Adding more sand to tank?

[MsBeanCtr]

I am wondering if I should add some additional sand to my existing tank. I currently have approx 40 lbs of Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand (approx 1-2 inches).

When I purchased the reef setup from my lfs I wasn't sure if that was enough but now I'm thinking it's not (as they say, hindsight is 20/20).

So, the biggie is ...... more sand or not ..... if yes, what tips would you offer to do this?

Perhaps I'm worrying about nothing but I would eventually like to add a clam to the tank.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[hc8719]

if your talking about your 72 gallon, in your "myinfo" then you could use a bit more sand.

personally, i dont use much substrate, as it just makes it harder to clean, especially if you have messy fish.

it also depends on if you have sand loving fish/inverts. if you have pistol shrimp and sand loving snails, then it wouldnt hurt to add some sand for them.

if it helps any, i only put 15lbs of sand in my 20g, and thats plenty. i just removed some sand from under the LR to pile elsewhere, and give some places more depth

 

[melosu58]

That`s all I have is about 2 inches. It`s really based on personal preference. Nothing says it has to be more.

 

[tecwzrd]

40 lbs does sound like very little sand for a 72 gal tank. Personally I think twice that amount would "look" better but as mel said it's really up to you and won't hurt anything if it's less.

The following article discuss the advantages of having a deeper "live" sand bed. An Introduction to Deep Sand Beds

If you do want to add then there are two ways you can go about doing it without causing too much of a sand cloud.

First, rinse the sand. Put 10 or 20 pounds at a time into a bucket, and run water into it. Stir it thoroughly, until the water is cloudy. Pour off the water, and repeat two or three times. This will get any contaminants and unwanted detritus out before the sand goes into your tank, and will reduce the amount of fine silt that floats on the top.

Then you can either funnel it to the bottom using a 4" PVC pipe and place the bottom into your existing sand and lift and place, lift and place till you have a bunch of little hills everywhere which you can smooth out afterwards. This can be fairly difficult but the least messy way to add sand to an existing tank IME.

The other way is to put the sand in large 1 gal zip lock bags and lower to the bottom before pouring out.

 

[MsBeanCtr]

WOW! That is some excellent advice tecwzrd! I think I will add some additional sand, not alot. I'm recouping from a major power outage so I just want to get things stabilized before going ahead.

I sure do appreciate all of the great info I've received on this site. Folks sure have been pleasant and helpful.

Thanks!!

 

[stevefromga2000]

i just changed to sand in my tank, and another way to put it in without a large dust cloud is to use tupperware bowls. i only put in about 5 - 10 lbs at a time, but i had a minimal cloud. it only took about 1 hour or so to completley clear up. just do it like tec said with the bags, just fill up the bowls, then slowly lower the bowl into the bottom of the tank, and then slowly tip over the bowl and scoop the sand out into the bottom of the tank. hth

 

[roka64]

I used the bowl method also.