View Full Version : substrate change
latazyo
12-10-2002, 1:26 PM
I'm swapping my gravel out for some sand I have
will it be ok if I put my fish in a safe container ( I dont' have another tank to put them in) until the tank is ready for them (probably 4-6 hours) if I have a heater and filter on the thing?
also--will I lose all of my bacteria in doing this, or will that all be in the filter?
edit - filter is penguin 125 biowheel
christopher1260
12-10-2002, 1:33 PM
you'll lose a lot of your bacteria, but you will have a starter colony in your filter. another idea is to put your gravel in pantyhose or a mesh bag and put it in the tank for a few days. this will allow the bacteria to fall off the gravel and into the sand. that should help a lot. good luck
fishlips
12-10-2002, 4:10 PM
I just did the change over and was worried about having to recycle the tank. I got a quick spike and it went back to normal in about a week. I also saved most of the original tank water and kept the filter wet. I let the sand settle for three days and put the fish back in. You won't regret it!
Originally posted by christopher1260
you'll lose a lot of your bacteria, but you will have a starter colony in your filter. another idea is to put your gravel in pantyhose or a mesh bag and put it in the tank for a few days. this will allow the bacteria to grow off the gravel and into the sand. that should help a lot. good luck
otherwise i agree. :)
sorry for the correction.....