Taking The Plunge And Changing Gravel To Sand!

[Minstrel]

Well here we go I am taking the plunge and changing from gravel to sand. I have ordered silica sand as after a lot of research it seems to need the most cleaning and as I live in a little flat I really need the cleanest sand. But I have a few questions.

I have ordered 6 x 10lb bags of sand will that be enough for a 220L tank? (Will get dimensions later)

Cleaning the sand as I said I have no hose or outside to clean so will putting the sand in the bucket and sitting it in my bath below the tap at a strong blast clean it effectively? (I will leave it until the water comes out of the bucket clean)

When I move the fish out of their tank I am going to get a large container to put them in, can I put in my fluval filter which is now laying dormant (so not cycled but will only be for an hour or two?) as I cannot see me being able to disconnect my filter entirely and putting it in the container?

Also what is the LEAST stressful way of catching and moving the fish?

 

[festo]

Can i ask where you got your silica sand from?

 

[the_lock_man]

When I did the same as you, I just put my fish into unfiltered, unheated buckets, they'll be fine for a short period of time. Make sure you keep your current filter media wet during the changeover.

Catching the fish is not going to be easy, it never is, but if you drain the tank right down first, they only have 2 dimensions they can avoid you in, not 3!

 

[Minstrel]

A place called fish and fins is where I got it.

So will they be okay for a couple of hours? Just in case.

My filter media should be okay as its an external filter?

 

[fluttermoth]

Your fish should be fine in buckets for a couple of hours; I'd make sure they're in a warm place, and cover them with a blanket as well.

Likewise, the media in your external will also be fine, as long as it's kept wet

 

[Gilli]

Your filter will be ok. I accidentially left my external filter turned off after a water change for 24 hours before i realized my mistake and I didnt even have a glitch in my water stats! But obviously leave it as least time as possible

 

[fishprotector]

I changed my largest tank from argos play sand to limpopo last Sunday and I left the fish in the tank. I have done it before and as long as you are careful then I think that it is less stressful than catching them and moving them twice. Plus, have you ever tried to catch four Pictus using a glass

 

[CausticKat]

I agree about leaving them in the tank while switching to sand. I had to do something similar at work, we changed all of our gravel so it would match,and we had very few casualties.

 

[rastoma]

I agree about leaving them in the tank while switching to sand. I had to do something similar at work, we changed all of our gravel so it would match,and we had very few casualties.

I would disagree. Given that you said you had casualties.. meaning more than one fish died. How often do fish survive when coming from a LFS, after being caught, poured into a bag, sloshed around on the drive home, acclimated, then caught again with a net (preferably) to be placed in the new tank, with unfamiliar surroundings? Very often.

Why would you think that scooping or vacuuming gravel out of the tank with fish still in it, would be preferable to placing them in a separate container temporarily? Do you know how loud that sound must have been of the scraping, scooping, etc. all the while the fish getting extremely stressed over repeated loud noises and objects being continuously moved around?

But I've never changed gravel on an established tank so I don't have experience either way, but it just makes more sense that the fish would be far less stressed if placed in a dark bucket/tub in the mean time.

 

[fluttermoth]

I change substrate in my bedroom tank last summer, and it really didn't work. even though I'm very conscientious about hovering my gravel, the amount of muck I kicked up was incredible.

It must have been stressful for the fish as well, because that tank had my first case of ich in over 12 years the next day. Luckily, I didn't lose any fish, but I always take them out now.