swapping gravel to sand.

[aquabeast]

anyone have any experience with this? do i have to turn the filters off and take my fish out? how long does it take to settle? itl be hard for me to do, cause my fish are fairly large, and hard to catch....

 

[BigJim]

Turn the filters off and take the fish out. It shouldn't take long for the sand to settle if you wash it thoroughly first.

 

[aquabeast]

i had horrible problems with the crushed coral in my 29 with the cloudyness forever.. if i take the gravel out, doesnt that mean ilose my bacteria? ive heard bacteria lives in the gravel, it wouldnt cycle?

 

[aquabeast]

and since i have a shubunkin goldfish that sifts, the sand wouldnt get sucked into the filters?

 

[mfdrookie516]

What kind of sand are you talking about? Most of the bacteria are in the filter. There's some in the gravel, and you may experience a mini cycle. Just be prepared to do water changes. It's really not a big deal, but may freak you out a little.

 

[aquabeast]

like, the heavy play sand...

 

[mfdrookie516]

I tried play sand, it was so fine that it took forever to settle, and the least little thing turned my tank in to a dust cloud. I have had MUCH MUCH MUCH more luck with pool filter sand. it's heavy enough that it sinks instantly, yet fine enough to keep dirt and debris up on top of it.

 

[aquabeast]

where can i find pool filter sand? is it heavy enough to handle a shubunkin?

 

[mfdrookie516]

pool supply stores, some hardware stores like lowes/home depot, some places like walmart and meijer. I get mine at meijer for $1.99/50lb but most pool supply stores sell it for about $10/50lb

 

[aquabeast]

alright, no meijers around here, prolly walmart, or lowes...