How to swap a Fish Tank or Replace substrate, everything you need to know

I made this video after piecing together advice from multiple channels on youtube. Even being as prepared as I could be I still managed to leak water everywhere (skip on to half way!)
This will show you all the equipment you'll need, some tips on preparation and then show you me pulling out all the stuff from my old tank.
Hope it helps someone!

[@mikegratigny2472]

This is great help! I am swapping from 39 to 75 this weekend and was not sure what to expect. Thanks so much

[@FishPieTV]

No worries mike ! Hope it goes well and enjoy the new tank 😃

[@dorothyharrison2765]

Great video! Getting ready to switch from a 20g to a 30g because my floor won't hold much heavier. Was searching for a video to help me make the change. Thank you!

[@FishPieTV]

Thanks no problem ! Hope the new tanks coming along well 👍

[@simplybella6479]

Thank you! I've had my fish in this tank for 1 and a half years, but desperatly wanted to change the substrate without ruining my cycle. this is perfect.

[@missselizabeth5696]

What would you recommend doing with aquasoil. I know it releases ammonia for the first few days, not sure what order to do things now.

[@carole7538]

Thank you for his video! We're switching our mollies & fiddler crabs from a 10 gallon tank to a 20 gallon tank just so it's not so crowded anymore. I feel much more prepared & confident after watching this.

[@mr.breeze7907]

Thanks for your video. Planning on re-scaping my tank after 5 years. You offered a lot of ideas to consider. Much appreciated.

[@crietman29]

Thank you for sharing. Your aquarium looks beautiful. I am going to keep this video for when I switch to a larger tank!

[@FishPieTV]

+AK Aqua thanks! glad you like them :-)

[@heaven7360]

This is the information I needed. As long as I can follow step by step my fish will be okay. I don't have any other fish tank or bucket so I need to get something to keep fish in while I set up new tank with new/old substrate mix and get hopefully as much water from his old tank into the new. Hopefully it might turn out to be him peacefully in his new tank with mostly his old tank water, with the old filter/media, plants and decorations plus I guess some of the old substrate. Thanks for posting...I don't want to lose my fish by upgrading which should be a totally good thing for him.

[@jmdq1]

I put a plastic bottle that had a 1 1/4 in hole, put shrimp pellet in it and my hard to catch Siamese algae eater swam in . Then put one hand over the hole and lifted him right out . Your drinking hole was too small. Otherwise that method works. I’ve done the same thing with a good sized net. Don’t feed the fish for 24 to 48 hours prior to using this trapping, rather than chasing. They are less stressed and lots of my fish went into the net. I just prop the net in a corner where it won’t get stuck on plants when lifting out of the tank. Lights out walk away and come back there’s always fish in both.

[@anthony91688]

Good video, thanks for that. Gonna do this soon but not looking forward to it. It will be worth it though

[@djssquibbs3295]

Cool video man thanks again for the great content. The fish might go in the Trap if you didn't feed him for a day or two and then put food inside the Trap--but idk

[@Historique12]

Did the cabinet hold? It look like a "kallax" from Ikea which has a maximum load 30kg by. I'm suprised you placed 125l aquarium on it. :D

[@FishPieTV]

Yea it did all fine ! I braced all the corners with metal brackets, we sat on it (two poeple) and rocked back and forth for ages held up all fine !

[@somuchluv89]

The water actually doesnt hold the cycle so you don't need to keep it :)

[@FishPieTV]

I used 50:50 RO water on that tank so it saved me making/buying a whole load more 😉

[@destineesanchez6602]

I need help! My glo fish got pregnant so I bought a bigger tank I let my new tank overnight and I moved the adult fish over left babies in old tank than the next morning one adult fish is floating and the other one floats to the bottom flapping it’s sides very fast and the last adult is swimming normally but towards the top . And I can’t see any babe fish

[@FishPieTV]

Did you have mature media in both your tanks? sounds like something messed up your cycle

[@hywel4767]

Great video, i see youre using an Ikea 2x2 shelving unit. I have the same unit with a 55 litre tank on it but im looking to potentially put a 130 litre tank on it. Do you think it will be safe? How many litres was your new tank?

