It Is Done. Changed From Gravel To Sand!

From pink and blue clown puke gravel to black sand- so much better!

 

looks great!

 

Definitely an improvement!

 

Congratulations!

Looks great, bud.

 

1 million % better!

 

I like how natural it is instead of hurt your eyes hot pink and it makes the plants stand out more too

 

Looks amazing!

 

Sand looks so much nicer than gravel.

I can't wait to make the change in 2 weeks.

 

Looks great!!!

 

Thanks, everyone! I'm building up my live plant stock slowly. There are some things I'm not quite happy with yet but I figured the fish had had enough excitement for one day! I just can't believe how much better we can see the fish against black vs. pink.

Now we can start slowly stocking (wanted to wait for substrate change.) Poor Mr. Cory and the 3 neons have been lonely!

I ended up draining about ten gallons out, leaving fish in. In a rare moment of genius, I wrapped a fine filter around the intake to the canister filter, it caught so much gunk from the gravel when I scooped it out even though I vacuumed thoroughly beforehand.

 

From pink and blue clown puke gravel to black sand- so much better! View attachment 453379 View attachment 453380

Nice! Quite the transformation!

 

Paint the back glass black watch the colours pop again. Good choice looks mint

 

I need to do this. I have corys and I think they will be hurt by gravel. Any good lessons for how to make the switch?

 

Wash the sand in a bucket with the hose until the water runs clear. Then scoop out all your gravel (taking fish out makes it easier). Then scoop up sand in a cup, lower it into tank, and pour it near the bottom. If you washed it right, it shouldn’t cloud your water.

 

I need to do this. I have corys and I think they will be hurt by gravel. Any good lessons for how to make the switch?

First, I had the sand all rinsed and ready to go before I started.

I just drained about a third of the water out, vacuuming really well. I left everything turned on (heater, filter.) Then I took the plants and decorations out and put them in a bucket with tank water to try to preserve some bb.

The piece of filter floss I rubber banded around the intake of my canister filler saved all the gunk stirred up from going into the canister. It was gross afterwards!

I actually used a plastic breeder box to gently scoop the gravel out, it worked pretty well! Had to pick the last bit of gravel out by hand.

Then I used a plastic Tupperware type container to get small scoops of the sand. I submerged the container and dropped it down to the bottom to gently dump it out. Surprisingly, the sand settled right down and there were minimal particles floating.

I was so nervous to change it over, but it was actually way easier than I thought! Go for it!

I'm sure there are different, possibly better ways to do it, but this was pretty easy and didn't seem to stress the fish too badly.

 

First, I had the sand all rinsed and ready to go before I stated.

I just drained about a third of the water out, vacuuming really well. I left everything turned on (heater, filter.) Then I took the plants and decorations out and put them in a bucket with tank water to try to preserve some bb.

The piece of filter floss I rubber banded around the intake of my canister filler saved all the gunk stirred up from going into the canister. It was gross afterwards!

I actually used a plastic breeder box to gently scoop the gravel out, it worked pretty well! Had to pick the last bit of gravel out by hand.

Then I used a plastic Tupperware type container to get small scoops of the sand. I submerged the container and dropped it down to the bottom to gently dump it out. Surprisingly, the sand settled right down and there were minimal particles floating.

I was so nervous to change it over, but it was actually way easier than I thought! Go for it!

It’s so easy and the sand is so cheap that everyone should do it IMO. Easier to clean and the fish love it

 

Ok. Maybe I’ll try it. It’s not going to get any easier than now. I don’t have too many fish yet.

 

Ok. Maybe I’ll try it. It’s not going to get any easier than now. I don’t have too many fish yet.

Perfect! I waited until I had moved some fish to another tank. Good thing, because I obsessively counted the fish after every scoop of gravel I took out! The fish stayed on the opposite side of the tank from where I was working except for the silly Cory, I had to shoo him away a couple of times, lol!

 

It’s so easy and the sand is so cheap that everyone should do it IMO. Easier to clean and the fish love it

Even for bettas? Cause isn't there a thread where it says Warning about use of Fine Sand as Substrates in Betta Tanks

 

Even for bettas? Cause isn't there a thread where it says Warning about use of Fine Sand as Substrates in Betta Tanks

There are lots of people that use sand in betta tanks with no issues.

 

There are lots of people that use sand in betta tanks with no issues.

