Substrate change

[dwarfgourami7]

Wow 3rd post of the day. Im hopefully going to my lfs to pick up some snails and some sand for substrate. I would like to know if there is a general name for the more white sand thats commonly used in marine tanks thats good.Also, can i change to substrate with the fish still in the tank? and can i change it all at once?

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

It's going to be hard to change out the sand with the fish and water in there if you're buying sand from the pet store. That stuff tends to be dusty, at least the brand my stores carry.

You could do it with pool filter sand, I just did it to a 29 and the water isn't cloudy at all, but I'd be cautious with the pet store stuff.

You can't use marine sand in freshwater unless you keep cichlids or some other fish that likes a high ph, it usually has shells and coral in it, and some brands have additives specifically for saltwater.

There are brands of white pool filter sand, I can send you pics of my tanks if you'd like.

 

[dwarfgourami7]

Well i was planning on doing my water change tomorrow and when i do i will take out all decor except one piece of wood which will go in the corner incase fish want to hide. Then i will scoop out as much gravel as possible. Then put in the sand. Job done. will that work? and any other info, pics, whatever that will help i will be greatfull thanks.

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

The problem is, normally you want to wait for sand to settle, or else it can be sucked into the impellar on your filter and damage it.
You can't leave the filters off with the fish in there for a very long time.
Depending on what brand of sand you buy it may take a very long time for the sand to settle.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

well first buying sand from a LFS is a rip off. the sand i got was from home depot for $5 for 50 pounds. pool sand is a little more. you should first clean the sand.

this is what i did.

start with taking half the water out. i moved the fish into a short term holding tank. it could be anything really. rubbermaid tubs are great for this. took out the plants and pots and everything in there. scooped up the sand and put the gravel in. i used a sponge on my filter to keep the sand and stuff out of my filter. it took a hour or so until it cleared up. i put the plants and everything back in and filled it up. before putting everything in the tank i found a couple fry that i missed that made it though the change.