Gravel Question

[BETTY BOO]

im going to change all the gravel in my tank today.will this cause any problems? i have white atm and its going an awful colour.so i am changing to black.i will save as much of the original waster as i can and bag the fish up.

 

[fluttermoth]

As long as you keep your filter wet (running in a bucket of tank water would be best, if you can arrange it) and you wash the new gravel, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Jimbo1984]

Yes white quickly becomes brown and shows everything! I've had to take fish out of the tank for a big clean a few times and put them in a large 25 litre bucket with the heater (only on for bursts after temp checks), rather than bagging them all up. Easier I guess! Entirely dependent on what you have lying around. The only problem I can think of is you're taking away a large amount of bacteria living on the gravel. Would be wise to keep an eye on your stats closely afterwards.

 

[fluttermoth]

I shouldn't think there'll be a 'large' amonut of bacteria on the gravel, unless the OP is using a UG filter. Nearly all the bacteria live in the filter, there's a negligable amount on other surfaces.

It's always a good idea to keep a close eye on levels when you do any major upheaval in your tank though.

 

[fidjet2]

I agree with fluttermoth, and also wanted to say the black will look amazing, i recently did a clean out of my tank and went from white sand to black quartz gravel you fish will look great

 

[zuulan]

I've the same problem with a tank with white sand in it. It looks amazing when you first set the tank up, but it soon looks pretty bad. I've resisted doing a change so far and might just gradually add normal coloured sand in.

Can anyone tell me if my open bag of sand that's been kept in the back of the garage for years will be safe to use? I do drive the car into the garage daily but I drive into it, rather then reverse into it. So it won't catch many fumes, Right? I've had both petrol and diesel cars.

 

[balajake]

light substrate seems to wash fish out.

 

[BETTY BOO]

well i have done it.it looks so much better.i cant believe how much the cardinal tetras stand out.but a bit of bad news tho.i have lost a harlequin rasbora.maybe he was too stressed.ive tested the water and alls good.ive ordered my new external filter.ive gone for the all pond solutions 1000lph.here is a pic of the new setup.ive added a few more plants too.what do you think? i really want to change the aquascape but im not sure what to do?