Changing My GSP's Home...

[mavalos01]

So i want to change Gyzmo's home from Gravel to Sand but I was wondering How can I go about this without stressing him out to the fullest and about how long will the process take (in hopes that it wont be so long). Gyzmo is about an Inch and a half in a 20 Gal. Tank. (which i plan to move him out later to a larger tank) and the tank is brackish water with gravel and a few fake plants. And i was also wondering, will the sand/ coral substrate automatically make the water high in salinity or do i have to adjust it as well, because i don't want to shock him if i out him in water that's automatically high in terms of salinity.

[edmlfc1]

Sand and crushed coral will not change your sg. Only adding salt will change your sg. This is what I would do:
Get a couple of pairs of knee high stockings. Take your rock substrate put it in the knee hi's, do about 1/4-1/2 of the substrate at a time.Turn off everything in the tank so that it don't blow everywhere. Add sand, use a coffee cup or a small mug of some kind so that you don't have a sand storm. Scoop the sand into the mug then put the mug near the bottom of the tank and slowly pour the sand out. Let things settle for a day or so then repeat. Leave the knee hi's with the rock in it for at least a week or more so that your bacteria can transfer to the sand. I've used a small fish net to get the rocks out before. It works great.

After you put the sand in don't forget to turn everything back on. And if you are using an HOB or canister put a sponge over the intake until things settle. You can leave in on there if you like. It will keep the sand from going into the propeller. Ehiem has sponges that fit perfectly over intakes. I'll try to find it and post a link so that you can see what it looks like.

[edmlfc1]

Here you go:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4182

[LilGreenPuffer]

Ooooh. I like the sand plan! When I move out of campus housing for the summer, I may have to give that one a go!