Changing substrate.

Hi guys i'm removing my gravel and replacing it with washed river sand.
Any advise? Do i need to store it in a bucket for a day or two and do i need to
Remove the fish first? Don't have any other place to put them tho.

 

Hi Wynie

I changed my gravel to sand a few weeks ago, and it was definitely a positive move.

I removed my gravel while the fish were still in the aquarium. I then prepared the new sand, by placing a small amount (about 1 quarter of a bucket) and rinsing with cold water (if you have a hose pipe or pressure washer this would be ideal). Once I had prepared the sand, and removed all the gravel, I then used three buckets full of the water from the aquarium to keep the fish in, while I made the change. The fish will be ok in the buckets for a couple of hours, provided it's not a very cold day. Next I put the pre prepaired sand in the aquarium. The Sand I used was 'playsand', and this kicks up a sand cloud, when first put in the aquarium, and when you do weekly water changes and cleaning. Sand can get in to your filter and play havoc with the motor, so it is wise to switch it off (if it is a canister type). If possible, I'm reliably informed that the best sand to use is 'swimming pool filter sand', as this does not kick up the same 'cloud' and is finer and does not compact as much as other sands.

I left the sand to settle for a couple of hours (still slightly cloudy) and then re-added the fish.

The change affected the Hardness and buffering (KH) of my water, which you may need to be wary of.

The fish I keep love the sand, especially my Rams who 'sift' the sand for food traces, and it has definitely been a change for the better.

Once you have added the sand, you will need to stir it up (loosen it) around once a week to stop it trapping waste / gasses which eventually will turn it a black colour. I do this while syphoning the water out during my weekly water changes. I have my hand at the end of the syphon, and stir the sand with the point of my finger as I move it around the substrate.

Hope this helps, and even if you don't have a separate tank, with the aid of two or three buckets, you can still change your substrate with no problems!

best wishes

Mark

 

Thanks greatly appreciated I am also going to use playsand got 40kg from a friend.
I will do as you said it all makes sense.

Regards

 

i like your method cools32

 

Your welcome & Thank you.

Hope it helps, it certainly worked fine for me, juts be wary of the KH change which buffers the PH, and the weekly need to stir the sand.