[@FishPieTV]

I put a Fluval Roma 125 on top, but I did reinforce it, I put metal angle brackets on every corner and seemed to hold up nice and firm. I would definitely do that before you put the new tank on.

[@IronStoneGR]

so basically u move all the water with the fish somewhere else, and then u clean up the aquarium with the new soil, and add back up the old water with the fish

[@catherinewright4520]

my project is combining my 2 small tanks into one large tank, your video seemed logical to me and has set my mind straight on a couple of things, what to do with the fish while i am moving substrates from both tanks into the one, thank you

[@FishPieTV]

Good luck with the merger ! Glad it helped

[@ADHDAquatics]

Why did you use your water vacuum backwards? I thought the bigger end goes inside the tank and the water comes out the little end

[@FishPieTV]

+Emily Shetterly it’s actually the same size either side (I’ve taken the larger attachment off). You can probably see the blue pump which gets it started?

[@_Pelagikos14]

Hi there. Great video even with the hiccup 😁 Can you tell me how long this process took from start to finish? I'm planning on doing the same thing so I'm wondering how long the fish can remain in the bucket before transferring to the new tank. Of course I'd like to get it done as quickly as possible but I'm thinking that it may be overnight before I could remove the fish from their "holding cell" if you will. Of course there'll be a heater & seasoned sponge-filter in the bucket with them. Tia!

[@FishPieTV]

It took me including the hiccup about 2 hours, if you get your sand sorted before in the new tank it saves a lot of time and could easily be done in an hour for a small enough tank to drain If you got a big enough bucket/box you could run the filter with low flow overnight on that !

[@vanessaj3541]

Thank you so much for this! It was so succinct and your aquarium looks really good!

[@CorrineGillan]

How do you do carbon ???

[@Abbie_Loves_John]

I’m switching Dutch Van Der Linde my crowntail betta from a 3 gal to a 10 gal as his Christmas present. :) thanks for the vid

[@CapitalLuke]

Completely off topic but I too mave a dream

[@MusingsFromTheDen]

I'm upgrading to exactly the same tank soon, so this video was extremely helpful, thanks. 😊

[@FishPieTV]

+Gaina such a great tank , the t8 lights although are old tech make excellent plant growth if you get the right bulbs

[@MrRustaf]

Correct me if I'm wrong , do you really need to keep same water ? Because These beneficial bacteria live in the filter media and on solid surfaces in the aquarium, such as gravel, rocks, plants and decorations, that's why if you use UV sterilizer the beneficial bacteria stays in tank . I just planning to swap my tank , why is it important or not to keep same water then ?

[@FishPieTV]

It’s for water chemistry more than anything, if you do huge water changes all the time then it won’t make a difference. I don’t in a planted tank, so replacing the whole thing with fresh will have a larger impact on the hardness, ph and other minerals in the water the fish have got used to. (As over time these will change/deplete in a tank)

[@colynashton-vickers3979]

Good video but you do not need the original water. The beneficial bacteria is in the substrate and filter not the water.

[@louisemalibu3010]

I am upgrading to a 200L tank today for my 80 Baby crayfish that are getting big. They are currently in two 60L tanks, all crammed up like sardines. Poor babies. It's going to take me HOURS to get every single crayfish out and safely to the new aquarium haha Good thing is : crayfish are very hardy and don't require a heater so I just need to transfer the water adequately and add new black substrate that i bought with nice driftwood I found and treated myself.

