Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: kdt1 on May 05, 2018, 09:08:13 PM

Title: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 05, 2018, 09:08:13 PM
thinking of changing from gravel to sand and replanting but don't fancy doing it myself, was thinking of getting someone one in to do it for me, seen a local company that do that sort of thing but no idea if its a good idea and no idea of price, any one else used one if yes what did you think and what did it cost.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Littlefish on May 05, 2018, 09:20:12 PM
I've not used one.
Perhaps you could also try asking at your LFS to see if the company charges a fair price - sometimes they know the different companies in the area.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Helen on May 05, 2018, 10:05:22 PM
Omg. It never even occurred to me that I could have got someone else to change my substrate for me.  :yikes: :yikes:
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: fcmf on May 05, 2018, 10:06:33 PM
I've seen adverts for pet/house sitters - I wonder if you were to choose one with fishkeeping experience, might that be an alternative option for you? They may not have specific experience in decor changes, though, but maybe you have the scope to ask that. Having said that, I think the best option is the local company with professional expertise in that area, and LF's suggestion is a good plan.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: TopCookie on May 05, 2018, 11:19:46 PM
There's a magnificent young fella at my local P@H store that would do such a job for not a right lot of dosh...  Probably of no use to anybody else, unless they live in or near Derby...
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 06, 2018, 10:06:11 AM
yea but I am on the east coast.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: fcmf on May 06, 2018, 12:11:05 PM
yea but I am on the east coast.
It may be that there is someone equally enthusiastic in one of your LFSs/aquatic/pet stores, though...
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 06, 2018, 01:39:40 PM
yea I will have a word, found a local company but being bank holiday can't get hold of anyone.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 09, 2018, 01:31:21 PM
found someone, change gravel supply new substrate and plant's £275, bit dear but hope it's worth it in the end. 
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Helen on May 09, 2018, 10:41:01 PM
I reckon it took me the best part of 30 hours (if not more) of my time. And I didn't buy anything new, just reused everything. (Except for a coconut. Which I bought from the supermarket and hasn't gone into the tank yet)

I did add more plants after sorting my substrate, but that's because I couldn't stop tinkering. They didn't replace any thing.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 09, 2018, 10:57:56 PM
yes going to use Natural White Silica Sand.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Sue on May 10, 2018, 08:51:53 AM
Please don't use white sand. White does not occur anywhere in nature and it stresses the fish because they have evolved over dark 'substrate'. Their bodies are coloured so that when you look down on them they are dark so they don't stand out against the substrate. If you look from underneath, they are light coloured so they don't stand out against the sky. A fish that stands out is much more likely to be seen and eaten. A fish that blends in is more likely to live longer.
Sand coloured substrate is better for fish, and brown/black is even better.

The same applies to gravel.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: TopCookie on May 10, 2018, 09:51:28 AM
I agree with Sue on the white substrates...  I have some white sand myself and now consider that to have been a bad choice...  If I were doing your project but with my hindsight, I would pick natural coloured sand...
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 10, 2018, 10:12:39 AM
checked again it's not pure white but a natural colour.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: TopCookie on May 10, 2018, 10:33:18 AM
Much better... 

Many of the specific colours of sand have been dyed, if I've understood things correctly... 
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Helen on May 10, 2018, 01:35:49 PM
I used children's play sand and although it is natural sand coloured , it actually looks quite white underneath my aquarium lights. Unless it's dirty.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Matt on May 10, 2018, 11:20:41 PM
Same here Helen... it also work out A LOT cheaper than buying an aquarium branded product.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 16, 2018, 11:05:02 PM
so went down my LFS and got him to come out to do it, removed the multi coloured gravel dump all the plants and started again, so now on sand most of new plants in others out of stock being done in 2 weeks, he cleaned all the tank internal filter including pump, all the external filter pipes heaters tank cover lights, looks nice and strange looks bigger.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Helen on May 17, 2018, 08:24:06 AM
I reckon my tank looked bigger too after refurb. Which seems strange because apart from substrate there's now more in there.  ;)

@Matt playsand was definitely cheaper for me as I just repurposed some that I'd bought for my kids!
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 17, 2018, 10:10:38 AM
yea its a 5 foot so quite big, but  now because he has minimized it lot of open spaces. more eye catching as well.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: TopCookie on May 17, 2018, 10:46:46 AM
We need a photo...
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 17, 2018, 01:14:25 PM
not finish yet but here it is
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: TopCookie on May 17, 2018, 01:53:59 PM
Looking nice & neat there...  Trying to visualise it from before the changes now... 
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 17, 2018, 02:08:42 PM
worse than this
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: Helen on May 17, 2018, 07:29:06 PM
What's the low level plants? It looks like it's on a mesh mat.
Title: Re: aquarium service company
Post by: kdt1 on May 17, 2018, 08:43:43 PM
it was but the fish kept pulling the moss out.