# Bad Substrate Choice



## direlime (Jul 17, 2008)

Hey guys!
So i have a question. I made a terrible substrate choice (In terms of plants) for my planted aquarium. Not knowing this at the time I put plants in it. So here's my question. Can i replace the current substrate (medium sized river rocks) for something better for the plants (Something better for the roots to anchor too; like sand?). And if I do will it cause problems in terms of water condition like disrupting biological filtration and such?


----------



## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Unless are running water through the substrate (like a UG filter), its biological filtration contribution is really small and swapping it out shouldn't hurt.


----------



## direlime (Jul 17, 2008)

Ok, thats awesome!!!


----------



## Revolution1221 (Apr 20, 2010)

just make sure to save as much water as possible that way its not to hard on the fish. changing out the rocks isn't much of a problem like emc said just be sure to be careful when taking them out so you dont scratch the bottom.


----------



## dan3345 (Jan 27, 2010)

If you are putting in the new substrate with the water in tank, then you should take steps to protect the fish. Maybe take a few gallons of their water and put them in buckets temporarily or put in a divider so they dont buried or crushed.


----------

