Can I switch from sand to gravel?

I HATE SAND. I have a South American tank with electric blue acara, firemouth cichlid, and convicts. Can I switch to gravel? Will it take out too much bacteria? How should I do it?

 

You can switch. Just gravel vac it out.

 

You can switch. Just gravel vac it out.

Will my fish mind the change? Do I have to take the fish out?

 

Your fish will stress during the process so keep them in a bucket out of the way . Siphon the sand out but deep about an inch of native substrate under the gravel.

 

Will my fish mind the change? Do I have to take the fish out?

When I switched from gravel to sand I didn't take my fish out. If you just have a few fish in your tank it might be easier to make the switch by taking them out though. Be sure to keep all the decor and filter media wet during the process to retain as much bacteria as you can.

As David said you can vacuum the sand out but it might be quicker to dip the majority of it out and siphon the last of it. I wouldn't remove all the water. By leaving at least half of it in there the bacteria on the glass should survive the switch too. Try to make the switch as quick as you can to help preserve bacteria. You will lose some by removing the sand but as long as you preserve it on everything else in the tank you should alright. Just keep an eye on the ammonia level and be prepared to do water changes until your bacteria catches back up should you get an ammonia spike.

 

When I switched from gravel to sand I didn't take my fish out. If you just have a few fish in your tank it might be easier to make the switch by taking them out though. Be sure to keep all the decor and filter media wet during the process to retain as much bacteria as you can.

As David said you can vacuum the sand out but it might be quicker to dip the majority of it out and siphon the last of it. I wouldn't remove all the water. By leaving at least half of it in there the bacteria on the glass should survive the switch too. Try to make the switch as quick as you can to help preserve bacteria. You will lose some by removing the sand but as long as you preserve it on everything else in the tank you should alright. Just keep an eye on the ammonia level and be prepared to do water changes until your bacteria catches back up should you get an ammonia spike.

Ok. So it’s not very difficult?

 

Ok. So it’s not very difficult?

It wasn't a big deal. I made sure my sand was rinse well before I started the job and completed it in a couple of hours. Keep in mind I was changing from gravel to sand in a 55 gallon tank so it took a bit to get all that gravel out of there. Be sure to rinse your gravel before getting started.

I have a LOT of fish in this tank so I didn't remove them. I just didn't get in a big hurry and I think that kept them from getting stressed out. I kept my filters running the whole time. I think they did wonder where all their hang out places were gone and they seemed to be curious as to what I was doing.

 

It wasn't a big deal. I made sure my sand was rinse well before I started the job and completed it in a couple of hours. Keep in mind I was changing from gravel to sand in a 55 gallon tank so it took a bit to get all that gravel out of there. Be sure to rinse your gravel before getting started.

I have a LOT of fish in this tank so I didn't remove them. I just didn't get in a big hurry and I think that kept them from getting stressed out. I kept my filters running the whole time. I think they did wonder where all their hang out places were gone and they seemed to be curious as to what I was doing.

Ok. If I were to take the fish out how would you recommend keeping the filters running so the bacteria doesn’t die?

 

Ok. If I were to take the fish out how would you recommend keeping the filters running so the bacteria doesn’t die?

If the water level doesn't get too low you may be able to keep them running. But you could run them on the container you will have the fish in. If that can't be done then just put the media in some of the water you have pulled from the tank. The bacteria on it should not be affected as long as it stays wet. Try to get the job done quickly and all should go smoothly.

It may be best not to run your filter if they are HOB filters though. Stirring up the sand while removing it could cause some to be pulled into the impeller and it will ruin it. I didn't think about that when I made the switch to sand and had to end up replacing one of my impellers.

 

I guess after you switched substrates out enough times you dont really think about the hoe exactly. Lol. I just unplug my filter and do it. Top the tank off when im done and once stuff settles plug the filter back in. The media stays wet in the chamber and if things get too cloudy just stop for an hour and start again.

 

I swapped from walmart bright blue gravel to eco complete in a 10 gal. Just scooped it out with a cup. The fish stayed in the tank. I just did half the tank at a time so they could hang out on the other end. My guppy was super cute and curious and started nibbling on the eco complete when the first scoop went in it wasn’t hard at all

 

I swapped from walmart bright blue gravel to eco complete in a 10 gal. Just scooped it out with a cup. The fish stayed in the tank. I just did half the tank at a time so they could hang out on the other end. My guppy was super cute and curious and started nibbling on the eco complete when the first scoop went in it wasn’t hard at all

Ok thanks. This is a 40 breeder so it’ll take some time but I think I can do it when the pandemic ends

 

I might be wrong, but don’t firemouth cichlids need sand? I thought they like to sift and rearrange the substrate?

 

Your probably thinking of Geophagus- aka Earth Eaters. Fire Mouths are more mid level swimmers and don't normally sift the substrate.

 

Just adding to what everyone else has said as I switched from (temporary) gravel to sand just last night. I did remove my pygmy cories and shrimp and decor but I guess it's just personal choice. I just find the process faster if I'm not worrying about who's where. I didn't turn off the filter but took out about 1/3 of the water just to get rid of any thing that was lurking under the gravel. Got all of the gravel out and put it in a mesh bag in one side of the tank, filled with sand, put the livestock and decor back in. You could turn the light out after the change just to reduce stress.

I'll remove the bag after a few days of observation and maybe testing. HTH

 

I did a switch from bright blue gravel to a fine gravel/coarse sand. I moved all decor, plants, and snails to a storage tote full of tank water that I took out with buckets when I started. Dropped the water level 50% and then I scooped out the old gravel one side at a time with a takeout container. The fish just went about their business, exploring and seeing what was going on. The water was quite a mess from junk in the gravel getting out, so I did a double dose of Prime when I refilled water, just in case to bind up/detoxify any ammonia/nitrite problems that I may have caused. When I woke up the next morning the tank water was crystal clear. No fish casualties!

 

I'll be switching out from my gravel / black sand substrate to playground sand in a few weeks, with the added bonus of moving the tank from the 2nd floor master bedroom to the basement office / family room #2. My plan so far is to pick up 2 15 gallon plastic totes when i get the sand. Clean everything (sand / insides of the totes). One HOB goes on 1 tote with a sponge filter and the other set on the other. Divide the flora, fauna, and hardscape between them. Drop the water level as low as I need to, to be able to get the fish out quickly (almost empty so I'm not chasing them all over). Then go as fast as I can scooping out all the old substrate, keeping some in a few of the army of 5 gallon buckets I have. Carefully carry the tank and stand down the 3 flights of stairs. Get my sand in, and fill the tank enough for me to get the bulk of my plants in. Then start pumping the water out of the totes into the tank, so they'll be moving with most of their water. Pour the last bits of water and the fish into the tank so no more having to mess with nets. Then add the Kuhli loaches from QT. Those loaches are the catalyst for doing all of this now. I don't want to have to fish out 12 Kuhlis from that 55g later on.