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	best way to switch a gaveled tank to sand tank?
BeastKeeper Big Fish Posts: 444 Kudos: 389 Votes: 47 Registered: 27-Apr-2004	is there any easy way to switch graveled tank to sand tank? with out taking out all the water?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
victimizati0n Banned Posts: 1217 Kudos: 1105 Votes: 31 Registered: 29-Apr-2004	take all of the fish out, take the gravel out, and pour the sand in. Get pantyhose, and pour some of the gravel in it, and put it in the tank. It ill take a few days for the sand to settle, so you will need to find a temp. home for your fish. You might go through a mini cycle, but it should be fine.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
BeastKeeper Big Fish Posts: 444 Kudos: 389 Votes: 47 Registered: 27-Apr-2004	what is the point of rocks in the pantyhose? will they be okay if i set up a tank now, with out waiting for it to cycle? ^temporary or do i need to find a tank that has been cycling?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
solublefish Fish Addict Posts: 562 Kudos: 850 Votes: 40 Registered: 27-Feb-2004	Is the tank you want to switch to sand cycled and with fish? The reason for the pantyhose is so that all the bacteria won't be lost.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
BeastKeeper Big Fish Posts: 444 Kudos: 389 Votes: 47 Registered: 27-Apr-2004	yes, i had some gouramis in that in the past. now it just houses a peacock eel. but they need the sand. so the tank has been running for a couple months now
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
victimizati0n Banned Posts: 1217 Kudos: 1105 Votes: 31 Registered: 29-Apr-2004	the gravel holds benefical bacteria that helps (along with the filter) break down ammonia. When you take the gravel out, you are loosing all of that good bacteria, and you will mostlikely go through a mini cycle, or the tank just might cycle over again. If you keep some of the gravel in pantyhose, it will help the filter break the ammonia down, so you wolnt go through mini cycles, and it will help the beneficial bacteria grow in the sand.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Silverlight Enthusiast Posts: 212 Kudos: 396 Votes: 43 Registered: 04-Jul-2004	Is it definitely necessary to take all the fish out? I'm considering doing this myself, but I definitely have no place to put my fish.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	If you rinse the sand very very good then you may not need to keep your fish out. I changed mine to dark sand with some eco complete and didn't have to remove the fish. I just took out decorations, scooped out as much as possible, then poured the sand in slowly and getting it as close to the bottom as possible before dumping it.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Janna Mega Fish Posts: 1386 Registered: 24-Aug-2003	Yes, you need to take the fish out. I don't see why you don't want to change all the water. It would save you a lot of hassle. The gravel is a LOT dirtier than you'd expect. It is just filthy. When it gets stirred up, the visibilty goes down to almost zero. It would be more stressful leaving the eel in the tank than removing him in some tank water to a 5 gallon or so new bucket. They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes, They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver, So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
BeastKeeper Big Fish Posts: 444 Kudos: 389 Votes: 47 Registered: 27-Apr-2004	so i should save the water that has been in the tank plus put my peacock in another tank. then pour in the sand then water. wait till it settles then put him in?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Janna Mega Fish Posts: 1386 Registered: 24-Aug-2003	There's no need to save the water. It will be horribly disgusting after you take out the gravel. They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes, They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver, So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
BeastKeeper Big Fish Posts: 444 Kudos: 389 Votes: 47 Registered: 27-Apr-2004	will my filter take a beating with this new sand?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
Janna Mega Fish Posts: 1386 Registered: 24-Aug-2003	You should probably turn it off while the sand settles, or at least for a while. It isn't good for it to suck up sand. They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes, They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver, So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54
victimizati0n Banned Posts: 1217 Kudos: 1105 Votes: 31 Registered: 29-Apr-2004	Most filters arent recommended for sand, so i would check yours out
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:54


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