Polly
Member
- Joined
- 23 May 2009
- Messages
- 183
Well, I bit the bullet yesterday and replaced the substrate and replanted the 2 ft tank with a mixture of new plants and old Java fern/crypts on wood and a root ornament (almost completely overgrown 
)
I couldn't believe how easy the cat litter was to work with
I'm using the TESCO PREMIUM LIGHTWEIGHT CAT LITTER (PINK) 8 LITRES £2.95
1. Removed some water and the existing plants/wood etc.
2. Removed sand with an old large fishnet
3. Rinsed the catlitter REALLY well in a kitchen sieve with a shower spray - very quick compared with sand/gravel
4. Threw the cat litter into the tank and spread it out
5. Syphoned out as much red tankwater as possible
6. Replanted and positioned java fern/crypts
7. Added new water - a mix of fresh water and a few buckets of water from my other tank
8. Switched on filter - I didn't clean the filter as I wanted the tank to cycle quickly and a 'dirty' filter is better at cleaning cloudy water. I did put in carbon in the media part of my IP Duo
The whole thing took about 3 hours. No critters in yet, want to do some water tests first and make sure everything's ok.
I decided against putting compost under the cat litter, I wanted to see how the plants go with just the cat litter first.
The cat litter was easy to plant in and has held the plants well with no additional help. Even the Cabomba is staying put.
Initial clouding cleared in a few hours and by morning the tank was crystal clear
Maybe I should start my own Tank Journal?
) I couldn't believe how easy the cat litter was to work with
I'm using the TESCO PREMIUM LIGHTWEIGHT CAT LITTER (PINK) 8 LITRES £2.95 1. Removed some water and the existing plants/wood etc.
2. Removed sand with an old large fishnet
3. Rinsed the catlitter REALLY well in a kitchen sieve with a shower spray - very quick compared with sand/gravel
4. Threw the cat litter into the tank and spread it out
5. Syphoned out as much red tankwater as possible
6. Replanted and positioned java fern/crypts
7. Added new water - a mix of fresh water and a few buckets of water from my other tank
8. Switched on filter - I didn't clean the filter as I wanted the tank to cycle quickly and a 'dirty' filter is better at cleaning cloudy water. I did put in carbon in the media part of my IP Duo
The whole thing took about 3 hours. No critters in yet, want to do some water tests first and make sure everything's ok.
I decided against putting compost under the cat litter, I wanted to see how the plants go with just the cat litter first.
The cat litter was easy to plant in and has held the plants well with no additional help. Even the Cabomba is staying put.
Initial clouding cleared in a few hours and by morning the tank was crystal clear
Maybe I should start my own Tank Journal?
