Substrate

hab2001

hab2001

Member
I currently have a 90g FOWLR setup for 6 months now without much problems. I originally put in gravel substrate which I have grown to hate and I would like to put in the sand instead. Which is the best way to make this transition happen?
 
cgrant

cgrant

Active Member
prob best way to handle that is tear down the tank for a couple of hours.
remove all lr, fishies, etc from the tank and put them in buckets w/heaters and power heads.
drain the tank but dont throw out the old water! reuse it!
scoop all the CC out and replace with LS, then put the water back in, turn pump and heater on and let it run till temp is up to normal, then put everything else back in. Yes...I speak from experience!

I will never use CC again!
 
hab2001

hab2001

Member
So how much live sand would I need for a 90 gallon tank? Did everything go well when you pulled out all the CC. Nothing will die right?? Thanks for the great info...
 
beadmaker

beadmaker

Member
how deep is your cc. I had 1 inch and dumped 3 inches of sand on top keeping all the bacteria and microfauna. If you truly want to get rid of the cc some suggest doing it in sections. move rock to one side scoop cc out put in sand. then next week swap a different section out. My nitrates have been zero since I added the sand over cc. It took about a month to clear but now 2 months at zero.
 
beadmaker

beadmaker

Member
went fine. I used the bioalive. Its not "live in the sense of "bugs and worms" but supposedly has bacteria (sales gimmic?) Everything said not to mix different sizes but when I saw all those cute little bugs I didnt have the heart to throw it out so mix I did. besides everything I read about jaw fishes says they should have mixed grades of sand/gravel. I like to sneak up to the tank at night with a dim flashlight. You would not believe the creatures that come out after dark.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top