[@FishPieTV]

Good luck today! Enjoy your new tank

[@cydneyisaacs73]

Hi looking at getting a bigger tank. Our tank now has a built in internal filter haven't looked at bigger ones yet but do I use the Sponges from old one for new one?? Also am OK to wash gravel before I put it in the new tank

[@FishPieTV]

I’d keep it all, the sponge, gravel and everything to maintain the biological cycle you’ve built up

[@samanthacasas3091]

I love your accent.lol New to your channel. Enjoying your videos

[@sharlettegeorge5100]

I wasnt able to keep the old water. But i manage to keep some of old water to keep my fish in my quara tine tank. What should i do? The old tank basically have a new water.

[@FishPieTV]

Just make sure you dechlorinate it and it’ll be fine! If you have a quarantine then you might want to start mixing the two over time. If you are keeping it all in the exact same tap water and the temp is the same don’t worry about it. Make sure the temp is the same that’s quite key

[@rock31482]

The stand you have it on where did you get it. I have a six cubby one and was thinking about putting a 40 gallon tank on top but had second thoughts

[@FishPieTV]

It’s from IKEA, I defo recommend reinforcing it if you do

[@grandempress1947]

How would you suggest I do this going from a 10gal to a 130gal? I have the larger tank brand new and I don’t want to stress my fish out too much or cause them any harm moving them over or change their water parameters too much. That seems like it’d be a LOT more challenging going from such a small tank to a much larger tank. What would you suggest?

[@FishPieTV]

If you do regular water changes on the smaller tank the new tank will have very similar water parameters. Get the temps the same and get them in quick. The less stress the better. Drain 5 gals into a dark container, get the fish in there. Keep them quiet and run an air stone if you’ve got one. Try and maintain the temp too. Transfer everything you need over to the big one. Get as much remaining clean water out the 5 gal. Have it so you can just Lob the fish in I.e filter on heater installed etc , and it’s done. 👍

[@natalietorres8047]

Please comment below where you got the liter jugs from?? It would help me MAJORLY!

[@FishPieTV]

The litre jugs ? Do you mean just the water bottles ? They were from Tesco

[@amal8887]

Great video. With regards to the sand what am I looking to avoid? What type of sand should I be aiming for? Thanks!!

[@FishPieTV]

I just used play sand , although it takes a lot of washing

[@JessicaP33]

How do you maintain the temperature for the fish in the bucket while you change the substrate?

[@FishPieTV]

Drop a heater in there if you need to maintain the temperature

[@andymfc]

Quality vid mate quick question but where's best for the empty water containers with screw lids please new sub 👍

[@FishPieTV]

I get mine from Maidenhead aquatics I don’t think they’re too pricey from there, under a tenner !

[@Red_Pilled_Woman]

So helpful! Moving my planted endler colony setup. They mean the world to me & this video gives me confidence. Thank you!!! Question: I have HOB filters & thought to move & run them in the bin with the fish. Is this ok?

[@FishPieTV]

Yea that’ll be fine ! As long as you don’t get bits wet that shouldn’t be

[@Red_Pilled_Woman]

FishPie Thanks so much:) So very glad I found your video. 👍😃👍

[@aquarius1]

Really helpful vid - thank you.

[@FreshWaterAquarist]

Neat tip about the make shift fish trap

[@kaylabell4601]

Once you got the tank filled, how long did you wait before adding your fish?

[@FishPieTV]

As long as the water is pretty clear and the filter is on get them in there, minimise the stress as much as possible

[@davereadingfc01]

How do you keep your amazon swords looking so green? Mine are in a sand only subrate but don't look no where near as good.

[@FishPieTV]

I should do a video on it really my new tanks got even better growth. I used jbl products, liquid fertiliser , root tabs and also like clay balls too. Liquid co2 and that’s it. It’s a bit of effort but really gets stuff growing

[@carlacass1794]

This is the best video on swapping tanks!!

[@FishPieTV]

Thank you !

[@aquaticfish7327]

Very nice tank👍

[@FishPieTV]

Thank you very much !

