# Replacing old gravel with a new substrate



## Mr B (Apr 10, 2017)

Hi

I have a very established tank, over 5 years, and I have been recently looking in to replacing the old gravel with a new substrate to aid plant growth. 
Ideally I would like a carpet type plant to cover the bottom of my tank over time. I think having a substrate such as Eco Complete Planted Black Aquarium Substrate would be ideal to use, but am worried about replacing the existing gravel.
Does anyone have any suggestions that would cause minimal harm to the fish in there? I don't really want to take the fish/plants out if I can help it, but understand this may be the only way to do this successfully.

Any ideas and advice would be very welcome.
Thanks 😀


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## dani123 (Oct 1, 2015)

If you are concerned about removing all the gravel at once and hurting your biological filtration in existing gravel I would just remove it slowly take out a couple cups before a water change, then next water change remove a couple more. This is what I did with my 55 and I never had any ammonia spikes or anything. However if your talking about adding gravel while you still have the fish in I've never done this so I have no real advice other than maybe trying a funnel or something.


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## Mr B (Apr 10, 2017)

Thank you.

I'm open to suggestions with substrate to use. I just want something that's going to support plant life development a little better than the plain old gravel does now.

My first thought was to do things slowly. Is it best to have just the substrate and remove gravel, or can you place gravel on top/under substrate?


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## Brian Rodgers (Oct 15, 2016)

Good to know we can do a substrate change while water and fish are in the tank.


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## Mr B (Apr 10, 2017)

Mr B said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I'm open to suggestions with substrate to use. I just want something that's going to support plant life development a little better than the plain old gravel does now.
> 
> My first thought was to do things slowly. Is it best to have just the substrate and remove gravel, or can you place gravel on top/under substrate?


Can anyone suggest a suitable method or a suitable substrate to use?


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## dani123 (Oct 1, 2015)

You could leave it and just cap it with new substrate but I would personally remove it. I think it looks better and the old gravel is not adding any nutrients to help your plants. I have always used seachem's flourite however I don't see a lot of people recommending that on here. I have red in one of my tanks while I think it does have a "natural" look to it, it is about the size of gravel and I think its a little harder to plant in. I have flourite black sand in the rest of my planted tanks and I think the plants grow great, I like the look and it is easier to plant in. Other substrates I've seen recommended on here is Caribsea Flora-Max Sand, Tropica Plant Growth Substrate, ADA Aqua Soil Amazonia or you could go with the cheap option miracle grow organic potting soil capped with pool filter sand or black diamond blasting sand.


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

I'll never use eco complete again.I recently set up a 20 gallon with the stuff,all it grows is algae.It's basically inert.They claim it's full of minerals,but they're locked up in the lava rock it's made out of.the only nutrients in it are in the "juice" they ship it in,along with algae spores I'm sure.

The first tank I set up with it,finally began growing plants well after a year or so of maturing.I have a 55 with old aquarium gravel,and UGF plates under it full of mulm,and it grows plants better than new ECO.

That ECO tank I'm having difficulties with,I'm going to tear down and replace with blasting sand and root caps.

You might have better results if you went with CO2.I may have went wrong when I added root caps to the ECO,I'm not sure.Plus it doesn't hold plants very well.


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

First suggestion I'd have for you is, don't waste your money on Eco. 

Here's how I generally change substrate:

1- drain a large amount of water from your tank into a large tote

2- move all fish and plants into the tote

3- set up your filter and heater in the tote and keep it running 

4- remove the old substrate and clean the tank

5- add new substrate, fill tank and do a 100% water change after if it's cloudy

When I do my final fill, I fill the tank with slightly warmer water and let the temp come down to what it was before starting and then add all livestock and plants back in.


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## Colin Wrexham (Mar 24, 2017)

Hi Mr B.
As you havent got many fish in there i would have a little tiny tank to hold your fish in while you do it. Drain out some of your water into your holding tank and strip the lot (frest start). You can keep it heated until you are ready to move them back in. If you have enough buckets you can hold 50% of your cycled water (existing water from your tank).
I tend to have a jug with some water and a touch of salt, i then use a scouring pad to give a quick clean of the glass. I always lay the subtrate in the areas i am going to plant then seal off with a fine grade sand/ gravel (about 1.5 inches). My hardscape goes in after and then my plants. The secret is in the prep. Have it all ready and planned out before you start. Use newspaper when refilling. Cover the lot and pour your water back in gently. Doesnt disturb anything that way and just floats to the top

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Really really old pics and tank from years ago but it will give you the idea. Hope it helps






























































