Gravel Change

[geezer]

Hello all! I want to change me gravel as it's a boring white. I've got quite a lot of fish in there though and no tank to isolate them while I do it.

Is there anything I should know when changing it over? Do I just work around them? Do I wash the new gravel first?

Confused! Thanks for any help

 

[brownbread]

yes you should wash the gravel well and put boiling water to wash aswell that will kill any bacteria even if it says it is washed hop this helps

 

[geezer]

thanks for your help, i just washed it now and added it

 

[geezer]

I bought some flourite gravel! it looks really muddy the water

The man at the fish store said leave the filters and air off over night. is this correct? never heard of it done before. i'm worried incase my fish will die

 

[bobbicus]

i would advise NOT turning off the filter and heater and air as the fish and bacteria need these!!!!

the tank will settle eventually (as ppl as posted on here about cloudy water when adding a new substrate OR when gravel vaccing) - this can create cloudiness too - but settles with time and the filter etc etc

 

[qwikimpss]

Flourite definately causes some seriously cloudy water....no matter how much you flush it out in a bucket with fresh tap water before adding it (I flushed mine for 3 hours before adding it and sill had a brown murky soup.

It will clear up in, at most, a week.....but more like 1-2 days.

 

[geezer]

I turned the filters back on now

@ qwikimpss, i washed mine about for about the same and it was like that too

it's reassuring to know it happened to someone else to, and it'll clear up

it makes me wonder how the fish are able to see in it!

 

[seth]

they probably cant

 

[geezer]

Flourite definately causes some seriously cloudy water....no matter how much you flush it out in a bucket with fresh tap water before adding it (I flushed mine for 3 hours before adding it and sill had a brown murky soup.

It will clear up in, at most, a week.....but more like 1-2 days.

Did you stop your filters when you was doing yours? I've got mine running and looks like chocolate milk still

 

[Gav_B_UK]

I recently started my setup. I've added flourite and cover it with sand.

I wash the flourite at a rate of about 1/4 of a 7kg bag at a time. Wash it through and through probably 20 times a 1/2. It was still cloudy at the end but not as bad as when I started....

I put that in the tank, and a layer of thoroughly washed sand on top. I've had no clouding at all. Its been crystal clear since day 1.