Is it ok to remove my entire substrate for a day?

[BassetsForBrown]

90g tank with some SA/CA's, Red tail Botia, and a Pleco. Sand substrate is about 2 years in place. I stir it up and vacuum regularly, but I want to suck it all out, clean it thoroughly and scrape out any stuff that may be on the glass under it, and than add it back.

This is a big job, and my schedule is busy so I want to spread it out over a day. Step 1 will be sucking all the sand out; 2 scraping the glass, and washing the sand; 3 adding it all back in.

Will being without a substrate for a day be too much stress for them to handle? (Most concerned about the Botia)

Thank you

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[spazmattik]

if it makes you nervous why not do half at a time?

 

[BassetsForBrown]

if it makes you nervous why not do half at a time?

Because I may be nervous for no reason. If I have no reason to worry id prefer to do the whole thing in a day

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[dougjeffries]

I changed from gravel to pool filter sand with fish still in the tank(125 gallon). Water got a bit cloudy, but no fish lost. I have cichlids and clown loaches. You should have enough beneficial bacteria in your filter to allow you to remove the substrate for a day. IMHO.

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[mrrobxc]

you should be ok but keep your bio media in tact. Theres a lot of beneficial bacteria in your substrate and dependent on bioload, there could be an ammonia/nitrite spike with the new gravel. What do you have in the tank?

 

[the animal guy]

All fish will die instantly once U remove the last pebble. But I think it's ok.

 

[Macenzi]

I took all my substrate out other day it's fine, I took out of my 90 it was 100lbs of gravel and left out for 5 days no biggie


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[BassetsForBrown]

you should be ok but keep your bio media in tact. Theres a lot of beneficial bacteria in your substrate and dependent on bioload, there could be an ammonia/nitrite spike with the new gravel. What do you have in the tank?

Oscar, Green Terror, EBJD, RT Botia, Pleco; sand substrate; Cascade canister filter (don't remember model# but its a 125gph one); and a HOB Aquaclear rated for a 40g aquarium. Tank volume is 90g.

 

[rodger]

I don't underdtsnd the reason for removing it. If you stir and vac when you do water changes then this would only serve to calm a case of OCD.

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[mattison187]

All fish will die instantly once U remove the last pebble. But I think it's ok.

Lmao. This guy..

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