From Gravel to Sand...

[j0hnh0lmes]

I made the switch.... inspired by this thread [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]


but unfortunatly not all my fish made it through the switch.... and suprisingly it was two of my hardier fish...and one of the other

I had:
4 Zebra Danio
4 Endlers Livebearers
2 Dwarf Frogs
2 Otto Cats


I now have:
2 Zebra Danio
4 Endlers Livebearers
2 Dwarf Frogs
1 Otto Cat

=(*

I've noticed that my fish keep picking at the sand...I think they are eating it, what can I do about this?

I'll get pics up today when I get home. I think I'm gonna give my last 2 Zebra Danio to a LFS and get me 4 Cardinal Tetras...

[gm72]

Well I hope they aren't eating the sand! It is more likely that they are sifting through it to try to find something to eat.

I have to ask how you changed out from gravel to sand. I wouldn't think you would lose fish like that with such a change.

Edit: Oh, and keep in mind that you just got rid of some of your beneficial bacteria when you removed the gravel. I would expect a mini-cycle, might want to hold off on getting more fish.

[j0hnh0lmes]

yea, I'm gonna wait a few days for getting more fish.. and I probably just stressed them out too much then...

[gm72]

Good idea to wait and let everyone calm down a little bit.

[Lady Hobbs]

Sorry you lost some fish. I always felt the sand should settle well before the fish went back in the tank so they are not breathing in sand. I know some have left the fish in the tanks while switching over with no problem but it would be of concern to me.

I also read that the filter pad holds more bacteria than the gravel. This just makes no sense to me at all. Certainly a large volume of gravel has got to hold more bacteria that the little gob of floss or sponge that is in a filter. When switching over subtrate, I have always had a mini-spike but certainly don't have one when switching out the filter media. Having a canister filter with a large quanity of filter floss is different than having a HOTB filter obviously.

The sand is just new to the fish and they have to check it out. Some may find they like to be able to move it about abit.

[j0hnh0lmes]

Yea, the frogs love the shit out of the sand... they are becoming more active now then they were before.... and I did remove them from the tank, and let the tank sit for about 2 hours before I stuck them back in....

I think I stressed the 2 Danio b/c they where the last to come out and I had to chase the shit out of them to catch them... I feel so bad, but now I can finally get those cardinals I've been wanting

[RobbieG]

I leave my fish in when I change substrate - netting them always seems to be more stressful.

If I have to remove a fish I use the net to chase it into a colander.

[Lady Hobbs]

When I painted my fish stand yesterday, I obviously had to dismantle my 29 gallon. I put all the fish in a dry box, put an air stone in there and starting my painting. When it was time to put the fish back in the tank, I was shocked how cold their water was in that box. I never thought about the air conditioner and fan beating on the plastic dry box for hours.

Danio's are truly the fish from hell to catch. Not my favorite fish to began with but when I have to catch them, I HATE them!!!!!

[RobbieG]

If I hadn't found the colander trick I would probably just drain the tank and pick them off of the gravel (Just Kidding):ezpi_wink1:

[j0hnh0lmes]

:ssad: and I lost a Dwarf Frog last night....

[MeganL3985]

:ssad: and I lost a Dwarf Frog last night....

I'm sorry you lost your frog :ssad:

[RobbieG]

Sorry to hear it - is your tank going through a minicycle?

[tropfish]

sorry to hear about your loss

[gm72]

:ssad: and I lost a Dwarf Frog last night....

Sounds like the victim of a mini cycle to me. Keep up with your water parameters. I suspect you are getting some ammonia in there.

[j0hnh0lmes]

It might be...but how would that affect a frog?

[gm72]

Frogs are sensitive to water parameters just like fish are and will react negatively (here is one such example) to swings in ammonia and nitrIte/nitrAte.

[RobbieG]

Frogs can be even more sensitive than fish - they absorb a lot of things through their skin. Most can even breathe through their skin.