Can i add sand Still?

[beano1]

I want to add some fine white sand on top of my crushed coral( the cc is just not doing it for me) but i have fish in the tank. If i can still add sand, how do i put it in the tank with out harming the fish?

 

[angelscrx]

How much crushed coral do you have? I would take out the crushed coral and replace it with sand a little at a time. If you put the fine sand on top of the crushed coral it would work itself to the bottom and then you end up with crushed coral on top and fine sand on the bottom. I have seen most tanks have either or but not both because of this.

 

[SeeDemTails]

I will be happy when they dont sell crushed coral and base rock anymore......My LFS refuses to sell anyone base rock or crushed coral!

I would take out a little and add a little at the same time. Be careful with fish!

 

[afilter]

How much crushed coral do you have? I would take out the crushed coral and replace it with sand a little at a time. If you put the fine sand on top of the crushed coral it would work itself to the bottom and then you end up with crushed coral on top and fine sand on the bottom. I have seen most tanks have either or but not both because of this.

Exactly, this is what happened when I tried to add some in one area. I am waiting to move then I am going to replace my cc.

 

[roka64]

I had a mixture of CC and sand. I actually had to sift out the sand/CC in the tank, with fish and LR. I did about 1/3 of the tank at a time, over about a 6 week period. I wanted to give the sand stirrers a chance to migrate, I also got lazy and didn't do anything for a week or so.

I will be happy when they dont sell crushed coral and base rock anymore.

Base rock is an awesome way to save money vs. LR, as it will become live. I actually just bough some and am in the process of breaking it up and putting it in my filter, instead of the media. CC is a personal choice, some like it and others (like me) do at first and then decide different at a later time.
My suggestion.....do about 1/3 of your substrate at a time. This will also keep the funky stuff from fouling your tank, IME. I also agree, the sand on the top will sink to the bottom and you will still end up with the CC on the top.

 

[Finatic]

I will be happy when they dont sell crushed coral and base rock anymore......My LFS refuses to sell anyone base rock or crushed coral!

I would take out a little and add a little at the same time. Be careful with fish!

Why do you have a problem with base rock?

 

[SeeDemTails]

I have base rock in one of my tanks an I wish I would have never put it in there.....it looks like crap for years!

Also, my cycle was 3 times faster wit LR oppose to 50/50 LR and base rock mix n my other tank!

 

[roka64]

Also, my cycle was 3 times faster wit LR oppose to 50/50 LR and base rock mix n my other tank!

Yeah, that is a possible downside, the beneficial bacteria might take a while to "migrate". But it is a cost effective method, IMO, I wish I would have known about it. I pay $8.99/LBS at my LFS.

 

[beano1]

Thanks for the input. Since im getting ride of the cc, and its live now, would it be benificial to put some in one of my compartments of my filter. I dont really want to get ride of it all, it cost me so much. The way im going to eventually have my tank set up will be to have most of my LR on the right side, then kind of slope down to a kind of open space, making it look like a naturall shelf. CaN I leave the cc where the Lr is too?

 

[afishyonados]

There are two different types of crushed coral available. Not all crushed coral is the devil.
Calcite based crushed coral is bad. Mmmkay? It releases the carbonates too quickly, and becomes so holy it will begin to become a nitrate sink. This is bad. Removal of all calcite based crushed coral is good.
Aragonite crushed coral is good. Mmmkay? It too releases carbonates, albeit slowly, and is much more dense; leaving very few holes or pockets to become a nitrate repository.
If you have a blend of aragonite, at multiple varying grain sizes, the anaerobic byproducts of your sand bed will be more able to degass than one with a singular uniform grain size.
Calcite is the devil.

 

[roka64]

Since im getting ride of the cc, and its live now, would it be benificial to put some in one of my compartments of my filter.

Considering afishyonados' response, can you determine what type it is? If it is the non calcite you can put it in your filter media. I switched out mine 1/3 of my tank at a time. Some say 50% at a time, but I just wanted to be cautious.

 

[beano1]

its the argonite kind

 

[roka64]

I don't see why you can't use some in your filter. Just make sure to clean it on a regular basis in old SW.

 

[afishyonados]

You can leave it under the live rock. Just know that the finer grains will eventually work their way to the bottom.

When you add your pre-rinsed sand, put it back into small bags, sink it to the bottom, then slowly open the bags and gently spread out. This will avoid spreading out a cloud of dust that would otherwise be a potential hazard to the health of your inhabitants.

 

[Jarred Darque]

hmm. I never thought about putting sand into atank like that. I dont run sand in my SW, but I do in my large FW tank.

Another method I have found that works somewhat decent, if prolly not as good as afihyonados's idea is to fill a small cup with the sand, top it off with tank-safe water, then slowly sink it to the bottom of the tank and literally pour the sand out.

And I agree with them, I tried to add a black sand on top of a black gravel, similiar to adding sand on topof argonite, my gravel was at the top of the substrate in a few days, as your argonite would be.

I actually set a collinder in the bottom of my tank and scooped the subtrate up and put it in the collinder, swirled it aorund some, the sand went back to the bottom of the tank, the gravel staye din the collinder and I was able to remove it from the tank.

 

[roka64]

Another method I have found that works somewhat decent, if prolly not as good as afihyonados's idea is to fill a small cup with the sand, top it off with tank-safe water, then slowly sink it to the bottom of the tank and literally pour the sand out.

I used a bowl. I only had a sand storm for a few hours. It didn't seem to bother the fish too much.