I want to remove my current sand, and switch to some nice red/white (aquarium safe off course) gravel for my 55gal which holds fish, I would like to do this before my Eheim arrives. What is the best way? Just take a dust sweeper, make sure its clean, and start scooping the sand out?
How to REMOVE substrate?
- Thread starter Jay88
- Start date
Looking forward to the reply on the sand.
I just traded out my gravel for sand. I took a big soup ladle and set a noodle strainer on top of the tank and scooped away. Took forever.
I'd say you have the right idea. Get most of it out and the rest will settle into the gravel.
I just traded out my gravel for sand. I took a big soup ladle and set a noodle strainer on top of the tank and scooped away. Took forever.
I'd say you have the right idea. Get most of it out and the rest will settle into the gravel.
get as much as you can with a cup.. then use your vac to pick up the small stuff if your worried about getting it all out. or just wash it out with water
There's probably a better way than this... but all I did was scoop out most of my sand using a tupperware container, and then used some tubing (with water still in the tank) to siphon out the last little bit of sand into some buckets.
This method worked for me, and I got every last little grain of sand out this way.
^ Ooops... Motoxer777 beat me to it.
This method worked for me, and I got every last little grain of sand out this way.
^ Ooops... Motoxer777 beat me to it.
I can;t wash it out with water, because my flowerhorn is in that tank lol, so i gotta do this while hes there... so cant wash it out, and i need that water, since it has good bacteria in it, and need it for my new gravel and filter 
... so gotta remove it with him in there lol
... so gotta remove it with him in there lolThe water has a minimal amount of beneficial bacteria in it compared to your substrate, rocks and other decor.
I usually siphon the sand into a pail with a length of hose/clear tubing when I want to change colors. It's very easy to do this way if you have fish in the tank. You can just add the water back into the tank or you can do multiple water changes with sand removal over a couple days time.
I usually siphon the sand into a pail with a length of hose/clear tubing when I want to change colors. It's very easy to do this way if you have fish in the tank. You can just add the water back into the tank or you can do multiple water changes with sand removal over a couple days time.
^^ Well then i gotta keep my HO filters on until the waters settled in... im going to vaccum up all the sand today, pour the water back into the tank until the process is complete... then i will add the new gravel and new filter (while keeping the old filters running)... in 1-2 weeks, i will take the old filters of !
!I sipohned up all the sand...god that was hard work..and its a 55gal only lol... bare bottom tank now, did 30% water change and kept the driftwood, filters on now.... my flowerhorn is a bit stressed, so won't eat dinner tonight...I guess its the new environment...
Tomorrow im adding the GRAVEL !! cant wait!
Tomorrow im adding the GRAVEL
!! cant wait!Glad it worked OK for you. I would probably either leave the old power filters on the tank for a few weeks or just transfer their media to the new filter.
Which Eheim filter did you get?
Which Eheim filter did you get?
I would scoop as much out as possible first. Then I would use the siphon method to get out the last little bit.