then begin lifting rooted plants beginning with the MC carpet which lifts readily and I place this in a shallow bin with small amount of water, just to cover (or lower if suitable lid - MC keeps very well for a month or more depending on care)
If the water gets too cloudy, then a water change or continuous water change to maintain visibility
I keep adding Prime during this process as there are usually shrimp I’ve missed (hiding in MC carpet, stem plant bases etc)
I usually end up removing the last of the stem plant roots etc once the water level is drained as much as possible - again, I’ll find more shrimp at this stage
Note that bin with shallow water and MC carpet is a better place to keep shrimp than in the same bin as fish
I use a deeper bin for fish and add a small flow pump or Eheim Mini Up filter etc, obviously if you have more or bigger fish or fish with higher oxygen requirement, choose a suitable temporary home - it’s worth the effort to establish fish for at least several days so there’s no pressure to rescape as fast as possible and you can settle the newly planted tank for a few days before returning fish
If I’ve planned the rescape well, then the filter will have been cleaned (and all media rinsed etc) a couple days before I begin breaking down the tank - then filter can be moved over to the fish bin if needed - pull filter before water begins clouding so filter remain debris free
Or I just drain filter, leaving a few cm’s of water, and store filter for several days/weeks - filter is closed etc but inlet/outlet open for air movement (hoses stored separately) - active media should be kept damp and oxygenated
I find this “dry” storage more convenient than having the filter running in a bucket, as you’re upgrading your tank, I suspect you’ll be changing to a larger filter as well
Now that the tank is clear but for soil, begin deep siphon cleaning of the soil - this step will remove a lot of fines and can substitute for Filipe Oliveira’s method, though I now do a mix of the two
Once the soil is reasonably cleaned - water will not be clear, but should only have slight clouding (heavier fines that settle within a few minutes of being disturbed are fine to leave in the soil) - I drain the water thoroughly
At this time, I will have created a soil free zone along the front/side of the tank, gently heaping soil up into a “mountain”
Place a towel in these glass zones to wick out the last of the water - most water will have drained in an hour or so, then I switch to clean dry towels (these are fish tank towels) and leave overnight for almost dry soil
The soil levels are careful scooped into bins, varying from most to least dry - I use a flat bench scraper for lifting the soil as this limits soil damage/breakdown
Then return soil to new tank, in order of wettest soil first (even this is only “more damp”), carefully spread this over the middle/back area of the tank, keeping any areas where you plan shallow substrate, clear
Continue to layer soil back, ending with that first bucket of driest soil
Add any roots tabs etc as you layer the soil, fertilizers should be cover by a few cm’s of soil (as you don’t want them leaching directly into the water column)
In the areas where I plan very shallow substrate and carpeting plants, I use mostly new soil (dense growing carpet plants use more localized soil nutrients, than plants with longer roots)
I often add a (thin) new soil layer over most of the soil, or will use new soil for finalizing hardscape as it is much more resilient
Plant, fill tank with care, minimal to zero clouding
Return livestock a day or few days later, I always return shrimp first