Peacocks: substrate and compatability questions.
- Thread starter Fishle
- Start date
Not sure if this is the correct way to do it, but I've done this many times with my tanks as well as friends.
I bought a six foot clear hose from Lowes/Home Depot 5/8" diameter (about $3-$4). First, I turn off all fitlers in the tank. Then I use a small plastic container and scoop as much sand/gravel out of the tank into a bucket. When almost all the substrate is out of the tank, I use the plastic hose to suck the remaining gravel/sand out. I usually end up taking 25-50% of the water out doing this. (which is my normal weekly water change anyway).
Make sure and wash the new sand well. I fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/3 with sand, then fill with water. Then run my hand through the sand for a bit, poor the water/debris from the top. Repeat until the water is clear.
I then slowly put the new sand in the tank using a small plastic container. I wait to empty the container until I'm at the bottom on the tank. This way, it cuts down on the amount of sand floating around in the tank.
When the tank has enough sand in it, I wait a few minutes for the larger pieces of sand to settle. Then I turn on the filters and allow it to clear up. Having filter floss in the filters really speeds this up. Water should be clear in 24 hours or so.
I don't clean my filters for at least a couple weeks after doing this (accept changing filter floss) to keep my bacteria levels normal. If the substrate is removed and the filters are cleaned, all the benificial bacteria has been removed from the tank. This will cause an ammonia spike. Bad news!
I have done this approx 10-12 times and have never lost a fish. I have changed from gravel to sand, and one color sand to another. Worked flawless every time. It doesn't take much time to do either, usually 20-30 minutes depending on size of tank.
I bought a six foot clear hose from Lowes/Home Depot 5/8" diameter (about $3-$4). First, I turn off all fitlers in the tank. Then I use a small plastic container and scoop as much sand/gravel out of the tank into a bucket. When almost all the substrate is out of the tank, I use the plastic hose to suck the remaining gravel/sand out. I usually end up taking 25-50% of the water out doing this. (which is my normal weekly water change anyway).
Make sure and wash the new sand well. I fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/3 with sand, then fill with water. Then run my hand through the sand for a bit, poor the water/debris from the top. Repeat until the water is clear.
I then slowly put the new sand in the tank using a small plastic container. I wait to empty the container until I'm at the bottom on the tank. This way, it cuts down on the amount of sand floating around in the tank.
When the tank has enough sand in it, I wait a few minutes for the larger pieces of sand to settle. Then I turn on the filters and allow it to clear up. Having filter floss in the filters really speeds this up. Water should be clear in 24 hours or so.
I don't clean my filters for at least a couple weeks after doing this (accept changing filter floss) to keep my bacteria levels normal. If the substrate is removed and the filters are cleaned, all the benificial bacteria has been removed from the tank. This will cause an ammonia spike. Bad news!
I have done this approx 10-12 times and have never lost a fish. I have changed from gravel to sand, and one color sand to another. Worked flawless every time. It doesn't take much time to do either, usually 20-30 minutes depending on size of tank.
