Can I switch from sand to gravel?

[wtusa17]

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?

 

[AbbeysDad]

I love sand! With pool filter sand and Malaysian Trumpet Snails in my 60g I never touch the sand - haven't in 8+ years! With gravel I'd have to gravel vac every week. So for water changes, I just drop in a submersible pump, drain about 50%, and refill. A few minutes with the filters and glass and I'm done.
Unless I was so inclined to use an under gravel filter (and I wouldn't and would still have to gravel vac) I'd never go back to gravel.
But each to his/her own.

 

[wtusa17]

I love sand! With pool filter sand and Malaysian Trumpet Snails in my 60g I never touch the sand - haven't in 8+ years! With gravel I'd have to gravel vac every week. So for water changes, I just drop in a submersible pump, drain about 50%, and refill. A few minutes with the filters and glass and I'm done.
Unless I was so inclined to use an under gravel filter (and I wouldn't and would still have to gravel vac) I'd never go back to gravel.
But each to his/her own.

I understand. The fish in my tank are big and eat snails so there is no clean up crew. My tank is full of mulm and I’m tired of not being able to clean it

 

[Crispii]

Yes, you can switch from sand to gravel. Don't worry if you're taking out too much bacteria as the majority of it will be in the filter. You can remove sand by siphoning it.

 

[Essjay]

Don't forget the mulm will still be there but buried in the gravel. You'll still need to remove it.

Keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels for a few days after the change over to be on the safe side.

 

[TekFish]

Sand is infinitely MORE difficult to clean than sand in my experience, so personally, I would never use gravel unless there was a specific biotope reason for doing it. (Mountain stream etc.)

 

[wtusa17]

Sand is infinitely MORE difficult to clean than sand in my experience, so personally, I would never use gravel unless there was a specific biotope reason for doing it. (Mountain stream etc.)

The reason for me is that I can’t gravel vac. I’m not doing this bc I don’t want to clean, I’m doing this bc I can actually clean when it gets dirty

 

[AbbeysDad]

I understand. The fish in my tank are big and eat snails so there is no clean up crew. My tank is full of mulm and I’m tired of not being able to clean it

Malaysian Trumpet Snails spend most of their lives burrowing in the sand, although many do come out at night and feed on surface debris. If I was you I'd try them before switching to gravel and forever gravel vacuuming. As I said, I haven't touched my sand in over 8 years and there is no mulm - none.

 

[wtusa17]

Malaysian Trumpet Snails spend most of their lives burrowing in the sand, although many do come out at night and feed on surface debris. If I was you I'd try them before switching to gravel and forever gravel vacuuming. As I said, I haven't touched my sand in over 8 years and there is no mulm - none.

That’s the problem, I can’t really gravel vac. I’m not trying to switch to not gravel vac. I’m used to gravel vacing and I want it to be easier

 

[AbbeysDad]

Yes, you can switch from sand to gravel. Don't worry if you're taking out too much bacteria as the majority of it will be in the filter. You can remove sand by siphoning it.

Actually, not so. There is far more beneficial bacteria in the substrate than in any filter...Just consider the surface areas. Still, there is typically enough BB in the filter and other decor, that changing the substrate, if monitored closely, is okay. However, depending on the bio-load, there can be an ammonia spike until the tank stabilizes.

 

[AbbeysDad]

That’s the problem, I can’t really gravel vac. I’m not trying to switch to not gravel vac. I’m used to gravel vacing and I want it to be easier

You're missing my point. I have sand with no mulm and I NEVER touch the sand - the Malaysian Trumpet Snails do all the work so I just do water changes with a submersible pump. And since these snails spend most of their lives below the surface of the sand, it's less likely they would be fish food.

 

[seangee]

How often are you currently cleaning the sand? When I first switched to sand I was paranoid about nitrates and used to vacuum every single day, and it always looked as if it was needed. Then on the advice of members here I started leaving it. It took a couple of weeks and suddenly my sand was clean. I suspect there is as mch bacterial action as feeding going on. Like @AbbeysDad I don't touch the sand ever. And one of the tanks has no snails or bottom feeders

 

[wtusa17]

You're missing my point. I have sand with no mulm and I NEVER touch the sand - the Malaysian Trumpet Snails do all the work so I just do water changes with a submersible pump. And since these snails spend most of their lives below the surface of the sand, it's less likely they would be fish food.

Yes I understand. You don’t have to but I do. And with sand, it’s very difficult. Every tank is different.

 

[wtusa17]

How often are you currently cleaning the sand? When I first switched to sand I was paranoid about nitrates and used to vacuum every single day, and it always looked as if it was needed. Then on the advice of members here I started leaving it. It took a couple of weeks and suddenly my sand was clean. I suspect there is as mch bacterial action as feeding going on. Like @AbbeysDad I don't touch the sand ever. And one of the tanks has no snails or bottom feeders

I clean the tank once a week. I’m tired of having gunk in my tank and it’s mostly because I can’t clean the sand very much

 

[wtusa17]

One thing to note, my fish breed in this tank and they’re fry that I couldn’t take out. How could I avoid killing them or getting them killed?