Changing substrate Q's

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Robynleigh

Robynleigh

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Dec 1, 2013
Messages
392
Location
Tamworth NSW Australia
I want to change my substrate in my 55ltr guppy tank from gravel to sand...

Will this upset the tank and cause me to have to cycle it??? It's had gravel forever and I am over it!!

Any tips advice on changing it would be great!!
 
Here's what I did.

I took a nice sized scoop of rocks from the bottom, put it in a plastic bag with tank water. Set aside.

Clean the gravel SUPER well, or it will make a nastys spike (ammonia and the such) scoop it all out.

You should have sand rinsed in a separate bucket. I rinse new sand with tap water, drain, and put in a bucket of primed water.

Then put your not 100%clean baggie of rocks in, just dump em in all over, and cover in sand. 1/2 to 1 inch or so usually works. Done. Check water, because you may have a spike, but most of the bb lives in the filter, it likes oxygen and water, not much flow under substrates...

Good luck


20long hitech/10gal shrimptech
 
Assuming you have a well-established aquarium the filter certainly should hold enough bacteria to see you through a change in substrate.
 
I'll be here of you have questions, well ill try to be. Let us know if you have questions or problems. Can you possibly run the filter in the guppy tub... Actually, your probably pretty close to done. Pics!!!!!!


20long hitech/10gal shrimptech
 
Hey that came out swell! Did you out any old substrate under all that awesome sand?

Cleaning is way easier btw! My filter pushes most off the bottom, a nice stir every week helps prevent gas pockets and yucky spikes from stuff getting gross under there. Best part is, stuff doesn't really get too far into the sand, it has so much surface area!

Also, you have fan tailed fish, and plastic plants. Be weary that they MAY slice the tails up, but I've never had it happen with fish as small as guppies.

Silk plants/live plants for the win.

Again, GREAT JOB


20long hitech/10gal shrimptech
 
I'll be getting some silk plants soon, was all that's available at my LFS :-( small town...

I did indeed put some gravel under the sand :) keeping a close eye on them, lots of testing etc for the next few days but all seems to be going well so far!!!

One of my males actually does have his tail split ATM :( devastated, only just noticed it this morning...
 
Some stress coat, and a few extra water changes will fix that right up. Had a betta, poor guy looks AWFUL after >12hrs in his new home (lots of plastic plants) just did water changes daily(10% or so) and he cleared up in a few weeks



Is that a 10gal? You could slap a 13watt. CFL ontop of that with a dome reflector (like 10bucks) and grow anubias, and a whole slew of other low light, no maintenance plants.

The best part of low light plants is they really suck up the yucky from your water efficiently, and my fish always look better with real plants.

Just something to think about before spending too much on fake plans ;)


20long hitech/10gal shrimptech
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
changing substrate
Replies
4
Views
264
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
B
changing substrate
Replies
8
Views
242
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
C
Should I change my gravel?
Replies
4
Views
153
Aiken Drum
Aiken Drum
Fishlover94
Change substrate
Replies
1
Views
203
Colin_T
C
T
Perpetually high nitrates no matter what I do! Dozens of water changes later.
Replies
11
Views
1K
Andy Sager
Andy Sager

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom