Replacing substrate in established tank

[sodbuster95]

So, I decided to finally change the generic gravel substrate in my tank to a variety more suitable to plants. When I initially setup my tank, I had no intention of going the planted route. As a result, I just picked up several bags of whatever random aquarium gravel the local LFS had. It served it's purpose, but it was blue, so it didn't look very natural, and it wasn't designed to support plants.

Fast forward a bit and I had a number of plants, a CO2 system, plant lights, and multiple bottles of fertilizer. I figured that if I'm spending this much time and effort on plants, it was about time to get the proper substrate. BUT...that seemed a daunting task.

Nevertheless, I bought several new 5 gallon buckets from the hardware store and set about the task. I decided on Seachem Flourite and purchased 3 bags at 15 pounds each. In hindsight, I could have gotten away with 2 in my 29 gallon tank, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out and now have a good 3-4 inches of substrate. After spending several hours in a bucket (with filter, heater, and airstone) my fish are none the worse for the wear and happily back in their home.

It took me about 6 hours to net the fish (kuhli loaches are quite hard to net, by the way), tear the tank down, rinse the Flourite, set the tank back up (using the opportunity to reapply the static-cling backing with a lot less air bubbles), get the pH, temp, and hardness right, and get the fish back in. Most of that time was spent rinsing the Flourite. That stuff is messy! Even after all the rinsing, the tank was still cloudy for quite a while.

Anyway, before and after pics:

 

[liberator123]

good job. changing substrate is a big pain lol. btw, your before picture doesn't look too bad, in fact looks pretty decent. It looks more vibrant and brighter in contrast compared to after. Idk maybe its just the lighting or its just still too cloudy from fluorite (takes a day or 2 for it to completely go clear).

 

[Blitz]

Looks Great, I just did a Similar gravel change in a 55 Gallon, Oddly enough though, I removed the Flourite, and replaced it with Eco Complete. No Matter how much washing I did, I could not get rid of the silt, I had the Red and it was all over everything.

Part of the problem was very active fish in a planted tank, but the other issue is as this substrate breaks down, it powders really really bad. Love the look of it though and you will see growth results.

 

[liberator123]

I do a mix between dark fluorite and eco complete

 

[sodbuster95]

good job. changing substrate is a big pain lol. btw, your before picture doesn't look too bad, in fact looks pretty decent. It looks more vibrant and brighter in contrast compared to after. Idk maybe its just the lighting or its just still too cloudy from fluorite (takes a day or 2 for it to completely go clear).

Thanks! After the change, I trimmed the Water Wisteria rather heavily (perhaps, too much), so the after pic is really muted. They're starting to grow again, so it should fill back in.

The blue really didn't look bad, but I wanted a more natural look and the blue wasn't doing it for me. Also, I really wanted a "planted" substrate. I was planning to go with the EcoComplete as Blitz did, but no one had it in stock. I almost went with pool filter sand, but decided I wanted a darker look. All in all, I like it. The darker color helps contrast the green and, especially, the neon tetras.

 

[liberator123]

I personally like fluorite better than eco complete.
I think whats lacking is maybe more hardscapes that will make it look more natural like a piece of driftwood or rocks for an example. I noticed the removal of the submarine (which gave a nice feel with the blue gravel). Maybe try replacing that with driftwood.

 

[sodbuster95]

I personally like fluorite better than eco complete.
I think whats lacking is maybe more hardscapes that will make it look more natural like a piece of driftwood or rocks for an example. I noticed the removal of the submarine (which gave a nice feel with the blue gravel). Maybe try replacing that with driftwood.

You're right on the submarine. I liked it (and it provided a nice hiding place for my Loaches and Panda Cories) but it looks totally out of place against the darker substrate.

I have a medium-sized lava rock in the corner that gives the Neons somewhere to hide, but I like the idea of driftwood. I'll have to see if I can find something I like.

Thanks!