Corys and gravel

[Coloradokid13]

I think I'll do sand I like them but at my lfs I wasn't looking for Cory's but I know they have Julii Cory's

 

[vanimal]

Good luck with the sand! get 6 cories they do better in schools. IMO I like julii and sterbai cories the most

 

[Coloradokid13]

How much sand would I need for a 20 gal high

 

[Steelhawke]

I had gravel in my 55 and changed to sand, $7.18 for 100 pounds at Lowe's, play sand, just make sure you wash it real well and when it looks clean, wash it again. After you put it in the tank, make sure you leave the filter off for a day and let the water settle out. The water will be filled with fine particles of sand and it can mess up your filter. I love the look of the sand, looks more natural and is much easier to keep clean.

 

[Coloradokid13]

The prices I don't really care about grandpa owns a large home center like lowes and home depot but idk how much sand I need

 

[Coloradokid13]

When you take out your gravel it may affect the parameters and you may have a mini-cycle. But when you do change the gravel for sand follow these steps.

1) do a 50% water change into 5g buckets
Put the fish in a bucket or two ( depending on fish) and plants in another bucket. Try to get a bubbler into each bucket with fish so they can breathe easy.

2)suck out the rest of the water and pour out leaving about 20% -10%of the water

 

[Coloradokid13]

I'm confused do I take out and put 50% back in or just take it out i k ow what a water change is I'm just kinda confused about that

 

[vanimal]

You should try 30 pounds of sand. If you need more you can just get more

 

[Coloradokid13]

Alright thanks can someone explain the steps again when changing from gravel to sand

 

[vanimal]

Clean sand, take out fish, drain tank, remove gravel, wash tank, put sand in, fill with water, let it settle, then put back in decor and fish good luck

 

[Coloradokid13]

How long should I let it settle

 

[vanimal]

Well it depends on how well you wash it... if you wash it really good it shouldn't cloud at all but if you do a bad job it will take hours to settle. But if you wash it good you should wait 15-20 minutes

 

[Coloradokid13]

Ok thanks for all the help

 

[vanimal]

Make sure you wash it good!!

 

[Coloradokid13]

Will do

 

[Steelhawke]

Ok, it took me all day to change out my 55, keep your fish in a large enough container with a air stone going in it, don't let your filter media dry out, you will end up with a mini cycle going again and that's a pain. Wash the whole bag of sand, they come in 50 pound bags, keep what you don't use for later in an additional tank, you know you want another tank, we all do. After every thing is back together, keep an eye on all your water readings.

 

[vanimal]

Well if you have a square tub instead of a bucket you can actually hang your filter on the tub if you fill it up enough but have your air stone running too.

 

[Coloradokid13]

I have a little 3 gallon with a heater and bubbler they could stay in if its a short time

 

[vanimal]

That would be perfect! But get them out as fast as possible into their original tank.

 

[Coloradokid13]

Before I make my final decision what to you guys think of the gravel