Substrate Change

[Jen]

I'm planning on doing a switch from gravel to sand this week. I've never done this when I've had a fully stocked tank... any tips? I have a large container to house the fish in with tank water, and an air stone and power head to keep things moving. I plan on building caves and stuff in there during the procedure to keep them calm.

Is there a time frame I should aim for?
Is there anything else I should think of for my fish?

Due to the type of syphon I have, putting the tank water back in the tank will be very difficult, so is there an easy way to re-acclimate the fish? I have a serious snail problem, so I will be doing a very thorough clean of tank, driftwood and filter to try to avoid bringing them over to the sand.

Thanks for any advice you may have for me

 

[bristlenoseitplecoman]

what type of sand is it? make sure you wash it well before putting it in no matter what. I did that recently and got tahitian moon sand from the pet store.

 

[raptorrex]

I'm planning on doing a switch from gravel to sand this week. I've never done this when I've had a fully stocked tank... any tips? I have a large container to house the fish in with tank water, and an air stone and power head to keep things moving. I plan on building caves and stuff in there during the procedure to keep them calm.

Is there a time frame I should aim for?
Is there anything else I should think of for my fish?

Due to the type of syphon I have, putting the tank water back in the tank will be very difficult, so is there an easy way to re-acclimate the fish? I have a serious snail problem, so I will be doing a very thorough clean of tank, driftwood and filter to try to avoid bringing them over to the sand.

Thanks for any advice you may have for me

I'd take remove the gravel with all the water, and fish, still in. then let the filter clear your water.

when its done, remove the fish. and also take out 50% of the water. rememberig to switch off the filter and the heater.

hopefully you will have spent several hours cleaning the sand so.

now fill a container (something like a takeaway tub) with the wet sand.

place the lid over it. then lower it into the water.

genitally lift the lid off and slowly pour out the sand. replace the lid. and repeat till the base is covered. I'm fussy, so i wipe the outside of the tub, before i put it in the water. Each time!

if you are careful, the water should not get too cloudy.

now the hard bit. replacing the water without clouds of muck.

if you are using a syphon, try to find something slightly narrower than the top of your tank, to use as a shoot (ramp)??? it should reach the 50% water level.

the idea being to put the syphon end at the top, allowing the water to flow down it. this spreads out the water, making less of an impact as it enters.


it sounds complicated. but it will get your fish back in the tank in a few hours. (actually i do mine with fish in place).

after refilling the tank let it settle, before replacing the fish and putting on the heater.

I'd leave the filter till the water clears, after you replace the fish.

well, that's my take on the procedure, hope it's some help.

 

[This Old Spouse]

It's just as easy to put a dinner plate on the sand and pour the water on the plate. It spreads the water out so the sand doesn't shoot all over the place. Everything else works well that raptorrex explained.

If you have a snail problem, you're overfeeding. Cut down on the feeding and the snail problem will right itself.

 

[Jen]

That is a fantastic plan. Precise an no dilly dallying!
The sand is pool filter sand that I cleaned a number of months ago when I bought it (life sidetracked me and it had to wait). I was thinking I would just put it in dry, but it would probably do better from another clean... Just in case.

We lost a fish or two adding gravel to my boyfriend's tank unfortunately, so I don't want to risk anyone by keeping them in there.

I am also adding a layer of laterite, so I think the least amount of water in there the better. I don't want to have 55g of fresh water in there, but I know it will be a high ratio. If I have to scoop it in with a clean juice jug I will.

I may need more sand, but I won't know until I have this batch in, so I'm hoping my heater will be ok in the container in case I need a few more hours.

I'm looking forward to this, and knows it's not as daunting as I am anticipating, but I like preparing for the worst.

 

[Jen]

As for the snails... I know they came in on plants. I only feed once every 2 or 3 days - 2 algae discs and only enough food that they eat it all. I have that down to a science after all these years. I have enough algae and plants that's I try to encourage foraging. If there's any leftovers I don't know how to stop it.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I found adding sand to a tank with it half full of water to be very easy and nice. The sand was easier to place and scape while there was water - at least for me. Also, filling with water again was VERY simple and I didn't have to worry about the water pushing the sand all over the place. I use a hose, and I just aimed the hose parallel to the water surface (just beneath) and the sand stayed put. There was a tiny bit moved from the glass but the pattern it made was so nice that I left it like that. (Of course, now with the cories in the tank, they remake the bottom with little dimples everywhere! )

Best wishes with the switch... it's going to be fine.

 

[This Old Spouse]

As for the snails... I know they came in on plants. I only feed once every 2 or 3 days - 2 algae discs and only enough food that they eat it all. I have that down to a science after all these years. I have enough algae and plants that's I try to encourage foraging. If there's any leftovers I don't know how to stop it.

In that case, maybe add some assassin snails. I got several to help with my fry tank, and although it took some time they do help. I actually like having some snails, so things have adjusted nicely now.

 

[Jen]

Things went well. I had to alter the plan slightly since I started losing visibility very quickly trying to take out the gravel with the fish still in there, so then went to a temp home very early on. But none seemed too stressed, and were only relocated for 2.5 hours - but man do they hate the net The new wood I found is fantastic and really helped to decide my new scape.

Once my store gets any I'll add some kullie loaches; I hear they like snails too. I had some assassins, but they died quickly unfortunately (I think most were dead from the store to be honest)

The tank looks so much bigger now too! Bonus!

Thanks for all the help.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Photos! We need photos!!

 

[Jen]

I still need a lot of plants in there, and I want to build another cave or two. It's still dark in there, but I can tell things have settled down a lot more in there. I'll try to pull out the good camera and get some better shots (as well as figuring out how to block the glare from the light - I didn't want a hood, but I may be building one soon)

Before:

After:

 

[millym]

looks so much better, i changed substrate on my 4fter with fish in situ,i posted how i did it in an earlier post this week, not the best idea but worked for me & all fish ok afterwards. im so glad i changed to sand looks so much better, much healthier for cory & loach barbels and ive never had a problem with plants since- they go mad in a sand tank, i have to prune like mad as even after a week the new growth has gone crazy

 

[Gilli]

Buy a large plastic builders tub from your local DIY store which are really cheap - empty your tank water into it then add your fish, filter heater & plants. If you run your filter and heater in it you can keep the fish in the tub for a few days while you take your time to arrange the tank and for the sand to settle.

 

[raptorrex]

Buy a large plastic builders tub from your local DIY store which are really cheap - empty your tank water into it then add your fish, filter heater & plants. If you run your filter and heater in it you can keep the fish in the tub for a few days while you take your time to arrange the tank and for the sand to settle.

I bought 2 tubs from willcos. both 20l. they cost £1 each. but they have lasted 5 years, and counting. all they are used for is water changes, and fish holding.
they a black, and boring, but who cares?