Adding Sand

[-Nemo-]

I'm getting sick of the gravel in my 10G tank, so i want to add sand (and my cory pandas have also been urging me )
I'm just unsure on how to go about making the change.
Is there anyway to make a relatively clean switch while still having fish and water in the tank? I don't have another place to put the fish (though i guess if absolutely necessary I could get something) Also I have a crypt, and i read somewhere they may rot if moved, should I be worried about that?

Thanks

 

[Tessla]

I managed to replace the gravel in my ten gallon with sand recently. Make sure that you take all of your tank ornaments out and do a really good gravel vac first. Then I scooped out all of my gravel carefully with a plastic cup, and slowly added prewashed sand with the same cup. As for the crypt, the leaves do have a tendency to melt when you move them, but they usually grow back. I've got a few and they've taken lots of abuse in shipping and being transferred to other tanks with no melting.

It was very cloudy for a bit, I'd keep your filter and air pumps turned off for a bit to let it settle. Also be very careful when topping off the tank with water. Might want to note that I used very fine sand in my tank, I've got a coarser grade play sand in my other tanks. Hindsight is always 20/20 and even though I didn't lose any fish, I really ought to have transferred them all to a big bucket filled with tank water and an airstone until the sand had settled in the main tank.

A bit worried about your stocking there, namely the betta and the dwarf gouramis. Keep a close eye on those and keep a bowl handy for the betta. If the dwarf gouramis are both brightly colored they're likely both male and I've never had anything close to success keeping two male dwarf gouramis in the same tank, even ones much bigger than 10 gallons.

 

[SuperColey1]

I connected my filter to my siphon pipe and put it in a dustbin.

Turned the filter on and it started pumping into the bin (it was laid on the gravel)
tuened it off when I had a reasonable amount of water in the bin
transferred the fish
turned the pump back on but this time into a bucket (disposing of the water)
when the tank was past the filters level I used the syphone pushed right to the base of the tank
Once the tank was reasonable empty I started scooping the gravel into the bucket.
I emptied the gravel along the side of my driveway where the birds had removed all the previous gravel
I then put in TetraComplete substrate (for my plants, might be a good idea incase you decide in the future to go planted and will save you emptying again)
the I put in the PRE WASHED sand
Filled up to 1/3
planted up
filled to 2/3
put the heater in the tank again (but not the filter)
Using 2 thermometers waited for the bin and tank to match
poured (or rather scooped) the fish back in
Jobs a good un and 2 hours wasted

You must prewash your playsand first, it stops the cloudiness, as it rinses out the particles of dusty material in there.

SEE PINNED THREAD ON THIS = It may be in planted I'm not sure

 

[-Nemo-]

Thanks

Tessla, my two dwarfs are male but they get along just fine, I was worried at the beginning but there have been no problems. They actually swim around together most of the time

Also, How much of the water did you drain?

 

[Tessla]

I drained about 30% of the water, and did a 20% water change the week before with a massive gravel vac as well. If you remove the fish to a bucket of drained tank water, you can get more water out of the tank and it would be much easier.

I've done the two male dwarf gourami in the same tank thing a few times before, they always work out fine for a few months and then suddenly turn on each other. If they show any signs of agression (are they displaying at each other when swimming around together?) I'd separate them.

 

[-Nemo-]

Great, Sounds like a Plan. And thanks for the warning