So also as I'm doing research I'm getting slightly overwhelmed I guess, so many articles I read about switching to sand say you must wash the sand, especially if it's play sand, is this true? and if it is true what's the best way to clean it? And also I realized if my tank is settled with it's bacteria and everything etc all that good stuff, don't I have to bring some gravel into the new tank just to bring the bacteria into that tank or will I be fine if I just stop messing with the gravel and just fill the new tank with sand and then dd my existing filter?
Going from a 29G to 75G, help
- Thread starter gabessdsp
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
CoryFan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
gabessdsp said:
Edit: washing helps you minimize cloudiness. It will settle either way, but can take days.
You can put some gravel in a bag made out of pantyhose and place it in the tank awhile. I have done that before. I don't know if you really need to - it just gives you more "seeded material."
To wash sand, some place it in a pillow case and rinse the whole thing. I prefer using a small trash can (only used for pwc bucket normally). I fill it partly with sand, add a bunch of water, and remove the top water when it fills with dust - repeat until clean.
My play sand floated more easily and longer than my pool filter sand. This can damage your filter's impeller. Therefore always watch it when you are stirring it up during pwc's, etc. I advise turning off your filter.
Okay, seems tedious.
Today I am planning on cleaning out the 75G tank. It used to have turtles in it about a year ago, but has been sitting in my basement ever since. I know putting fish in a tank that used to house turtles could be dangerous so I need to clean it. I found that using a 5%-10% bleach solution will kill all of the bacteria left by the turtles and clean the tank very well, and then leaving it outside for a few days(can't hurt to leave it out more) will kill off the bleach and then the tank will be safe for fish again. Is this information accurate?
CoryFan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
gabessdsp said:
I agree, it is tedious. I really prefer sand though, so it was worth it for me.
Yes, that is accurate.
To quote jlk:
If you have any doubt in respect to bleach residue after disinfecting, soak the items in water with a double dose of dechlorinator/water conditioner. This will neutralize any bleach residue. Drying the items in the sun will further dissipate any possible remaining bleach.
I agree, it is tedious. I really prefer sand though, so it was worth it for me.
Yes, that is accurate.
To quote jlk:
If you have any doubt in respect to bleach residue after disinfecting, soak the items in water with a double dose of dechlorinator/water conditioner. This will neutralize any bleach residue. Drying the items in the sun will further dissipate any possible remaining bleach.
Awesome, I gave it a good rinse off with just water, then I made my 10% bleach mixture and wiped it all over the insides, ten I ended up just pouring the mixture in and moving it up and down the sides, I cleaned with bleach for about 15 minutes. Then I got a nice plastic scraper tool and removed residue from thermometers and other things on the inside and outside of the tank. Then I noticed some calcium deposits which I guess bleach didn't get? Or maybe they're just not calcium deposits, but they were white. I tried some vinegar with not much more success. So I tried scraping them off and it worked minimally, but they are still there. I decided to ignore them since you can't even see them with water in the tank anyway. I gave it 2 good rinses and I am now filling it up with water and applying a double dosage of dechlorination stuff. I plan on letting that soak for a few hours(or even overnight if I run out of time before work). Then I will empty it out, give it another good rinse, and then let it sit in the sun for a few days. I feel like that will provide adequate cleaning. I did notice a very small crack at the top of my tank in the corner area sadly
I can feel it on the inside but not on the outside, but after I let my tank sit in the sun for a couple days I do plan on doing a leaking test( which I might actually do with the decholinator in there while I'm doing that. Then hopefully I don't have to worry about the crack. But just to make sure it doesn't get to much worse what should I use to "patch up" the crack? It's very small maybe an inch and a half long.
CoryFan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I am not familiar with crack/scratch repair.
If you find a way to pool vinegar on the calcium so it can soak, it does wonders.
If you find a way to pool vinegar on the calcium so it can soak, it does wonders.
I am not familiar with crack/scratch repair.
If you find a way to pool vinegar on the calcium so it can soak, it does wonders.
Okay I'll do some research then.
And hmmm....maybe I can just soak a towel with it, then hang it from the side of the tank? Because the deposits are right in the middle of the walls, I guess because when the turtles where in there the water was never higher than halfway and never lower than 1/4 of the way. Or maybe I will just lay the tank on its side and soak it with a towel and let the towel sit that way. But now with vinegar should I go about doing the dechlorination treatment as well or will it be fine with air/sun drying?(Assuming that vinegar can also be potentially harmful for my fish)
EDIT: Also this is the sand I was looking at http://www.quikrete.com/productlines/SandPremiumPlay.asp
That sand says it is already washed, dried, and screened, should I go ahead and wash it more or should it be fine?
Last edited:
CoryFan
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Vinegar doesn't hurt the fish so you will be ok.
I am not sure if that will be good already or not!
I would take a small portion of the sand and put it in water. Just to see how dusty it is. I had a cloudy tank for days and wasn't running the filter so I had to put the media in water and hated waiting.
Edit: I couldn't even SEE the fish!
I am not sure if that will be good already or not!
I would take a small portion of the sand and put it in water. Just to see how dusty it is. I had a cloudy tank for days and wasn't running the filter so I had to put the media in water and hated waiting.
Edit: I couldn't even SEE the fish!
I'll take your suggestion
and wow that's terrible. I hope I'm all good now for setting up my tank. Thank you to EVERYBODY who gave me input on this forum. If I have any problems I'll be sure to come back to aquariumadvice and start up a new thread
I have been using that playsand for years. I use the pillow case trick to rinse it. No problems with it settling. I have 5 geos that constantly spit sand around and have no issues with my filter.
You can see pics of it in my build thread in my signature if you're curious. At $4/50lb you can't go wrong!
You can see pics of it in my build thread in my signature if you're curious. At $4/50lb you can't go wrong!
I have been using that playsand for years. I use the pillow case trick to rinse it. No problems with it settling. I have 5 geos that constantly spit sand around and have no issues with my filter.
You can see pics of it in my build thread in my signature if you're curious. At $4/50lb you can't go wrong!
Ahh yes I've checked out your build, very nice!
So by its name I assume the pillow case trick would be, put sand in a pillow case, then spray with water? Or am I wrong?Or is it keeping the sand in the pillowcase until you are at the bottom of the tank?
I dump about 15lbs at a time and spray with a garden hose, stirring the sand occasionally, until the water runs clear out of the bottom. I dump each batch into a big rubbermaid container and then scoop it into the tank.
To prevent the water from stirring the sand up, use a cool whip lid or small plate and make sure the water hits the plate when you are filling the tank.
To prevent the water from stirring the sand up, use a cool whip lid or small plate and make sure the water hits the plate when you are filling the tank.
Ahh okay just what I thought, and yes I already actually use a glass dish to keep my gravel and other things from sifting around too much
