Easy way to dry out and take out gravel
- Thread starter Bizzaro
- Start date
Ideally, to dry it, you want to expose as much of the gravel as possible. So if you can spread it out in something with more square footage than a bucket, you can dry more, and more quickly. Use a colander to work some of the water out as well.
If I plan on re-using it sometime in the near future (within a week or two), I will put in a bucket and completely submerge in water and put the lid on. I've found it makes it easier to clean when I want to add it back into a tank. This method almost requires it to be rinsed before re-adding it to the tank due to the bacteria blooms, but nothing seems to adhere to the gravel as if it were dried.
As far as drying it, it's easier if left in the tank to air dry for a couple of days. Usually if I am in the process of tearing down a tank, it takes me a couple of days to get everything out, cleaned and packaged anyways (the joys of 2 young kids). In the tank it's already spread relatively thin, so why move it somewhere else to spread it thinly to dry?
As far as drying it, it's easier if left in the tank to air dry for a couple of days. Usually if I am in the process of tearing down a tank, it takes me a couple of days to get everything out, cleaned and packaged anyways (the joys of 2 young kids). In the tank it's already spread relatively thin, so why move it somewhere else to spread it thinly to dry?
pdbrady;1436839; said:
hah they got mad at me when they saw all the plates laying out for this job... Plus the sun is not on my side at all. I would use the colander but the gravel to fine. What about coffee Filters? i have a load of them.
Im not reusing it but the people that are coming to get it might be... So I have no idea on what i can do.
i use my old gravel around the yard. used one batch to fill a hole under the shed to the rabbits couldnt get in the yard anymore.