How To Change Substrate

[Keithoms]

I have decided i no longer like my white gravel. (It goes kind of brown, not very nice).
I would much prefer sand. How do i go about getting the white gravel out?

 

[raptorrex]

this is my method, its not definitive, and it is by no means the only way, however it works for me!

remove all your deccor, placing it in a bucket of tank water. then bit by bit remove the old substrate. i use a sieve, rinsing each one out well in the tank. by the time you have finished the water will look like hell! don't worry, let the water clear and settle. then vacuum up the bigger bits that fall to the floor of the tank. now start adding the sand, after it has been well rinsed. i switch off the filter for this part. after you have put in all your sand, allowing it to settle, replace all the deccor you removed, and switch on the filter. i find this way, most likely to avoid any mini cycle, problems.

 

[5teady_2012]

My Method is...

Remove all decor placing in a bucket with water in..

then i vac the gravel loads, then i use a big siphoning tube to suck the gravel up, this way it helps to keep the water clean and not get full of muck.

Then clean sand til water is clear, then leave standing in hot water for a hour..

Then add sand with hands or a scooper.

 

[minxfishy]

Sticky topic here: http/www.fishforums.net/content/Tropical...n-the-aquarium/

 

[raptorrex]

then i vac the gravel loads, then i use a big siphoning tube to suck the gravel up, this way it helps to keep the water clean and not get full of muck.

ahh in my system and that mentioned by wolf in the linked sticky, we are trying to keep of much of the gunk as we can this, after all, is where the substrate bacteria is held. keeping it helps avoid mini cycles. obviously if you keep your substrate spotless, there would be no need to do so, but if you did, there would not be any muck to muddy the water anyway! personally i find it better to play safe, especially when giving advice to others. both systems do work, however only one, is prone to mini cycle problems.

 

[5teady_2012]

then i vac the gravel loads, then i use a big siphoning tube to suck the gravel up, this way it helps to keep the water clean and not get full of muck.

ahh in my system and that mentioned by wolf in the linked sticky, we are trying to keep of much of the gunk as we can this, after all, is where the substrate bacteria is held. keeping it helps avoid mini cycles. obviously if you keep your substrate spotless, there would be no need to do so, but if you did, there would not be any muck to muddy the water anyway! personally i find it better to play safe, especially when giving advice to others. both systems do work, however only one, is prone to mini cycle problems.

If the they have a internal filter, that holds most of the bacteria anyways dont it?