Dr. wrote:


So... what's the best way to swap out the boulders with some Flourite? Even
after rinsing the stuff endlessly... the Flourite I added to my 40 gallon
hex tank made the water look like chocolate milk.


I've changed my substrate several times now. I simply placed fish &
plants with tank water into picnic coolers and plastic tubs while I
drained the tank completely and replaced the substrate. I took the media
out of my filters and kept it and the filter parts wet in a bucket. I
also placed styrofoam over the concrete floor, under the plastic tubs to
keep them warmer. I probably retained only 20 percent of the aquarium water.

The whole process took a few hours, with no real problems. The only
issue has been, that clown loaches and rainbow fish may swim vigorously
in their tubs and bruise their noses. That's why I now use quite a few
plants in every tub. Good luck!

Steve