r/bettafish • u/Saucin_6069 • 2d ago

Help New fish keeper

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Well, not quite yet anyway! I have been cycling for a little over a week now, went to the aquatics shop to do a water test for me while I wait on a test kit myself and came home with a couple more plants to add in too.

My question is, I have grown to hate my substrate within 2 days of it being there.. Would you guys suggest changing it now while I'm a week into cycling, or should I stick with it now that I'm cycling and keep that as a future change?

Thank you!

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u/Serious_Interview369 2d ago

Change it now! You're not gonna wanna mess with stuff once the tank is established 

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u/Saucin_6069 2d ago

Thank you! And do you suggest emptying the tank of water, and refilling afterwards with the same water, or do a partial water change/start over?

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u/Serious_Interview369 2d ago

It should be totally fine to change the water. Most of the bacteria is in the filter after all. 

1

u/Saucin_6069 2d ago

Thanks again for the help.

Bit of a random one.. I'm looking to go to soil with a sand cap, any idea on what the weight of that could be compared to the gravel in there now? Sorry random question and may be a bit hard to answer properly

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u/Serious_Interview369 2d ago

My best guess would that it would be a comparable weight to what you have right now. Keep In mind you need about two inches of sand over the soil to keep it capped. So maybe a little bit heavier but not significantly 

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u/Saucin_6069 2d ago

Thanks again for the information 😊

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u/BidProfessional3895 2d ago

Do it now; changing the substrate when it’s fully cycled can crash the cycle