Will it cause a mini cycle?

[Mudfrog]

I have a 50 gallon breeder (48x18x13) with a 6.25" Wolf Fish. The aquarium is running an AC110 with filter floss, the sponge and the bag of bio media that comes with the filter. I currently have a semi thin layer of black rock for the substrate, however this guy is so messy it stays dirty, even though I do 50% WC and vacuums 1-2x a week. I want to remove the gravel to allow for easier cleaning but I'd hate for it to cause a mini cycle. Do you think the filter alone will be enough to not cause a mini cycle when I remove the gravel?

 

[warren4066]

remove the gravel in small portions

 

[Miguel]

I see no problem with the gravel removal, assuming your filter is well established already.
if in doubt put a bit of gravel in a mesh bag and leave it in the tank for future collection.

 

[Mudfrog]

Yes, this particular tank / filter has been running for 7 months, just not with the wolf, he's been in here for 2 by himself.

 

[Cichlaholics Anonymous]

it shouldn't cause any problems as long as the filters are ok

 

[BigJ]

You will be fine done it many times..

 

[dookie]

you will have a more stable environment with the gravel. if you rely only on your filter media as your biological, you will have problems when it comes time to changing your media.

 

[dmed]

The vast majority of the bacteria live in the filter. No problem removing the gravel. The gravel is not a sufficient source of nitrification to allow a complete media change without re-cycling, so it is mainly aesthetic, or in your case, annoying.