Substrate Change

[gmeredith56880]

I know this question has been asked 100 times but every individual situation is different. I am looking to change from my multicolored gravel to black sand. I found some black rock blasting sand for about 8 bucks (50lbs) at tractor supply. I want to change my 55g to sand to make it look nicer and for the cories benefit also. My question is what is the best way to do this? I have a HOB Aqueon Quietflow 55/75 filter. Would I move all the fish in a tub with the tank water (with the decorations) and put the filter and heater on the tub? I am also concerned about losing BB but I have come to understand that most of the BB lives on filter media? I just don't want to kill off my fish.

Basically, What is the best way to change from gravel to sand in a 55g 4ft tank without disrupting the BB and the fishes lives too much?

 

[cmw9787]

I just did this exact same thing a week ago. I mixed up the gravel a bit to let it suck up some of the junk and bacteria that was still in the gravel. then moved the fish to my spare 20 gal aquarium (a bucket or tub is fine since it's temporary, just use your existing aquarium water to fill it). drain the tank. remove gravel. insert sand (pre-washed). fill with water. let dust settle with the filter off. when dust settles replace fish and turn on filter.

if fish are going to be in a tub you may just want to drop your heater in there to maintain temperature.

 

[Cichlid ism]

I also just changed my gravel to sand just last week. I did everything the same as above said but I started the filters 1st and then about 1/2 hr later I started putting fish in. I just wanted the filters cycle through the water a little bit but I guess it depends on the individual.
All said, you will love how the sand looks compared to the multi colored gravel and IMO it will be easier to clean. Would love to see pics after its done.

 

[gmeredith56880]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. How much sand would I need for a 55g? Is 50lbs too little or 100lbs too much? lol

 

[cmw9787]

i put 100 lbs in my 75 gallon. the bottom surface area of a 55 gallon is two thirds the size of a 75. So, you'd need approximately 66.67 lbs.

 

[gmeredith56880]

Also, should I save the old water to refill it? My main concern is if its all new water my bamboo shrimp might not have food..

 

[gmeredith56880]

i put 100 lbs in my 75 gallon. the bottom surface area of a 55 gallon is two thirds the size of a 75. So, you'd need approximately 66.67 lbs.

Ok, thank you so much!

 

[Cichlid ism]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. How much sand would I need for a 55g? Is 50lbs too little or 100lbs too much? lol

It depends how thick (high) you want the sand to be. I put approximately 80 lbs in my 55. I read through many threads that in can be 40lbs up to 100lbs. just remember the more sand you put the " less" room your fish have to swim. See pic below of my aquarium, I like how it turned out. Hope this helps

 

[cmw9787]

ya the 66.67 was just a very rough approximate. do what you like best. if you have a lot of plants, you probably want more sand. otherwise, you'll be just fine with a bit less. i'd also use new water. just drop something in there for the shrimp to eat if you're worried about it.

 

[bobc4d]

if you put your fish in a bucket, should you put a bubbler in the bucket with the fish? how long could they go without a bubbler before they "kick the bucket"?

 

[cmw9787]

you shouldn't be keeping them in a bucket for very long so you shouldn't need a bubbler. my guess would be that if you're worried about it you could maybe stir up the surface of the water periodically with your hand or something. but again, a bucket should be so temporary that that can't become a real problem.

 

[Darkseid76]

Being I just went through this a couple of months ago I'll describe what I did.

I put all my fish, decor, and filter media in bins with the original tank water. As in your case I have same exact filter. One bin contained plants, filter cartridges, all my RCS, a heater, and a small box filter.

Second bin had plants, all fish, a heater, and I managed to hook up my Aquaclear to the back of it lol.

I disposed of the rest of the water. I then shoveled out all old substrate. By the way I was moving to a new apartment. New substrate then added. I used 60lbs Eco-Complete. So 3 20lb bags was plenty.

I added rock decor, driftwood with my moss and filled up the tank. I hooked back up the Aqueon and got it running. Added full dosage of prime. No one in tank yet.

I let it run a full day then added my Aquaclear back to it. So at this point I'm juggling my little box filter between both bins. I wanted to make new tank water was ready to go.

Once I felt comfortable I added the rest of my plants, fish, shrimp back to main tank. So in all they spent about 4 days in the bins while tank cycled. It was pretty quick with two filters of established BB.

Only had one casualty. Female Swordtail jumped out of one of the bins.

I have pics in a thread I created in Show Off/Photography called My 55 coming along if you want to see results.

 

[Cichlid ism]

I had a 20 gallon tub around that I put my fish in. It does take some time to remove the old gravel, water, wipe down the tank, fill it with sand and water. In that I put a heater and a power head so I knew the fish were going to be ok for a couple of hours. A 5 gallon bucket doesn't work too well unless you have a few small fish IMO.

 

[kingkracker]

Not sure what your using, I've been trying to find a cheap black substrate, was what tit got in a big silver back called black diamond?

 

[delfisherman]

I just did a 20gallon saturday and am doing my 55gal tonight it was easy and am gonna use around 70lbs of sand.

 

[gmeredith56880]

Not sure what your using, I've been trying to find a cheap black substrate, was what tit got in a big silver back called black diamond?

Yeah. Black diamond. I got 2 50lb bags at 8 bucks a piece. I had to ask the people at tractor supply to bring it out as it wasn't on the shelves anywhere (the one near me is fairly small). The medium size is the size you would want, and its black. The very fine is red.

 

[kingkracker]

Is this safe for the fish? I'm reading that this stuff is kinda sharp for fish. Anyone else ever used it

 

[gmeredith56880]

Is this safe for the fish? I'm reading that this stuff is kinda sharp for fish. Anyone else ever used it

Some searching shows quite a few people use it on this forum.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/black-diamond-blasting-sand-249903.html

Its basically just coal slag which is chemically inert and environmentally safe. Coal Slag Explained

seems safe to me.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Just for everyone that says sandblasting sand is too sharp- Black diamond is coal slag. Coal slag is tahitan moon sand, petco brand, and every other name brand "aquarium sand". Basically they take black diamond sand, slap aquarium on it and sell it for 40 dollars more.

 

[gmeredith56880]

Alright so I wanted to thank everyone again for their replies. I went ahead and changed everything out yesterday, it was surprisingly easier than I thought. First I dumped out the blasting sand into an 18g tub (it filled about halfway) then took the tub outside. I pushed my hose pipe to the bottom of the sand and let it run while continually sifting the sand until it was as clear as I could get it. Then I dumped out as much water as I could and brought the tub back in. Then I siphoned about 15g into another 18g tub and transferred the decorations first, then the bubblers, then heater, then finally the fish. Then I used a gallon jug to take out the old substrate. (I left most of the water in there). I cleaned the bottom of the aquarium and sides as best I could. Next I put the sand in and spread it all over the surface of the aquarium. The water was extremely cloudy and gray and I was immediately discouraged. So I finished tinkering and made myself leave the tank alone for 30 minutes while it settled. Once it settled I turned the filter on and started putting Deco back in. I turned on the bubblers and it started getting clear pretty quick. After about 30 minutes of the filter running I added my fish back. And this morning the tank is still a little cloudy but 1000 times better than what it was!

So for 17bucks I went from:


to:
(the I got the moss chewed up by the cray)

I did lose one fish, a scissortail rasbora, because I neglected to cover my 18g tub and he decided to jump out. I quickly covered it after I realized he had gotten out. Overall it was a fairly easy project and the fish seem happier than ever, especially the cray and cories.

So again thanks everyone! Anyone wanting to switch from gravel to sand: It isn't as hard as it seems. Took about 3 hours max.