[@aprilgarbutt1312]

What did you get from Maidenhead aquatics. RO? also what else do you recommend treatment wise. Thanks

[@FishPieTV]

Yeah - back then I didn't have an RO filter or enough canisters to hold the water to fill the bigger tank. When you say treatment? Do you mean medical treatments or water conditioners?

[@aprilgarbutt1312]

Water conditioning.

[@FishPieTV]

I just use JBL Biotopol water conditioner, it’s quite economical

[@maxbkerk]

Hi! You mention that if the sand is really dirty, you might replace it completely. This got me confused, as from other videos I understood that dirty soil is good as your plants feed on it. I’m planning on completely re-doing my aquarium. Do you advice on keeping the soil or replacing it? Thanks!

[@FishPieTV]

If you are redoing the same aquarium keep the substrate. If you are starting a new one it’s way easier to put fresh sand in

[@maxbkerk]

@@FishPieTV okay, and if I’m re-doing my aquarium but still want to add new substrate? Should I then add the new substrate on TOP of the old substrate? Or should I instead place the old substrate on top of the newly bought substrate? Much thanks!!!

[@FishPieTV]

If you’ve got new stuff just ditch the old substrate, it’ll save a lot of mess !

[@FishPieTV]

But if you want to use both, if put the new one on top

[@nayanmistry4641]

Once again good video and very informative. Is there an advantage of using RO water over conditioned tap water? Thanks

[@FishPieTV]

Only if you’re keeping softwater fish and you live in a hard water area, my general hardness out the tap is 20!

[@nayanmistry4641]

Great thanks for the info 😉

[@shaloon64]

Did you do any water changes when started your tank from scratch? I was told not do do any while the tank is starting

[@FishPieTV]

Yup I did ! Free floating Bacteria will be in there but if the nitrite gets too high it kills off you bacteria so you need to do water changes to get that back down

[@shaloon64]

@@FishPieTV ahhh I'll have to buy a nitrite test kit. Thanks!

[@Voidwalker093]

Hey how do you get away with using carbon in a planted tank? I've been having problems with water clarity lately and I've heard that carbon can remove some of the nutrition that the plants need and so I've been avoiding it. Do you use root tabs or a liquid fertilizer of sorts? Beautiful aquarium by the way, I love all that color!

[@FishPieTV]

Hi ! I actually no longer run carbon, I just add root tabs once a month and the liquid fert once a week, seems to work good with a decent clean up crew !

[@Voidwalker093]

@@FishPieTV thanks for the reply! That makes sense yeah, my concern a bit a go was with my Amazon sword.. it almost withered away completely with hardly a few live roots left ( most were almost black) and I quickly switched to a dirt with gravel cap substrate and it has since exploded into a big healthy plant. Ironically since doing so my gold coin Anubis's have been turning yellow here and there, but my hastifolia is growing a new shoot every couple of weeks. Sorry if this was a bit long but your plants look so great that I just had to ask. I dont really moniter water quality with the test kit I have, I usually do a 50% WC every Thursday and add a very slight amount of seachem flourish... I'm so stumped lately, any advice at all if any is greatly appreciated. Also, you've gained a sub 😀

[@FishPieTV]

Thanks ! I will do a new video soon of the tank I have now and how I manage it because that one is growing even more than this. I think the reason the fluval did so well was because I was overdriving the lights on it, running the bulbs with more power than they should. The other thing I use is Colombo flora grow carbo, every day , it’s working better than any other liquid carbon I’ve used. Might give the yellowing plants a boost

[@Voidwalker093]

@@FishPieTV thanks for the insight, I will have to look into this, thanks again :)

[@jton1]

this video is such a great idea. thanks so much

[@porkshackful]

thank you for the helpful video!!

[@mz1754]

Hi just wanted some advice on what to do if I cannot run the old filter with the new one in the tank as hood doesn't have enough space for 2 filters at once. Also when siphoning water out do you recommend seiving the rubbish from the tank as old water is drawn out?

