Gravel change??

[DrRockzo]

Hi everyone
Just wondering is is safe to change the gravel in a fully cycled tanks?,,, what are the risks????

 

[Matteyecus]

I swapped to sand and had no issues at all, apart from cloudy water due to not washing the sand well enough in one tank.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Hi everyone
Just wondering is is safe to change the gravel in a fully cycled tanks?,,, what are the risks????

Yes you can, just have to be aware that a mini cycle could happen. If you are worried you can do half the tank, wait a week, then do the other half.

 

[eco23]

No issues here either. I've changed over a few tanks from gravel to sand and never had a mini-cycle. You'll still want to test everyday for a while and be ready to do a pwc in order to be on the safe side...but I wouldn't foresee any problems. The majority of your beneficial bacteria is in your filter media, not the substrate ...so it shouldn't have any measurable effect on your bio-filter.