"Steve" wrote in message
. ..
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

Draining the tank sounds like a better idea than what I had in mind.

I read an article posted in another group about using an UGF with planted
tanks. And growing algae under the UGF.

Here's the link:
http://www.thekrib.com/Filters/algae-ugf.html

Sounds interesting, and I'm going to look into it a little more. If I decide
to go with it, draining the tank is pretty much a must.

Thanks,
Gary