LoL
JustAndy!
fish tank is quite easy to "keep cycled" drain some water into a bucket, stick your filter in it (dont clean it) and you heater, put the fish in it then just go about gutting your tank.
the fish will happy in a bucket for weeks giving the heater and filter are running.
what you do with the tank is up to you, but i have always been a sand man for substrate. gravel is just too coarse for plants but with sand it gives them something to really dig there roots in and grow well!
(little tip, dont bother with going to a fish shop for sand.. child's play sand is the best stuff to use.. just clean it well)
save all you plants by chucking them in the bucket.. from the pictures it looks like you suffer from hair algae.. use a sprinkle of hair algae remover for a pond
just dont use too much also fish tank lights should only be on for around 8 hours.
so long as you dont clean the filter the tank will remain good.
make sure with it being a new setup to dechlorinate the water using some "tap safe" stuff (or you risk killing off the good bacteria in the filter)
when you have the tank setup as you want start to pour the new treated water in. try your best to get it to around 23-26.c the heater will take care of the rest.
the easiest way to get the fish back into the tank is to just pour the bucket back into the tank that has the fish in it. less stress than chasing them with a net for hours. also the old water contains loads of good backteria in it that the new setup can use.
when the tanks all done and you do your first feed dont feed them much. feed them very little. my fish get fed once every 2 to 3 days to avoid overfeeding. not lost a fish now for over 4 months and the shrimp are happy!
the way i look after the tank is do a bit of a water change ever 1 to 2 weeks, but only like 25%.. if that. a bucket or half a bucket.5 minuet job and it keeps it nice and clean.
if you get stuck give me a pm and ill try to walk you through it. its simple stuff.
