How to switch substrate

[SidneyE]

Hey everyone, need your ideas…I have a 65 g tank with a bunch of pea puffers. It’s got Caribsea Sand in a gold color and the plants aren’t thriving. I’d like to switch over to something like eco complete topped off with black sand (also hate the light colored sand, never trying that again). Do I need to remove all fish to scoop out the old sand? I’m wondering if sand sediment in the water is irritating to fish. If I do, is it true that pea puffers shouldn’t be netted like we traditionally catch fish, don’t let them out of the water? How do you scoop and contain puffers? Logistically I can’t envision how to do this. Thanks for your time! 

[Solstice_Lacer]

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/pea-puffer

Care guide says to scoop them up with a cup or something. I guess if you have a bunch put them in several buckets or jars or what have you of tank water.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yeah...switching out sand (with fish in) might be hard. I suppose you could suck out all the sand with a python or similar tool but adding the Eco could be tricky- especially if you want to keep the cloudiness down. Personally I'd just remove everyone, then the sand. Empty the tank a decent amount. I've had luck gently placing Eco Complete in shallow water then taking a plate and putting it down on the substrate- then filling the tank- this keeps the cloudiness down significantly. Be prepared for your nitrates to spike and parameters possibly go wonky due to the planting substrate (not an absolute just keep an eye on it)- but I use Eco in my tanks and I love it. Definitely catch your more sensitive fish with catch cups or container. Netting can be difficult on them. If you can catch them by hand or with a collander (this is easier to move in the water) trap them up to the surface of the tank (keeping them in the water) then scoop them out with a container. 

Edited July 15, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/15/2022 at 1:13 PM, SidneyE said:

It’s got Caribsea Sand in a gold color and the plants aren’t thriving.

Which plants? What light?

On 7/15/2022 at 1:13 PM, SidneyE said:

Do I need to remove all fish to scoop out the old sand? I’m wondering if sand sediment in the water is irritating to fish. If I do, is it true that pea puffers shouldn’t be netted like we traditionally catch fish, don’t let them out of the water? How do you scoop and contain puffers? Logistically I can’t envision how to do this. Thanks for your

I would always recommend moving the fish, hardscape, and plants prior to doing a big swap like that.

When I did mine, I had one bucket for each (tubs work too) and I just filled them all with tank water.  Make sure you cover the fish, set it aside so it doesn't have the tendency to jump out.  If they are going to be there for a little bit I usually add an airstone.

Drain the tank until it's about 1" above the sand, then slowly scoop it out with a cup.  This is likely going to be mostly water and so I had to scoop it, drain water, then dump the sand to a container.  Get it to a certain point and then you have to likely rinse the sand into a corner to get the last little bit out.  Before you do anything, make sure whatever substrate you are adding isn't going to leech ammonia.  Just rinse the new substrate as best you can, add it, setup the tank.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Do you think @SidneyE would benefit from soaking the eco complete in a bucket before adding to tank? Think that would prevent a spike in the tank itself?

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:55 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do you think @SidneyE would benefit from soaking the eco complete in a bucket before adding to tank? Think that would prevent a spike in the tank itself?

If it spikes ammonia, you're looking at a soak time with carbon and or with some sort of daily WC for ~2 weeks I believe is the typical time frame.  You're talking about massive ammonia leeching in some substrates and can do so a bit longer.

[Gwallace]

Eco Complete is usually not too bad about leaching.  It's not as "potent" as Stratum or some of the other plant friendly soils.  But...it should absolutely be rinsed despite what the instructions on the bag say.  One thing to remember is that you are removing the single largest repository of bacteria in your tank.  The old substrate is chock full of beneficial bacteria that will not be there after you switch substrates.  So...I would add either live bacteria or media from another cycled tank just help maintain the cycle. 

[Guppy Guy]

I don't know if you are planning to drain the tank or not, but if you do, a small dustpan (clean of course) works great for scooping out old substrate. Just be careful to not scratch the bottom of the tank since it is sand.

Since a large portion of the bacteria in your tank lives in the substrate, your tank WILL crash if you replace it with un-cycled substrate. If this is a problem for you, my go-to is always Dr. Tims One And Only. It is live bacteria that instantly cycles your tank.  This isn't needed though if you are using substrate that was used in another tank.