Substrate change

[Laurabhspt]

Hi all! Looking for advice and you’ve always been so helpful in my fishkeeping so here I am again!
I set up a lovely 400ltr or so task, used play sand for my yo-yo loaches, and it was all lovely… however… I cannot get on with sand. I can’t keep it clean, it doesn’t vacuum, I can’t grow plants in it as it packs down too much, and the yo-yos have a bit too much fun stirring it up when they have a mad half hour. As such, it’s almost ruined my external filter, it killed my small hanging uv filter, looks like it’s killed my heater this week and because I can’t seem to keep it clean enough I’m really struggling with ammonia/nitrate/nitrite. I’ve subsequently lost all bar three of my swords, which I’ve now put back in my previous tank to try and save the remaining ones. I need this sand gone!
So questions are, do I have to empty this giant tank to swap the sand out and start again, or is there a way of doing it without completely starting again?
Also, what size gravel shall I go for for the yo-yos? I want something small enough for them to not hurt their barbells, but coarse enough that I can both vacuum it and grow plants in it. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

No you don't. I remove substrate by siphoning it out. With sand you need to be careful not to clog the hoes because you are siphoning to much too rapidly. Siphone it into a pail/bucket. That way you can return the water to the tank. otherwise you may need to add more water as you go. Be sure to dechlor the new water if you need to add it.

You can also put in the new substrate without draining the tank. You can pour it inspreading it around as you do, You will likely need to rearrange it some after adding it to get the depth level you want. I find a spatula or even a long handle alga scraper to be a good tool for this.

Thee way to keep sand out of filters and UV units is to put a prefilter on the intake. I use sand in all my pleco breeding and grow tanks. I use the Carib Sea Torpedo Beach sand. it has a grain size a bit larger than other sands. This makes it easier to vac and not to suck it out and also bettr for planting as it wont compact as much as smaller grained sand does.

Super Naturals - Torpedo Beach Sand 0.5 - 2.0 mm Carib Sea.

The problem is it is not cheap. But I got all of mine many years back from Drsforstersmith.com before Live Aquaria bought them. Fostersmith used to have a summer sales in which they did not charge extra for heavy weight shipping. I was ramping up my number of tanks and over 2 or 3 summers I kept buying more bags at that really great price.

The original reason I chose to get this sand was because I was getting into Altum angels and the Admin. of the now defunct wild angel site posted that this sand looked the most like the sand bottoms where the largest and prettiest Altums lived which was in the Rio Atabapo which borders Colombia and Venezuala. I liked that sand so much I used it in all my furture sand bottom tanks.

 

[fishorama]

I don't know what they might be called where you live but I've found a "kerosine" siphon to be effective at removing finer substrate. It has a squeeze bulb , hard & a flexible hose.

I think you have too fine of sand if it compacts. Here I use "pool filter sand" but it's also called 20 grit I think. I know pools are not common in the UK so goodness knows what you might be able to find. Here landscape yards might have different choices.

I've always wanted to try Carib Sea Peace River, a small gravel substrate. Larger than sand & a pretty color. Expensive, if you can get it.