Substrate change

[Aaron Muth]

i would like to change my gravel substrate to a more plant friendly substrate. I have a few questions about this.
1. Is it safe for the fish?
2. How do I do it?
3. Any good options for my tank that is plant and fish friendly?
My tank is 37 gallon’s, has two mat/carpeting plants, a cluster of plants in the middle of the tank, one spider wood, and I plan on putting dragon stone in the corner with more plants.
I have two air stones.
The fish include 5 rainbows, 3 pearl danios, 3 Cory cats, a kuhli loach, two otto’s, two rams, and three ammono shrimp.

 

[Colin_T]

What sort of substrate do you currently have?

Plants will grow in sand or gravel. If you have plants and they are doing well, and the gravel isn't white, then leave it alone. If the substrate is white, the fish don't show off their colour as well.

If you use special plant substrates, you usually get ammonia problems for up to 6 months after adding it. This is due to the organic matter they put in the plant substrates. It breaks down and produces ammonia, which is good for plants, but kills fish.

All my tanks had natural brown gravel that was about 2mm in diameter. I used red clay to make small balls about 10mm in diameter and let them dry. Then I pushed the balls of clay into the gravel and put plants on top of them.

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If you really want to change the substrate, gravel clean the substrate each day for 3 or 4 days. This will remove most of the gunk from it.
When the gravel in the aquarium is reasonably clean, drop the water level in the tank by a couple of inches and remove the ornaments (wood, rocks, plants).
Use an aquarium fish net to scoop the gravel up and remove it form the tank. If you have sand in the tank, use a small plastic container to scoop it up. Start at one end of the tank so the fish can swim to the opposite end when your hand is in the water.

When you have remove the old substrate, add the new stuff. Wash the new gravel before removing the old stuff so it is clean and ready to go in straight away.
Add the new gravel a small amount at a time and add it at one end. When there is a small pile in the tank, spread it out across the bottom before adding more.

 

[Aaron Muth]

What sort of substrate do you currently have?

Plants will grow in sand or gravel. If you have plants and they are doing well, and the gravel isn't white, then leave it alone. If the substrate is white, the fish don't show off their colour as well.

If you use special plant substrates, you usually get ammonia problems for up to 6 months after adding it. This is due to the organic matter they put in the plant substrates. It breaks down and produces ammonia, which is good for plants, but kills fish.

All my tanks had natural brown gravel that was about 2mm in diameter. I used red clay to make small balls about 10mm in diameter and let them dry. Then I pushed the balls of clay into the gravel and put plants on top of them.

------------------------
If you really want to change the substrate, gravel clean the substrate each day for 3 or 4 days. This will remove most of the gunk from it.
When the gravel in the aquarium is reasonably clean, drop the water level in the tank by a couple of inches and remove the ornaments (wood, rocks, plants).
Use an aquarium fish net to scoop the gravel up and remove it form the tank. If you have sand in the tank, use a small plastic container to scoop it up. Start at one end of the tank so the fish can swim to the opposite end when your hand is in the water.

When you have remove the old substrate, add the new stuff. Wash the new gravel before removing the old stuff so it is clean and ready to go in straight away.
Add the new gravel a small amount at a time and add it at one end. When there is a small pile in the tank, spread it out across the bottom before adding more.

I was just thinking it might look nicer, but if it puts the health of my fish at risk I won’t do it. My gravel is a more natural tone with reds, oranges, and light yellows.