Replace sand bed?

[Bray]

I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank that has been up and running for almost 3 months now. I have 8 fish 6 snails and 14 crabs. I made the mistake of using this fine white sand, almost like a powder. Not only does it show everything in the sand but it stirs up easily and overall it was a poor choice made back then. Anyway my system is running great otherwise except for the brown diatom algae breakout and my consistent 0.50 ph level that never seems to budge. I live 2 miles from the ocean and I wanted to know if I could remove my fish for 24-48 hours and replace all my sand with real ocean sand, then put all the original water back in the tank? Will this spike my tank or cause harm to the fish?

 

[Ingy]

What kind of ocean sand do you have? I live on the pacific in Canada and I used the grey granite beach sand. Unfortunately it is also light, blows around easily and cannot be tunneled very well by burrowing fish. I removed it during the upgrade and replaced with a coral sand. Much better.

 

[melosu58]

You can siphon it up in 1/4 increments. When you do then repace that area by sliding the sand down a piece of PVC to the area you siphoned out. It will help to cut down on the cloudiness.

 

[Bray]

Atlantic ocean in south Florida, the sand is light brown and very coarse. I read that it is best to get the sand from as far out into the ocean as you can (within reason) to limit the chance of contaminants as they are limey to wash upon shore sand. Also that the sand needs to be rinsed well. That is a good idea about replacing the sand 1/4 at a time and using the pipe to put the new sand in. This should also cut down the algae problem. I guess my biggest worry is clouding the tank too much. Wont too many particles in the water cause the fish to get sick or die? The second concern is possibly introducing my tank with something harmful that could be in the new sand.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

I would just buy the sand. My friend did the beach sand and regrets it. Fiji pink rocks.

 

[mr_X]

I think you should keep what you have. Eventually, it will stop blowing around, and white sand is the most reflective. As for showing everything, any sand is going to show what is on it.

 

[Bray]

Thanks! I will prolly just keep what I have for now.

 

[uh.oh...]

i heard once that beaches are like nature's protein skimmers...I used to live in Myrtle Beach, SC, so I can attest to the statement.... anyways, any sand I could think of getting would have been out of the question around there. But Florida is much nicer in some areas.