Changing gravel

[heresmike]

OK... I'm switching gravel in one one of my tanks. I've heard people say that you should switch half at a time, maybe a week apart, so as to not remove too much of the beneficial bacteria. I've also heard others say that they did it all at once with no problems.

I have a powerful canister filter that does an excellent job at the biological filtration. So shouldn't I be OK doing it all at once?

 

[Bomag]

now then now then so i be one of the first up then ... and i no others are going to disagree but i would do it all at once done it more five times to various tanks ie: changing slate for small gravel and others get it on !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tempestuousfury]

2 ways to look at it:

Do it all at once and reduce the stress on fish.

Do it gradually over a period of a few months (therefore more than one change), therefore saving the bacteria and not stressing out the fish with nitrogen compounds due to the loss of beneficial bacteria.

I'd go with the latter.

 

[William]

The majority of the denitrifying bacteria live in the filter media anyway, given that they can double their population in less than 24 hours a straight change is no problem - just keep your filter running!! Good luck

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I did mine all at once in my 68l and 160l and it was fine. Maybe it depends how mature your filter is.

I'd do it all at once unless the tank had only been going a short time.

 

[Fiddlesticks]

If there was an option for do it in several sections I would have picked that one. I changed too much of mine one time and my tank had to cycle again. arrrrg it
was very annoying.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Are you sure about moving it all at once.

People keep saying the gravel has most of the bacteria, while others say it's the filter media.

This is the first time I've ever read that the bacteria can reproduce that quickly.

 

[rollntider]

I did it and had no ill effects, other than a little cloudy water, but it settled in about 2-3 hours...good luck

 

[silver]

Hi......... I took HALF of the gravel out of my 55 at one time and tossed it in my garden........I had replaced the media (all of it) about 4 - 6 weeks prior to that!

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG MISTAKE!!!
I didn't just have a mini cycle.........I think I had a full BLOWN cycle......

My ammonia shot up to 4ppm the VERY NEXT DAY and stayed that way for about FOUR DAYS and my nitrIte shot up to OVER 10ppm the same day that my ammonia shot up and it stayed spiked that high for over A WEEK!!! My fish started getting burn marks and broke out in a fungus epedemic yet AGAIN!!!!

I would only say HALF of your gravel IF and ONLY IF your filter media IS VERY WELL ESTABLISHED!!!!!!!!!!

Good Luck!

 

[endparenthesis]

I'd do it all at once but then do your water changes more frequently for a little while.

 

[William]

This is the first time I've ever read that the bacteria can reproduce that quickly.

Yes, at tropical fish tank temperatures their population can double in about 8 hours.

 

[Bomag]

I did it and had no ill effects, other than a little cloudy water, but it settled in about 2-3 hours...good luck

like they say cloudy water for 2 hours no worrys

 

[silver]

Well, you would think that my filter would have had the good bacteria in it after about 4 - 6 weeks!! And I had a HUGE ammonia and nitrite spike do to throwing out my gravel..............just goes to show you that not all bacteria lives in the media!!!

 

[William]

I'm not sure about your specific situation silver, maybe the filter was new? But in optimum conditions the bacteria can double their population every eight hours. The reason it takes so long for tanks to cycle initially is they start with an extremely low population of bacteria - hence adding some filter media (or gravel for that matter) from an established tank - even a small amount can save a week or even more in cycling.

 

[gadazobe]

I would suggest bit by bit, not all at once. The good bacteria live in the filter media, gravel and on any ornaments that you may have. It also depends on how many fish you have - a lowly stocked tank will produce less waste than an over stocked tank.