Adding More Live Sand

[Scoot]

I took the advice of the guy at the LPS and only put a couple bags of LS in my 75g. After much reading, I see I should have at least 3" to get a really good bacteria and the benefits of a DSB/DLSB.

Right now there's about 1/2" to 1" of LS. Its shallow enough I have to be careful when adding LR, or it will be scraping the bottom glass.

I have about 13 pounds of LR in there.

I'm in the initial cycle, nitrate is *just* starting to decline and nitrates going up.

Can I add LS now? I figured I could move the LR to one side, add some gently, move everything back over to the other side, and add more, then re-arrange everything.

If I do this am I risking any problems?

[tecwzrd]

Adding more sand now is fine. I would buy a 3”-4” PVC pipe from HD cut to about 24” and using a larger funnel (end not smaller then 2”, cut if you have to) or very carefully just pour directly into the PVC while placing the bottom of the PVC on the existing sand.

Then slowly lift and move the PVC every couple of inches till you have nice little piles of sand all over the place. Once you are finished with adding all your sand smooth as desired with hands. This will greatly keep your “sand storm” to a minimum and should clear up within a couple of days.

Once it clears up or settles for the most part you can use a turkey baster or ph to blow the sand off your lr.

[roka64]

Quick, question....I have about 20LBs of LS and 40LBS of CC (I will be removing half of the CC w/my next H2O change) and be replaced w/argonite playsand. Is this a good idea? I read the post on removing CC, but I already have LS in there and would like to know if this change would be too drastic, ie; removing too much bacteria at once and such...I have a 55 Gallon w/about 30-40LBs (I think maybe a little more)of LR, been up for 2 months (a little over 1 month w/original CC/LS/And about 20LBS of original LR, 5 various damsels 1 maroon clown, pincushion and pencil urchins, blood red fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp...Should I do more like a 1/3 or 1/4 CC exchange?

Thanks

[cmor1701d]

Add it as above but why buy more LS? Go to HD or Lowes and get some playsand from the garden center. Take along some vinegar to test a small sample to see if it bubbles and fizzes. If it does then you have aragonite based sand, which is perfect. The LR and LS will seed this dry sand and make LS in by the time your cycle is over.

Also, the rock should be placed on the bottom glass or you can make some supports out of pvc for it. Depending on what you add later a sand sifter may burrow under a rock causing it and all the rock above it to move (crashing into the side glass?).

[roka64]

LOL, my pencil urchin moves my LR somtimes, very determined to get everything off the LR....I try to make sure there is nothing that will fall over= or on him...

[Scoot]

Also, the rock should be placed on the bottom glass or you can make some supports out of pvc for it. Depending on what you add later a sand sifter may burrow under a rock causing it and all the rock above it to move (crashing into the side glass?).

That makes perfect sense.

Regarding using play sand vs. more expensive LS, isn't there a benefit to LS having pre-existing nitro bacteria?


Update:

Did it - added 40 pounds. Close to 2.5" or so throughout now. Would have gone with another 20 or 40 pounds, but the LPS only had 2 20 pound bags. Niether Lowes and HD had no play sand matching anything close to what I needed. All brownish, dirty-looking stuff.

Did my best to use a tube (about 4" PVC) to get the sand down, it was too sticky, plugged up, stuck in the tube when I went to pull it out - I ended up using a pitcher I use for water changes lowering it in slowly, turning upside down, rinse, repeat.

Water got pretty cloudy, down to about 4" visibility, but its been about 5 hours and its clearing well. Running the HOB filter full-blast.

Re-arranged the LR a bit now, too, to be more stable. I've been adding it piece by piece, so I didn't start with a very good arrangement.

All the cyano that was covering most of the sand is all covered or dispersed now. I took the time to clean the cover, light hood, outside, etc.

I'm hoping, if I didn't disturb the initial cycle, that nitrites will start dropping any time and I can go get some fish in a week or so!