how would i go about changing my gravel to a different type in my tank i have fish in there now
and how long would it take
and any suggestions
and how long would it take
and any suggestions
changing gravel
- Thread starter danielle_adam
- Start date
Do you have a UGF? From what I know you should only change half your gravel at a time as you will be removing a lot of your beneficial bacteria with the old gravel. You will also stir up a lot of crud when you remove the gravel consider that. As for how long to wait between halves I am not sure...
I'd net the fish into a "fishtank use only" 5g bucket filled 1/4 full with aquarium water. Drain the tank (gravel vacing the whole time). Scoop out old gravel, pour in the new (well rinsed) gravel, and fill the tank with dechlored water as close to the old temp as possible. Then use a piece of tubing with a knot tied in it to siphon/drip new tank water into the bucket. Let it drip so that it takes about 30-45 minutes for the bucket to fill all the way up. Dump the fish and as much of the waer as you need in the tank.\
Here's the important part. If you have an undergravel filter or one that has no permanant bio-media (or even if yours does), then pour as much of the old gravel into a well rinsed pair of panty hose and lay it in the tank for the next two weeks. This will insure that you don't get an ammonia spike by snatching a large protion of your beneficial bacteria all at once.
Here's the important part. If you have an undergravel filter or one that has no permanant bio-media (or even if yours does), then pour as much of the old gravel into a well rinsed pair of panty hose and lay it in the tank for the next two weeks. This will insure that you don't get an ammonia spike by snatching a large protion of your beneficial bacteria all at once.
how long would it take to do it i was thingint to leave most of the original water in the tank and then put the new cleaned gravel in and get everythign set up again and wait and hour or so and then put thr fish back in
I did a complete change of new gravel, into a completely new tank, and 100% new water. The only thing I put on the new tank from the old one was the filter with the bio-wheel. I tested, and did not have a re-cycle. This may only apply in my unique case though because I was moving to a bigger tank (from 10g to 20g), and I didn't have a big bio load (just two pristella tetras and a ghost shrimp). Also, my bio-wheel is what was holding the most bacteria. If you have a big bio load and don't have a bio-wheel, I would be careful not to cause a re-cycle.
The bulk of your bacteria is on the surfaces and in your filter media. If you have an external filter and a light fish load you should be ok doing a 100% change of the gravel. But test your water after and make sure you do not get a spike, if you do then you are now in a fish cycle and follow that procedure. There is no bacteria in the water so changing the wateer is not a big deal, it will only make the fish have a better enviroment.
As for waiting an hour that is not needed, just do not clean anything (plants or ornamants) and put water around the same temp that you normaly have in there. And when you put your fish back in just do like you do when you add new fish, bag your fish and float them in the water to aclimate to the temp.
As for waiting an hour that is not needed, just do not clean anything (plants or ornamants) and put water around the same temp that you normaly have in there. And when you put your fish back in just do like you do when you add new fish, bag your fish and float them in the water to aclimate to the temp.