changing substrate,how often?

[ter153]

hi
how often should i change my snails substrate? mines been in the tank around 3-4 weeks,i do a general tidy up every couple of days,the soil looks fine and doesnt smell,so do i change the whole lot or just half maybe?

[coyote]

I think it depends on things such as how many snails you have in it, how much they poop, and how much old food accumulates. That there's no odor is a good sign. If there's any odor, it should be changed no matter how new it is.

[danikat]

When I had 5 fulica I'd pick out any poo/old food I could see once a week and stir it around a bit, then change it completely once a month. By that point it'd usually be really damp, even if I'd stopped spraying for a bit and I'm pretty sure snails urinate which was probably part of it so it seemed best to change it.

Right now I have 2 baby retics in the same tank so I might change it less often. It'll be a month at the end of the week so I'll see what state the soil is in then.

[crossless]

I think there's no point changing some of it it's still "dirty" and you can't know during change which part it's dirtiest to change because snails dig and you may turn substrate often. I think it's just waste of soil. i change peat when I ever remember at least them when it's starts to smell I mean realyl smell not talking about peat original wet mild smell.