New Substrate

[onlinebug]

Ok so i've just spent around £20 on gravel for my tank and then filled it and started to filter. Then realised that I wanted corys in my tank? So i'm going to argos tomorrow to pick up 15kg of playsand. I was thinking of mixing with my gravel but I don't think it would look good.

So I was wondering, the swap of substrate is probably going to take about two days if I wait for it to settle to reduce sand in my filter. But my filter is at a mid stage of cycling so the last thing I want to do is stop it. So what I was thinking of doing is putting around 5-10 litres of TANK water into a bucket and then putting the filter into the bucket to keep the water flowing into it and I was wondering if this would keep the cycling going for a few days?

Also, any big tips for cleaning the sand when its in the tank?

 

[darknirvana217]

How are you doing the cycling in the first place? Cycling a tank occurs when ammonia, added to the water usually from fish waste, is broken down by beneficial bacteria in your tank. Without adding ammonia, preferably from fish, their is no cycling occuring really. With just the filter in a bucket without any ammonia producers, your not going to get anywhere. Go ahead and change out your substrate, and just start the cycling all over again. you can clean sand just like you would gravel. Don't be afraid to vaccum some up, it can always be replaced. Just put the siphon hose across the top of the sand. Sometimes making circuliar movements over the surface of teh snad will stir some of teh waste up as well.

 

[onlinebug]

Yeah, I know how to cycle now in extreme detail I've added 5ppm of ammonia and my nitrites are rising.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yeah you can do that no problems. You might find that because of the smaller water volume (and as such smaller amount of ammonia) it gets cycled quicker and you might have to add more then you where to the main tank. You will have to adjust the amount of ammonia you add to the bucket.

Also in the main tank I wouldnt leave the ammonia laced water in there with no filter running as you will end up with a load of algae so when you change the substrate change the remaining water as well.