can i change the substrate in my aquarium?

[NoahEm]

we currently have white substrate. most of our fish (c/s american cichlids) look kinda dull on white. we really really wish we chose black...
is there anyway of changing the gravel without upsetting the bio filter?

we really don't have enough gravel in our 180 anyways right now. so we could always mix the black and white together? would this help with the colors of our fish?

we rather switch to all black but if this is not possible can we add black gravel at least?

what does everyone think of a mix of black and white gravel with our type of fish

also will a darker aquarium back round also help with coloring?

oh yea how many ponds of gravel for a 180 gal? we was told 190 lbs??

thanks for the help... looking forward to responces

 

[JML1997]

mixed sand\gravel doesn't look good IMO, you should either stay with what you have, or change all to black...i reccommend removing the fish and turning off your filter during this process.

 

[clayton1985]

+1 on the sand and gravel mix, it doesnt do it for me either. to be honest im not keen on white or black substrate either...iv found a natural substrate like medium pool filter sand and a black background really brings out the colouration of my centrals. plus pool filter sand is cheap, depending on the footprint of your tank a 100ib of sand could do it but again it depends how deep you want your substrate, i dont like mine particually deep

 

[weedamese]

I think it should be fine as long as your filter is off I did it a couple of times with no problems get a big net to scoop up the substrate or if you have a big enough hose you can even vacuum them all out.. Black does bring out the colors more but for some fish it makes them look darker.

 

[dzjr1188]

When i changed the gravel in my cichlid tank to grey coast by seachem i just used a 1.25inch flexable hose and sucked out the gravel and did a water change. if you go to seachems site the have a caclulator that you put in your dimmisions and depth u want of the gravel it tells u how many bags to use. and it is accurate

 

[AcsFoolMike]

I think it should be fine as long as your filter is off I did it a couple of times with no problems get a big net to scoop up the substrate or if you have a big enough hose you can even vacuum them all out.. Black does bring out the colors more but for some fish it makes them look darker.

This is correct, so it really depends what kind of fish you're keeping in this tank. And yes, a dark background will help the colors of your fish pop better.

 

[peathenster]

I have seen people mixing light and dark sand (PFS + TMS), and the tanks look great. I don't remember seeing mixed gravels though. In terms of getting substrates out, it's very easy to do with a plastic dustpan.

 

[balton777]

Personally I think some cichlids look better on a darker substrate and some on a lighter or natural colored substrate. Black substrate with a black background makes all the fish too dark imo....there's nothing natural about the way it makes them look. One time I spent a bunch of money on black sand and took it all out because I didn't like it....I still have a 5lb bucket full of it if anyone wants it.

Btw, you should get sand instead of gravel. You won't regret it.

 

[Jason_S]

yes you can definitely change the substrate. I've done it many times with the fish still in the tank and the filters on but that was removing one type of gravel and replacing with another. If you're removing or adding sand then I would definitely at least turn off the filters and unless you rinse the sand with relatively warm water then I'd remove the fish too. Adding a tankful of sand that's been rinsed in cold water is going to bring the water temp in the tank down.

 

[Manzman]

When i changed the gravel in my cichlid tank to grey coast by seachem i just used a 1.25inch flexable hose and sucked out the gravel and did a water change. if you go to seachems site the have a caclulator that you put in your dimmisions and depth u want of the gravel it tells u how many bags to use. and it is accurate

This is how I have done it in the past. Makes it much easier and you dont get all the mess in the water colum.