I had gravel, changed to sand because of wanting cory's, HATED THE SAND, switched back to gravel, but it is actually river rock.

 

Looks great. I love sand, probably never going back to gravel.

 

Even for bettas? Cause isn't there a thread where it says Warning about use of Fine Sand as Substrates in Betta Tanks

That is misinformation. Sand is fine for a betta tank.

 

It’s so easy and the sand is so cheap that everyone should do it IMO. Easier to clean and the fish love it

Is it easy to clean with a siphon cleaning hose? I want to switch to sand because I know my cories would love it, but I’m afraid my cleaning hose will suck all the sand up

 

Is it easy to clean with a siphon cleaning hose? I want to switch to sand because I know my cories would love it, but I’m afraid my cleaning hose will suck all the sand up

I lose a bit of sand during cleanings only if I get the siphon too close to the surface or if I disturb the sand too much. Usually it's less than a tablespoon of sand that is sucked up. My corys and kuhlis love the sand and my bettas totally leave the sand alone. It's a win win!

 

Looks so great! I just made the switch last month too and I love it...so do my cories. Not difficult to use the vacuum either. I love how I can change the terrain too, like make little hills and ditches. Good job!

 

Vacuuming is easier. The poop gets sucked up but not the sand

 

I lose a bit of sand during cleanings only if I get the siphon too close to the surface or if I disturb the sand too much. Usually it's less than a tablespoon of sand that is sucked up. My corys and kuhlis love the sand and my bettas totally leave the sand alone. It's a win win!

I currently have gravel and I disturb it a lot when I am vacuuming. Would I have to change this method if I were to get sand? Also, how well do plants do in the sand?

 

I currently have gravel and I disturb it a lot when I am vacuuming. Would I have to change this method if I were to get sand? Also, how well do plants do in the sand?

Gravel has a lot of pockets that hold debris so you have to really dig in there to get it. With sand everything settles on top so you just lightly swirl the vacuum a few inches away. It’s really much easier. I only have plants (so far) that are attached to rocks/wood but I assume plants that can be planted in gravel with also be fine in sand.

 

I currently have gravel and I disturb it a lot when I am vacuuming. Would I have to change this method if I were to get sand? Also, how well do plants do in the sand?

I personally find sand to be a lot easier. All the mess sits on top of the sand and you just keep the end of the vacuum about 1/4" above it. You might get a little sand coming up the tube but not much if any once you get the hang of it, for me it is about the same as gravel coming up the tube. A little movement and it falls right back down.

I think plants that are ok in gravel are probably ok in sand as well. I have amazon swords in sand and they are doing fine.

 

That is misinformation. Sand is fine for a betta tank.

Woohoo sand here I come!! Would home depot be a good spot to get some?

 

Woohoo sand here I come!! Would home depot be a good spot to get some?

I think they have the white pool filter sand. What I used is black diamond blasting sand from tractor supply.

 

Looks so much better than the clown puke lol (black substrate is always best in my opinion), however I prefer bigger gravel/river rock over sand, only because you don't have to clean it. When I've had sand or fine substrates I wasn't actually aware you had to vacuum it (as I've never done that with gravel in the past), and things went bad eventually as it became stagnant and full of thick, black stinking ooze when I finally did rinse it out (after things started dying). So as long as you know you have to clean it regularly and don't mind doing so, it's a win

 

Looks so much better than the clown puke lol (black substrate is always best in my opinion), however I prefer bigger gravel/river rock over sand, only because you don't have to clean it. When I've had sand or fine substrates I wasn't actually aware you had to vacuum it (as I've never done that with gravel in the past), and things went bad
eventually as it became stagnant and full of thick, black stinking ooze when I finally did rinse it out (after things started dying). So as long as you know you have to clean it regularly and don't mind doing so, it's a win

Don't you have to clean gravel to suck up all the fishy poo

 

Don't you have to clean gravel to suck up all the fishy poo

Some people like to but it's not necessary with larger gravel (you still need to for finer gravel though). The bottom (underneath the gravel) builds up a layer of sludge that's constantly being broken down, similar to filter sludge. The gravel always look clean but from side on you'll see a layer underneath of the greenish-grey sludge.

I never see any fishy poo either It must just fall into the gaps between the gravel and gets broken down quickly, I only see it if it's hanging from a fish mid poop lol.