Putting gravel in AFTER filling the tank up

[Danio35]

I went to the LFS today and they didn't have the correct amount of gravel I needed. I asked him if I can put the gravel in later on when they get the gravel in and he said 'yes'. I'm starting to think that that was a bad idea. He seemed like a dorky kid. Now I'm starting to worry that I will have trouble putting my gravel in. Now I have a full tank with no gravel. Did I just make a bad mistake?

 

[Fehyd]

are the fish in yet?

If not... I would hold off on adding fish until the gravel is in and settled. Just make sure you rinse it off first and get all the dust and garbage off.
Remember too... you can always empty out the tank.. a water change never hurt.

If you already have fish in... I would go one of 2 ways...

take the fish back out, hold them in another tank while you add the gravel. Let it settle and cycle a bit before putting the fish back in. Some gravel can throw off your chemical levels quite a bit. (mostly PH as far as I know) so let it cycle until you are sure all your chems are at a good level before putting the fish back in

-OR-

add the gravel a little at a time so as not to stress the fish out. I'm talking 1-2 cups a day.

 

[Rocket2001]

i would say it should not be your first choice (which it wasn't) but whats done is done...you just have to deal with it. You haven't said whether or not your tank was cycled or brand new..but since your in the "brand new " section I would guess it a new set up....and you didn't say if you are cycling with or without fish...so with all that being said...if its a new tank with fish you want to get the gravel in as soon as possible..it is the breeding ground(along with your filter) for the beneficial bacteria your tank needs to cycle...you need to rinse the gravel really really good...if you don't all the dust will cloud up your tank for quite a while and its not good for the fish,so rinse, rinse, rinse and then add it slowly and spread it out to where you want it

 

[gheitman]

I have added small amounts of gravel to an aquarium after it had been set up. The type of gravel you are adding can make a big difference in how successful you will be. Flourite is notoriously dusty and will cloud up your tank no matter how many times you rinse the gravel. Other substrates aren't nearly so bad. In any case, rinsing the gravel before you add it to a tank that has fish in it is an absolute must. Don't forget to add dechlorinator to the tank after you have added gravel that was rinsed in tap water.

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Doesnt make abit of differnce and is basically your decision. If it was sand I might think about it but even then I am sure fish go through run offs where the sand gets kicked up in the water.

I would just get the gravel when it comes in wash it dechlorinate it first and place it in the tank. Try not to bury the fish as they will sometimes chase the gravel while its fallin OH you might want to remove some water first so your tank doesnt over flow

 

[BASSNMAN]

I just added 28 pounds of flourite to my tank. After washing it numerous times and decloring the last bucket of water, it was added by putting some in a 1 gal plastic bowl. Lower the bowl gently and gently pour the gravel into the tank. Dump each batch as to evenly distribute it. It clouded the water some, but was clear in less than 2 hours. Flourite is much worse than gravel for cloudiness. I did have fish in the tank. I raked the flourite into the gravel with my fingers.

 

[Danio35]

Thanks for all the great advice!! BTW, no fish in it yet. Still getting the water temperature up.

I love this site

 

[StyleUK]

When i setup my first tank, I put the gravel in that came with my tank into it, I filled it with water, but found I need alot more gravel because it was barely enough to fill it to 5cm as had been suggested by one of my friends. I went out a braught some new gravel, and rinsed it and cleaned it off, dryed it all, then tipped it in to my tank with water. At first it was a bit cloudy but it soon settled down when my filter was working to its max.