Switching from gravel to sand

[akskirmish]

Can i do this with fish in tank-
Prized fish in tank-So can't overlook any aspect of this-

Anything in particular I need to know or do.

Can or should this be done with fish in tank-whats the best way to go about this.

Anything wrong with sand over a long period of time-Will it be ok for my fish over the years-


Please fill in anything I have overlooked.

 

[Toby_H]

Yes you can change from gravel to sand with fish in the tank... but no I would not do so...

In my opinion... the best way would be to move the fish into 5 gal buckets or rubbermaid containers... move decor into containers with them to offer hiding spots... do a thorough gravel vac as you siphon off the water from the tank (all of the water)... remove gravel with a dust pan or similar... place washed sand in the tank... refill the tank... allow all the sand to settle (should only take a couple of minutes)... turn on filters to remove any cloudiness... replace decor & fish...

This should be able to be done in a couple of hours...

Leaving the fish in the tank during the change means you will be scouping up gravel with water in the tank which will result in a ton of gunk being stirred into the water column and not being removed with the gravel... it also means the fish will be 'breathing' the cloudy water after sand is added. Then the gunk that came out of the gravel settles in/on your fresh new sand.

There are dozens of threads with tons of posts about using sand. Please sift through the nonsense most of them are filled with to find the gems... there are gems in each thread on the topic of sand...

 

[rallysman]

I've removed gravel and replaced it with sand on several occasions. I usually do a couple of daily gravel vacs to remove the nasty stuff, then scoop it out, and put the sand it. I scoop the sand into a bowl and lower it to the bottom then pour it in. Make sure the sand is clean. The pool filter sand I use doesn't need much of a rinse.

Once the sand is in, give 'em a big 'ol water change and it'll be fine. Make sure you keep an eye on your mechanical filtration.....it's best to replace it before and after.

also if you don't have a bunch of mechanical filtration be sure to add a couple of sponge filters with power heads attached.

 

[Texs]

I put my fish in a five gallon bucket and put the filter on the bucket too (AC 30) then I gravel vac the tank till empty and then scoop out the gravel.

Then I put in the washed sand and let it settle.

Finally put the fish back in. My fish love the sand they move it around and do water they want with it.