Changing substrate

[sweetsuvvyb]

Hey y'all...

I'm wondering if it's at all feasible to change the substrate in a cycled 10gallon tank.

My goldfish keeps losing scales...I thought maybe he was sick (got a salt dip), but I've now actually seen him losing them while rooting around in the gravel (hes a rambunctious thing)...I think the stuff I have is might be just too sharp.

Is it worth it to attempt to change it? Maybe a layer of something could just go on top? I am hoping to get a bigger tank...but I have no idea when that'll come to fruition...and I hate to see him getting all beat up in the mean time. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Scottw68TN]

What substrate are you using?

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

Its an epoxy-coated dolomite gravel...looks like this stuff

http://www.petco.com/product_info.a...=1038&c2=1042&c3=&ct1=D%E9cor&ct2=Gravel&ct3=

(might even be the same stuff...)

 

[AtodaJ]

The site you reference indicates its a "soft rock".... guess its not soft enough for your little dude... hehe.

If you have a "mature" tank with a bio wheel then I think you'll be fine changing out all of the gravel. Personally, I'd take half the removed gravel and place it in a mesh bag and put it back in the aquarium for a week or two just to be sure I get no ammonia spikes but it would probably be overkill if your bio wheel is mature.

I wouldn't just add new different gravel cuz when you gravel vacum you'll end up mixing the new with the old resulting in the same problem.

Good luck!

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

the dolomite is quite soft, that's why it's coated with an epoxy...but even "soft" rocks can have sharp edges! LOL

(of course this would all be solved if the fish wasn't so darn interested in rooting around in the gravel to begin with...but o well!)

I don't have a bio-wheel, which is part of my concern...as well as logistics...kinda reminds me of the pulling the tablecloth out from underneath the dishes...

 

[Allivymar]

sweets:

I like AtodaJ's suggestion of doing half at a time but using a net bag and leaving it in the tank to help colonise the new stuff. They also make bio-wheels you can attach to the tank separate from a filter (if you're interested in getting one but not changing your filter). Speaking of, I'd prob not change the filters for a couple of weeks while the new gravel colonises.

 

[sweetsuvvyb]

I looked at adding a bio-wheel a couple months ago, but my tank has this partial lid that's molded to the top...with pre-cut holes for the specific filter + heater it was sold with. So it required more engineering and power tools than I was interested in at the time...

 

[Allivymar]

Urgh. Thats a PITA. I'm having the same issue with my 25g which I want to convert to salt; I'll have to get a new tank cover or tear up the one that came with the tank.

 

[Terry]

What about useing a gravel tidy, take some of the old gravel out so that you have a thin layer. Put a gravel tidy on top with the new substrate on top of that and let the old gravel recolonize the new.
Just a thought you can tell me to shut up if you like hahahahahaha.

 

[Scottw68TN]

A gravel tidy?

 

[Terry]

Yes a gravel tidy, don't you have them in the states. It is like a film that you can put in between 2 substrates to stop them from mixing together. Some people put them in larger tanks so that they don't have to remove gravel when they put sand in. it stops the two mixing together.

Some people like using it some don't.

 

[Scottw68TN]

Ah. I put that into google and the first 5 sites had a UK at the end. I suppose its the term tidy thats probably a more British term. I could be wrong. I know what it now though, Plastic Mesh Divider! That would be good to keep cichlids from messing up a UGF flow. I don't use an UGF but It would definitely keep them from digging down to it.

 

[Terry]

Thats the stuff, you know use brit's we like to use our own words hahahahahahaha

 

[Scottw68TN]

I think Americans should call it a PMD.

 

[Terry]

That's what we should do, get the names of American products and English Products and make up a universal name. That way we will all know what we are talking about. So from now on it is know as PMD, there's a start. hahahahahaha

 

[Scottw68TN]

Yeah! Everybody loves abbr. and acronyms

 

[Terry]

You know us English, keep it simple