Can I get rid of my substrate and add live sand?

[bodie]

I have a 30 gallon tank that has been up for about 5 years and the bottom is covered with a Hawaiian puca shell substrate. I was wondering if I could get rid of it and add live sand without killing my bacteria and fish at the same time. Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

[stresco]

Sure you can, just do it realy slow. You dont even need live sand if you do it slowly enough. Just do the tank in sections. Remove 1/4 of the substrate and replace that area with some southdown every 2-3 weeks. This way your critters in your substrate have a chance to migrate into you new sand. And more importantly, doing over that lenth of time, you should not have any re-cycling issues.

 

[bodie]

I normally have to siphon my Hawaiian puca shell substrate when I do water changes in order to remove fish waste and any uneaten food. It is my understanding that you don't siphon live sand and instead I must get snails and crabs that will sift through the sand and eat any of the stuff that the siphon normally removes. Is this correct? How much live sand or aragonite is necessary for a 30 gallon tank? Also, if my assumption about the crabs and snails is correct, does anyone know what specific snails and crabs I would need and how many I would need?

 

[stresco]

With sand, when it becomes live it will be the home for many different pods and worms that will eat detritus. You should also get a variety of snails and crabs to sift the sand. I personally like Red Leg Hermits (Blue Leg Hermits are homicidal), Naserius Snails, Turbo Snails, Queen Conch, serpent Stars (they dont burrow, but they scavenge food). Its kind of trial and error with the amount you will need. There is no REAL formula for this. If you dont get enough, you will see a build up of waist and algea blooms. If you get too many, they will starve to death. Just use you best guess, and keep an eye on your tank until you find a balance.

 

[seaham358]

They say 1 lb per gallon is a good place to start. A DSB will not do you much good in a 30 so 2-3" will be just fine. Sand is the way to go. As Stresco says a mix of crabs and snail. Start out with a small number like 10 crabs and 10 snails and add more over time if you think you need more. I have a sea cucumber in my tank and he is great at eating poop and keeping the sand clean.

 

[bodie]

Thanks for the input! I can't wait to start the process of moving over to sand. I would be very appreciative of anyone else who has any opinions or suggestions that they would like to share.

 

[PiscesLou]

Im in the process of removing my CC and replacing it with LS. So far so good, I just moved the CC to one side of my tank and adding LS to fill the area where the CC was before, then I take out about 2 lbs of CC every 2 to 3 weeks while still keeping a 2 to 3 in base . Ive gotten 3/4 of my 55 gal tank done without any issues."patience is a virtue , my friend."

 

[bodie]

Thanks for the input PiscesLou. I had a question for you or anyone else who might have some knowledge. Should I begin adding snails and crabs (Cleanup crew) that others have spoke of as soon as I begin adding the live sand? Or should I wait until the tank is half full or completely filled with live sand before I add a cleanup crew? Also, are you still siphoning the crushed coral while leaving the live sand undisturbed when performing water changes or do you have some other process that you perform when doing water changes?

 

[seaham358]

When adding the sand try using a PVC pipe long enough to reach the bottom and stick out the top 2-3" dia. Slowly pour the sand into the PVC moving it slowly. This should avoid a large sand storm in the tank. Good luck....The tank is 5 years old then there will be plenty of food for the crabs and snails. Any LR for them to eat off of?

 

[bodie]

Thanks for the tip seaham358. I was wondering how I could avoid a sand storm and get the sand in its proper place. That's a great idea. I don't have any LR yet, I was planning on slowly adding the LS first. Do you think I should have LR before adding LS or does it make a difference?

 

[seaham358]

Adding LR that is not cured to a tank that has residents can cause a problem... A mini cycle can happen.
Can u get cured LR? I would wait till the sand is done that way you have less stuff in the way when taking out those shells. Or when half done add a few pieces of cured rock to help the bacteria...
so if you can't get cured LR you may want to cure it out of the tank first....
Garbage can PH and heater for a few weeks then add it to the tank after its cures.

 

[PiscesLou]

I was wondering how I could avoid a sand storm and get the sand in its proper place

turn off anything that cause water movement"what I did was, placed the unopened bag of LS to the bottom of my tank, then used a knife to cut open the side of the package then slowly released the sand.I had a bit of a sandstorm but it didnt last long. Go Kings!