# Fluval Stratum, easy Swap?



## VJVentrella (Jan 20, 2013)

I was wondering if it is possible to swap out my plain black gravel for Fluval Stratum. My friend works at the Hagen warehouse and gets 70 percent off. So i Could get it for dirt cheap. First question, is it possible to do without having a spare tank for my fish. I have one 8inch piranha. I was wondering if i had a 10gallon with a heater could he stay in there long enough for the gravel to settle? What would be the best way to do it? and how many 8KG bags should i use for a 75gallon?


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## genocdex (Jul 16, 2012)

is that the only fish in your tank? a gravel swap shouldnt take too long, tho im not too familiar with that specific gravel so i could be wrong. 

what i would do is (in order):
-wash the new gravel very well. any way you prefer.
-drain about 30% of the tank
-transfer the fish into another container (20g tubs work great) if you want with a heater, but the fish wont die from a few degrees change (might wana boost your house temp if you are not using the heater)
-use a shop vac (clean if you have one, i keep a 10g one just for this) to vac out all the old gravel
- (optional) clean the tank, and or do a full w/c 
-lay the new gravel
-carefully (with out stirring up the new stuff too much) fill the tank back up.
dechlorinate/treat the water the way you see fit. attempt to get the tank water within 1-2*f of the fish's water
add decor, and fish. enjoy. 

i did this in my 55g swapping out silica sand for a mix of all sorts of planted gravels, worked fine for me. i had to clean all the diatoms off the side of the tank, thats why i added in the cleaning step.

hope this helps


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Fluval Stratum is not "gravel" and isn't inert (it's dirt/clay), so you can't do a quick swap. It will alter your water parameters for an extended period. 

You'll have to have a separate tank for your fish while you set the tank up and will then need to acclimate your fish to the tank's new parameters. pH and hardness will likely be dropped.


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## puopg (Sep 16, 2012)

Dont do it. I did it with only a top layer of my flourite to ADA aqua soil. Diatoms for 2 months, almost brought tank down. Not worth it.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

You may be confusing the OP or others reading this, puopg. 

Aquasoil is not Fluval Stratum. Fluval's product releases no ammonia and contains very little when it comes to nutrients. You're looking at a month of "cycling" to break down the ammonia ADA Aquasoil products. For Fluval Stratum? There is no wait.


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## VJVentrella (Jan 20, 2013)

So wait. Your saying that it would be too much of a process and isnt worth doing?


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## shift (Jan 7, 2013)

I just put stratum over top of the gravel in my crs tank... seems to be working well for me.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

No.

I'm saying that it's not an instant process and explained that you shouldn't just swap and forget it. Take the time to do it properly and you'll be less likely to experience trouble.



VJVentrella said:


> So wait. Your saying that it would be too much of a process and isnt worth doing?


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## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

I swapped out ecocomplete for fluval shrimp stratum with CRS in the tank. Zero problems, no deaths. I used a 1" hose to siphon out the ecocomplete and when it was all out I just dumped in the FSS. Easy peezy.


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

nvm.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

When it comes to shrimp and more sensitive fish, it's not a good idea to do anything abruptly. Primarily because of pH and hardness shifts. The chance that you'll cause an ammonia spike is also high.

That's why it's idea to do things slowly.


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## Big clown (Apr 16, 2013)

somewhatshocked said:


> You may be confusing the OP or others reading this, puopg.
> 
> Aquasoil is not Fluval Stratum. Fluval's product releases no ammonia and contains very little when it comes to nutrients. You're looking at a month of "cycling" to break down the ammonia ADA Aquasoil products. For Fluval Stratum? There is no wait.


I've got a 40l tank with 3" of stratum and i had an ammonia spike there was nothing in tank at this time. this was a new setup with mature filter media
this only happened in first day and was soon converted by the filter over the next 3 days. i removed nitrate with 3x 50% waterchange and havnt had a problem since fluval stratum only leeches ammonia in first couple of days IMO


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## Warlock (Feb 28, 2012)

why swap substrate..


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