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## Mr B (Apr 10, 2017)

Colin Wrexham said:


> Hi Mr B.
> As you havent got many fish in there i would have a little tiny tank to hold your fish in while you do it. Drain out some of your water into your holding tank and strip the lot (frest start). You can keep it heated until you are ready to move them back in. If you have enough buckets you can hold 50% of your cycled water (existing water from your tank).
> I tend to have a jug with some water and a touch of salt, i then use a scouring pad to give a quick clean of the glass. I always lay the subtrate in the areas i am going to plant then seal off with a fine grade sand/ gravel (about 1.5 inches). My hardscape goes in after and then my plants. The secret is in the prep. Have it all ready and planned out before you start. Use newspaper when refilling. Cover the lot and pour your water back in gently. Doesnt disturb anything that way and just floats to the top
> 
> ...


Roughly how long did all that take?

If I make a fresh start, will I have to cycle the tank again or did you put the old water back in?

Also, do you have a recommendation for the substrate to use? Will it cause spikes in ammonia levels? 

Sorry for all the questions! 
Thanks


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

Mr B said:


> Roughly how long did all that take?
> 
> If I make a fresh start, will I have to cycle the tank again or did you put the old water back in?
> 
> ...


You may go through a mini cycle due the loss of some of the beneficial bacteria. As long as you keep yours filters going the BB will survive and you will most definitely get a bacteria bloom.


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## Colin Wrexham (Mar 24, 2017)

Hi. Like i said its all in the prep. Have all your stuff ready first before emptying. Have the plan in your head on how you want your layout to look. Empty 50% into a bucket or small tank and put your fish in. You can put your heater in too if needed or you can put foil or something to cover it and slow the water cooling down. Empty your tank out fully. I have a jug handy with tap water and a little salt in it. I use a sponge/ scouring pad to give the tank a quick clean out. Next, i put my subtrate where i am going to plant. A little trick i learnt from oliver knott in germany is that if you are going to do raised areas, have long strips of cardboard about 4 or 5 inches deep. You can lay them in the tank on their edge and tape them to the glass. This allows you to backfill subtrate. If you want you can use different coloured gravel for this next bit. Put your suntrate in (see example). Put your gravel in the middle. Build up your subtrate to the height you want either side. Even out along the edge of the card or when you remove the card it will all fall in. Use the same or different colour gravel, (up to you) and cover the subtrate with about an inch just along the edge of the card. Ok, now you can remove the card and you have created the base for a valley. Place your rocks along the edge to hold back the subtrate. If you wish, you can backfill more subtrate to give more height again (up to you). Once you hit the height you want cover the subtrate with your gravel (about an inch). I tend to have a sponge tied to a hose pipe. I put about 2 inches or so of tap water in. The sponge stops it messing up your gravel and sub. I plant up the tank then fill to 50% with slightly warm water. I put my tapsafe (dechlorinator) in and start mixing the old water back in. I can do this in about an hour or 2 max. I find that as the new water is cooling slower than the water with your fish in, mixing the 2 evens out the temp. In a small tank like yours i'd get my heater in, then my fish, then use old water to fill to 100%. 10 mins to clean out the pump/ filter. Straigh back in and get that going too. I have a 76 gallon now so it takes a lot longer. My old one was 120litres and it took about 4/ 5hrs to strip and setup again. Its all in the prep and planning. Sketch out an idea how you want it to look. Lay your rocks out on a mat so you roughly know where they are going before you even start. Choose your plants well, height, species and what you want them to do (grow tall or spread). 

Ref your questions though, i love "tropica" subtrate, ada is good too. My current setup i mixed tropica with pond aquatic compost. Gravel is zambezi gravel with patches of a black gravel i found for effect. Looks good alongside my lava rock. Feel free to ask, happy to help😉














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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

You've been given some good info here but there are a couple of issues. You're not going to transfer beneficial bacteria by throwing some gravel in a bucket with your tank water for a few days. Bacteria needs food and oxygen. Maybe if you aerate the bucket.

As far as substrate, there are widely varying, and often opposing views on what is "best". I'd do a search rather than invite more of that discussion to your thread. Unless, you want this to become several pages of heated discussion about this substrate vs that substrate.

Just about any of the popular substrates will "grow plants" equally well if you provide the rest of what the plants need. It comes down to what you want to provide on a regular basis, appearance, costs, ease of planting and maintaining. If someone says and inert substrate doesn't grow plants that's correct, but it's not the fault of the substrate. It's because the aquatic gardener hasn't provided what the plants need to grow!


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