[@FishPieTV]

Put all the sponges and any media in your new filter, if you have to take new stuff out, do that. Slowly swap it out over months. Just siphon the clear water. If it’s dirty at the bottom leave that bit in 👍

[@mz1754]

@@FishPieTV cheers mate and how long would you recommend to wait before putting fish in the new tank. Assuming I am using your quick method of an empty bucket as a quarantine tank

[@FishPieTV]

If you are doing a straight swap once the filter is sorted and there’s no leaks, and you’re done sorting plants and ornaments I’d put the fish in there. The main thing is minimise the stress to the fish

[@mz1754]

@@FishPieTV thanks alot . Looking to move from a 56l to 105 . I'm using the same kallax unit as you so thats a relief . Lol

[@FishPieTV]

@@mz1754 it won’t be long before you’ll want a bigger one 😂 I reinforced the corners a bit on mine just to make sure ! But if you’ve got it wedged between furniture it’ll be fine

[@greatoutdoors8678]

Sweet tank I subbed keep updating

[@FishPieTV]

Thank you !

[@2212Mustang]

where did you get that stand and is it sturdy enough to hold a 20 gallon tank?

[@FishPieTV]

+2212Mustang it's from IKEA , with a few braces it seemed to hold weight ok, but keep in mind it's not the very strong material

[@CM-gj8py]

FishPie can you show us how you braced it?

[@michaelnelson3876]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING ENJOYED WATCHING .

[@FishPieTV]

+Michael NelsonMichaelN thanks !

[@peepeepoopoo4003]

Is it okay to just use my hands to carefully scoop up the fish and move it that way??

[@FishPieTV]

Yea it’s probably fine , lots of people do if you’re careful

[@htx7011]

So i have a new fish tank and i want to put it where my current fish tank is at how should i do it ?

[@FishPieTV]

Exactly what I did in this video get some temporary buckets , drain , swap, fill

[@htx7011]

FishPie thank you so much how long till i put the fishes back in it ?

[@FishPieTV]

I put them in the minute the filter was moved into the new tank and the plants were all in. During the whole process you just want the fish as less stressed as possible and running on a filter for as long as possible , if you keep that in mind then you can’t do much better

[@alsfishtipsaquatics988]

Hi. Really informative Vid. I'm moving my guppies from a 27L to a 105L tank. I have left the main tank with 3/4 full of dechlorinated water + stress coat/Stress Zyme. It has new substrate and new plants, Carbon Filter, air pump not from the original tank. I have also left the original 25L filter running in the new tank as well over night. If Ph and Temp in the new tank is the same as the original tank, am I safe to move nearly all of the 25L original water and fish into the new tank? No one online is advising if you are using new substrate and plants etc I don't want to lose my adults and babies!!

[@FishPieTV]

How’s the 25litre tank filtered at the moment ? Can you put that filter on the main tank? If you can get as much stuff from the old tank, even if it’s just temporary over 4 weeks when you put the fish in the new tank every little helps. You’ll want to take bits out piece by piece of the new tank slowly so you don’t disturb the cycle. You should be ok. Have you got the ability to check your water parameters with test kits? Testing is the best way to know your fish are in safe water

[@alsfishtipsaquatics988]

Thanks for the quick reply fella. So at the moment there is no filter in the 25L tank as I transferred it to the 105L tank. Used my API master test kit, PH, same, temp 25 in original tank, 26 in new tank. Nitrates 0ppm and Nitrates same reading 40ppm. Don't want to leave fish in non filtered tank for much longer, with just the air pump. Only things left in original to move would be 1 live plant 1 plastic plant & substrate. I'm sensing the fish are safe to move. What do you think? Cheers

[@alsfishtipsaquatics988]

Oops meant to say Nitrites 0ppm & Nitrates less than 40ppm in both new and old tank.

