# Replacing My Entire Sandbed at once Bad Idea?



## Obiwantoothri (Mar 1, 2013)

I am thinking about replacing my entire sand-bed that has been in place for about 5 years. My reason for doing so is that I believe that it will help me lower nitrate levels. I'm currently looking at about 80 ppm, with ammonia being at 0. My theory, which may be off base, is that a sand-bed in place for so long may have collected waste over time and is contributing to my issue. Not to mention it is not a nice white anymore. I have made a serious effort to control my feeding and only do so once a day. I have only 1 Frontosa Kigoma 6", and 2 Red peacocks at 2", as well as a male Brevis at 2.5". The bioload should be super low in my 55G tank. My overall question here is if my tank will become "shocked" and need to be cycled again if I completely remove the old substrate. Thanks for the help.


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## notho2000 (Dec 8, 2012)

Most nitrates from fish droppings and decomposing vegetation end up as soluble ions in solution (i.e. dissolved in the tank water) once the wastes break down. The solid particulate part, unless present in large amounts as detritus in and on the substrate, is not the major source of nitrate. Water changes of 40-50% with the gravel vacuumed and stirred up will remove nitrates to levels that are well within acceptable limits to fish. Gravel never needs to be replaced (unless you just want a different look) and is where the largest part of the 'good' nitrifying bacteria reside. Cleaning the gravel too well (i.e. removing and washing in fresh tap water) will destroy these bacteria and your tank will have to recycle. Bottom line: You lower nitrate levels with a regular regimen of water changing and filter maintenance. So in response to your title: Replacing My Entire Sandbed at once Bad Idea? Yes, bad idea.


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## Obiwantoothri (Mar 1, 2013)

Ok so my new plan is to just add more sand, seeing as I have probably vacuumed up more than half of the original sand. Thanks for the reply. I definitely don't want to remove the good bacteria. I should probably do a series of water changes. Is it harsh to do them every day? And also How much?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Obiwantoothri said:


> Ok so my new plan is to just add more sand, seeing as I have probably vacuumed up more than half of the original sand. Thanks for the reply. I definitely don't want to remove the good bacteria. I should probably do a series of water changes. Is it harsh to do them every day? And also How much?


I've done daily water changes on my tanks with no ill effect on the fish.

You haven't provided a lot of information so a few questions: Has your nitrate reading been creeping up steadily or did you just notice that it was at 80ppm? What's your current water change routine? Do you vacuum the sand when you clean? Have you removed tank decorations and vacuumed? You can get a build up of waste under your rocks and other decorations (my apologies if I'm stating the obvious).

If your fish have been living with 80ppm for an extended time it may be better to go slower with lowering it. Don't feed for a few days and change 25-30% daily.

I agree with notho2000 about it never being necessary to replace substrate unless you want to change the look. Sand can get dirty though. In the past I've siphoned it out about 1/4 of the tank area at a time, rinsed it and carefully returned it to the tank. Each week just do one section and you can get it all pretty clean without messing up your biobacteria.


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## Obiwantoothri (Mar 1, 2013)

About 3 weeks ago I removed all my rock and churned the bed pretty good and vacuumed thoroughly. I do weekly water changes, although I must admit that at the time of testing I hadn't done a change in 2 weeks on account of work. Sounds like the only remedy is water changes. Are there any additives as an alternative?


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Obiwantoothri said:


> Sounds like the only remedy is water changes. Are there any additives as an alternative?


There are products available that are supposed to help reduce nitrate readings but water changes are going to be much healthier for your fish. The nitrate reading is an index for many other toxins we don't measure for. Even if you get your nitrates down using a product, there are still other waste products, which we don't measure, that will do your fish no good in the long run. My recommendation is to stay on top of doing weekly changes and possibly double the amount you're changing at a time. Nitrate readings of about 20ppm are the usual recommended signal for a water change.

One "additive" that has multiple benefits and is quite effective is some fast growing plants.


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## Obiwantoothri (Mar 1, 2013)

Thank you very much for all of your feedback :thumb:


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