Did a 100% water change and.. help.

[Analisemcg]

So.. long story short I had to buy completely new gravel due to a dead plant and do a 100% water change. I’ve been letting the tank run for 12 hours now, how much longer should I wait before adding my fish back in?
(Tank is a 10 gal, if that matters)

 

[Gogiants85]

So.. long story short I had to buy completely new gravel due to a dead plant and do a 100% water change. I’ve been letting the tank run for 12 hours now, how much longer should I wait before adding my fish back in?
(Tank is a 10 gal, if that matters)

If your filter media didn't change, and you've dechlorinated (and temp matched to the previous temp before the water change) your water, I don't see any issue adding them back right now! I would personally grab some bottled bacteria to throw in there and let it cycle for am hour first before adding them back just to ensure you didn't upset your cycle. I'm partial to Fritz TurboStart, but TSS+ should work as well.

 

[Pfrozen]

Why have you been running it empty for 12 hours? You should have put the fish back in immediately. Beneficial bacteria live in your filter. The BB living in your substrate is negligible... some people talk about having mini cycles after switching out substrate but the science doesn't support that as being the cause. Most likely the cause was something else that happened during the switchover. The only time you will see BB in substrate is if you use an undergravel filter

 

[Analisemcg]

If your filter media didn't change, and you've dechlorinated (and temp matched to the previous temp before the water change) your water, I don't see any issue adding them back right now! I would personally grab some bottled bacteria to throw in there and let it cycle for am hour first before adding them back just to ensure you didn't upset your cycle. I'm partial to Fritz TurboStart, but TSS+ should work as well.

Thank you!

Why have you been running it empty for 12 hours? You should have put the fish back in immediately. Beneficial bacteria live in your filter. The BB living in your substrate is negligible... some people talk about having mini cycles after switching out substrate but the science doesn't support that as being the cause. Most likely the cause was something else that happened during the switchover. The only time you will see BB in substrate is if you use an undergravel filter

Oh I had no idea, thank you.

 

[Pfrozen]

Thank you!

Oh I had no idea, thank you.

np

what plant were you having trouble with btw? maybe we can help

 

[carsonsgjs]

Id take a bit of time to acclimate the fish to the new water. If there has been a huge change from the previous tank water parameters to the current parameters, they may be stressed if you just dump them in. Cautious maybe, but probably worth doing.

 

[Analisemcg]

np

what plant were you having trouble with btw? maybe we can help

I’ve had trouble responding idk if those posted lol, but I did eventually give up on it, it was peacock fern. But I currently have a large Java fern that is struggling, any tips?

 

[Pfrozen]

I’ve had trouble responding idk if those posted lol, but I did eventually give up on it, it was peacock fern. But I currently have a large Java fern that is struggling, any tips?

Ah, yea those aren't fully aquatic.. they eventually die submerged no matter what you do. for the java fern I would just dose a mild fert like Thrive S since you don't have many plants in there. It just needs a bit of potassium and trace minerals to do well

 

[Analisemcg]

Ah, yea those aren't fully aquatic.. they eventually die submerged no matter what you do. for the java fern I would just dose a mild fert like Thrive S since you don't have many plants in there. It just needs a bit of potassium and trace minerals to do well

Oh my god that makes so much sense.. I’m new to planted tanks lol. Thank you again

 

[SnookusFish]

I’ve had trouble responding idk if those posted lol, but I did eventually give up on it, it was peacock fern. But I currently have a large Java fern that is struggling, any tips?

Make sure the java fern isn't planted into the gravel it should be attached to a stone or piece of decor

 

[mattgirl]

If you've not already moved the fish, remove some of the water from the tank. Replace it with water from the container they are in right now. If you don't do that then you need to acclimate them to the tank full of fresh water. By using half fresh water and half water they are in right now they will just feel like they have had a 50% water change so no acclimation is needed.

 

[Analisemcg]

If you've not already moved the fish, remove some of the water from the tank. Replace it with water from the container they are in right now. If you don't do that then you need to acclimate them to the tank full of fresh water. By using half fresh water and half water they are in right now they will just feel like they have had a 50% water change so no acclimation is needed.

Thank you, I already added them in and they seem chill.. hope it stays that way

 

[Pfrozen]

The acclimating thing is only necessary if your tap parameters are vastly different from your tank parameters. For example if you had super soft or super hard tap water and you used crushed coral or RO water to bring your tank params within range. If you just use dechlorinated tap water and don't change anything then you don't really need to worry about it unless your tank is a few years old and your GH has been drifting upwards and you have hardwater fish lol. These are all super specific issues that don't apply to 99% of tanks

 

[mattgirl]

Thank you, I already added them in and they seem chill.. hope it stays that way

I am happy to hear that they seem to be doing well. I always try to be cautious. Just a few days ago someone did basically what you just did and sadly the fish didn't fare as well as yours have. I try to make sure I never give advice that may cause the death of fish so may be considered overly cautious with my recommendations.

Keep a close eye on the parameters and be prepared for water changes should the ammonia spike. I know there are some that don't agree with me but in my humble opinion removing the gravel removed a significant amount of bacteria.

Bacteria is growing on everything in our tanks. The strongest colony is going to be on your filter media since that is where the most food (ammonia) is going to be but it also grows everywhere in our tanks. Once a cycle is firmly established removing and replacing the substrate won't affect the cycle as much as it will when the tank is still fairly new but can still affect it. Thankfully the lost bacteria will quickly be replaced so should you experience a mini-cycle it shouldn't last long.

 

[Analisemcg]

I am happy to hear that they seem to be doing well. I always try to be cautious. Just a few days ago someone did basically what you just did and sadly the fish didn't fare as well as yours have. I try to make sure I never give advice that may cause the death of fish so may be considered overly cautious with my recommendations.

Keep a close eye on the parameters and be prepared for water changes should the ammonia spike. I know there are some that don't agree with me but in my humble opinion removing the gravel removed a significant amount of bacteria.

Bacteria is growing on everything in our tanks. The strongest colony is going to be on your filter media since that is where the most food (ammonia) is going to be but it also grows everywhere in our tanks. Once a cycle is firmly established removing and replacing the substrate won't affect the cycle as much as it will when the tank is still fairly new but can still affect it. Thankfully the lost bacteria will quickly be replaced so should you experience a mini-cycle it shouldn't last long.

Being cautious is always a good thing, sometimes things don’t go so well. Thank you for being considerate.