[@FishPieTV]

Get the fish in the new tank ASAP , if you have the old filter running in the new tank that’s the time you want to move them. Make sure temps the same or you’ll need to float them in bags. Put the plant and fake one in for now too

[@alsfishtipsaquatics988]

I'll do it now. I'm moving the 3 adults, 4 juveniles who are in the main part of the tank, and I have 9 babies in a hanging netted nursery. I'm planning to refill the 25L tank with fresh dechlorinated water, keeping the original substrate and putting the old filter back in, after about 4 week time, after it has been running aside the big filter that came with the 105L Tetra tank, and then moving the babies out of their nursery, into the 25L until old enough to sex and keep them all separated in the main tank, with the divider I made. Finger's crossed! Thanks for your advice fella really helpful. Here goes!!

[@monosom]

Thanks for the vid! It helped a lot! I just moved my fish to a 20Gallon and they are very happy! (*also Maidenhead aquatics is where I go to get my fish, I go to Orstely for it*)

[@FishPieTV]

I’m glad it helped and your fish are doing well!

[@knokzly]

hi mate. im doing a similar thing right now did you use the same filter on the new tank or just use the media?

[@FishPieTV]

If you are swapping filter just cram the new one with the old media and sponges if you can fit it all in 👍

[@knokzly]

great. im going from a Cf 2 filter to a fluval u3 would you say its business as usual or should i leave it for some time to establish? i only ask because i now have more space so id like to start adding new fish soon.

[@FishPieTV]

@@knokzly if the media from the old filter is in there crack on (slowly) don’t throw loads of new fish in just start it off slowly

[@knokzly]

@@FishPieTV Right! looking to add a ram and gourami today... hopefully thats not too large of an addition?

[@FishPieTV]

I wouldn’t add both the ram will want loads of settling in time. They really are pretty picky

[@CM-gj8py]

Have you done a video on sand vs substrate?

[@FishPieTV]

+Cindu Masih no good idea ! Thanks

[@lifebegins4776]

What is R O?

[@FishPieTV]

Reverse osmosis water

[@connorbenzie7117]

Where are the plants from mate?

[@FishPieTV]

My local fish shop !

[@connorbenzie7117]

Ahh right. It’s a shame that I don’t have a local fish shop😂😂 pets at home don’t have much either tbh

[@FishPieTV]

You could give a shop a call and see if they’d post you a selection out ?

[@Hennaf16]

Did you cycle the tank before you put the fish in?

[@FishPieTV]

Sure did , that was the point of getting the tank , to start a whole cycle from scratch

[@Hennaf16]

FishPie I guess using the same filter media and plants helped kick start the tank. How long did it take to cycle and how many water changes did you have to do? I’m going to buy a test kit as I’m too afraid I’ll be putting the fish in too soon

[@FishPieTV]

Ahh I thought this comment was on a different video. If you are swapping tanks the instructions were all about preserving the cycle in the plants, rock work and filter. Keeping all that at a good temperature with the filter off as short as possible you’ll be fine and shouldn’t need to worry about the cycle. It’s a good idea to test the parameters as you might have a slight wobble, but mine was completely fine

[@Hennaf16]

FishPie thank you for the advice. Was talking to Maidenhead Aquatics about it but they don’t seem as knowledgeable. Going to be purchasing the Roma 200 in a few days. Also changing my substrate from gravel to sand. Will be a long process lol

[@FishPieTV]

If you can get the substrate all sorted in the new tank ready to go it’ll save you lots of time ! Try and keep the filter going for as long as possible and should be fine

[@dankerns1558]

There's no way that tank is 125 gallon

[@FishPieTV]

Litres dude

[@scottcanavan2863]

What would be the best way to go from a 130 litre to a 170 litre or 225 litre and a new filter? The current is an internal and the new one will use an external. I was thinking squeezing the stuff out of the internal into the external and then let them run for together for abit, before taking the sponges out and putting them into the external or even just putting the sponges on the external and just running that on its own

[@FishPieTV]

If you can get everything from the internal into the external I’d probably just go run with that as it’ll be less mess and faff