Safest way to remove gravel

[ivo]

I like to switch from dark gravel to bare bottom tank. Gravel is about 2cm thick so it is relatively a thin layer. Is there a safer way to remove gravel while discus are in the tank? I was thinking to do it over several times area by area. First to vacuum the area good then use a net to take gravel out. Will only do 1/10 of the full tank bottom each time. Do you think it will be ok or it is too risky that I may stir up nasty bacteria from the gravel? Any suggestions please?

[atlantadiscus]

Any "nasty" bacteria in your gravel is already everywhere in your tank,including the water column.A non issue.

[Phillydubs]

Ivo,

Do you not have an area or buckets to place the fish in for a short period of time as you do this?

If not, I think your slower suggestion is an ok idea. Mr Atlanta is kinda right but could also be terribly wrong. If you have fine gravel or it is packed tight, moving that all around could release gas pockets or some bad stuff and effect the water pretty drastically. I always suggest fish be removed let the tank be cleaned gravel removed and get them in nice new clean water.

You can simply go get a few 5 gallon buckets to accomplish this...

If not I would vac it really well then remove some gravel, then remove and change some water, and do this is a few sessions to make sure all stays as stable as possible.

[pitdogg2]

I use a big net, support with my other hand. Why drag it out just get it done. When I did it moved my fish to water change tank pulled out gravel then let it sit for about 30 min THEN vacuumed the bottom no sense doing that twice.

[Filip]

Putting discus in a separate 5 gallon bucket for an hour or so while performing this messy task is the safest way IMO .
With that said I did switch my gravel with a sand followed by a 150% WC with my discus in the tank and nothing bad happened to them .
What ever you decide to do + 100% WC after messing with untouched gravel is your best friend .

[ivo]

Thanks guys for your input. Looks like the best way is to remove all fish while taking gravel out and then do large water change before adding fish back in

[John_Nicholson]

I would just start to siphon it out. It has been 20 years+ since I had gravel in a discus tank but I think that was all I did to remove it.

-john

[JBurgo]

Yes, definitely siphon it out.. I just did it to 3 tanks, one of them an 8 footer, siphoning is very efficient. It takes any junk out with it, so it's the cleanest way to do it. If you try to scoop it out you'll stir everything up and possibly scratch your tank (especially the bottom, since you want to go bare bottom).

[BmoreBraap]

I second removing the fish first, then siphoning. I made the mistake of using gravel with my first few discus, it was 1/4"-1/2" and I siphoned it from the top everyday. Well I finally got them switched to a new tank without gravel and went in to clean the old tank....holy crap. The amount of meat and poop that was lodged deep in the gravel that only came up once jamming the siphon to the glass bottom was insane. Wont be using gravel again for any fish.

[magplate]

If you don't mind removing the gravel over time, you can siphon into a bucket using 5 or 6 feet of 1/2" ID tubing. I did this on my 120 gallon, 1 five gallon bucket a day over the course of a week. It's not hard to keep the tube from clogging if you go slowly and it does not kick up any muck.

Pour the water off the top of the bucket you just used, then pour the gravel into another bucket or wherever you were going to put it.

[bluelagoon]

+1 on siphoning it out.Easiest and safest.And with the fish still in the tank.

[ivo]

Hi guys, how do you siphon gravel out? It is small size of gravel but still when I vacuum to clean it before no gravel got siphon out because of its weight. Could you please let me know how do I siphon it out? I love that idea without having to remove fish out of tank.

[Neptune]

Get a cheap 5/8 inch hose and use it as a siphon. When I did my tank I bought a rubber maid storage tote. Filled it with tank water and threw in an air stone and heater.
9 small discus were in there for almost 4 hours with no ill affects.

[ivo]

Hi guys, how do you siphon gravel out? It is small size of gravel but still when I vacuum to clean it before no gravel got siphon out because of its weight. Could you please let me know how do I siphon it out? I love that idea without having to remove fish out of tank.

[JBurgo]

You don't use the vacuum fitting, you just use a tube, use a decent size tube. A tip is to make sure you have a continual downward run, without a dip in the tube, to prevent clogging.

[ivo]

You don't use the vacuum fitting, you just use a tube, use a decent size tube. A tip is to make sure you have a continual downward run, without a dip in the tube, to prevent clogging.

Thank you. I understood now.

[Jack L]

i used 3/4 clear vinyl tube, it will remove the gravel.
drain into bucket that overflows water and lets the gravel sink
or
through a paint strainer bag

+1 on siphoning to help avoid scratches.

in past...i've never removed fish to remodel tank, they stayed out of the way. i remember having the remaining water like mud, they were always fine. i use to "redo" tanks often. sometimes i tried to remove them, but they are a PIA to catch and either way its stresses them.

i HAVE lost fish moving them around to from tank to tank.

[ivo]

Thanks everyone for suggesting to use a tube it worked like a charm. To be cautious I only did 1/4 of the area will have all gravel out over the next few days. Thanks again for your help.