View Full Version : is there any way to switch gravel
what if i shoved all my gravel to one side of the tank, and filled the other half with new gravel, waited about a month, then slowly took out more and more of the old gravel and replaced it with new gravel?
NJ Devils Fan
01-14-2004, 8:58 AM
How long has the tank been set up? If it is fully cycled, I would just take all the fish out, switch the gravel, and put them back in. There is enough bacteria established on everything in the tank and the filter to handle the fish waste. Just check your water every couple of days.
its been set up since about june.. i made the mistake of adding light color to black gravel, it looks horrible...
Yeah, I would just move everything and everyone to a big bucket if possible, then move the gravel in one go. A lot less stress on the fish in the long run. You will just end up creating a big mess in the water during the change anyway when all that old poop and food come sfloating out. The fish won't really like that.
dethjam316
01-14-2004, 9:42 AM
i did mine in like ~10% projects, switching from gravel to sand. it worked well, didn't have to move everything too much.
should i vaccum it furst?
dethjam316
01-14-2004, 10:26 AM
absolutely. get all the crap out of there before you attempt moving anything.
woooo my days of dalmation gravel shall soon be over!
well its done, man that was a PAIN!!! my odessa barbs are back to being white again, i lost my favorite little clown pleco, he must have been inside teh drift wood, found him on the floor dead :(:sad but the tank looks much better now.. i just hope i dont get a spike!
well its been 5 days, and now im having a slight nitrite spike of about .25, is that gonna kill anything? theres nothing i can really do right? just let nature take its course?
Uncle Bete
01-19-2004, 10:41 AM
maybe some Prime, to keep it in check while nature is taking its course.
I say Prime becuse thats about all I've had any experience with for a few years now. :)