a few questions

[egon]

i currently have a 90 gal fowlr tank that has been up and running for 4 years now. the setup consists of a fluval 404 with all media removed for water circulation only, a berlin h.o. skimmer powered by a rio 2500, 2 aquaclear 802 powerheads for water circulation, and a cpr hangon reugium filled with macroalgae. i also have about 1inch of live sand, and 55lbs of live rock. for lighting i am using the custom sea life 48" powercompacts with moonlights.

i would like to change to a deep sand bed and add more live rock. i would like to have a 5inch deep sand bed and add another 100lbs of live rock. i would like to take out the sand that is currently in the tank because it is not as fine as the new sand i am getting. so my question is, when i do this should i take all of the fish out of the tank and have them spend a few days in a large 50gallon tupperware container with the live rock that is currently in the tank, then add the new sand and water. wait for it to settle, then add the freshly cured live rock, and then add the fish. or should i just leave the fish in the tank for the entire transition.

sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any info. this is a wonderful community that i discovered here, i hope to become a part of it.

 

[cmor1701d]

AFAIK, the new sand will 'storm' for days of not weeks until bacteria attach, making it heavy enough to settle.

Better to put the new sand and new rock in the Tupperware container to cure the rock and get the bacteria cycle going. After it all settles out (probably 1-2 weeks), you should be able to transfer it with little trouble. At that point you might want to move the fish and old rock to temporary quarters while you add the new sand and rock.

Just my opinion...

Cmor

 

[Bearfan]

AFAIK - I love those duck commercials.

 

[scuba_steve]

i wouldnt do it that way imo when you move the sand from the rubbermade its gonna be all cloudy again and what not !! i think your idea was the way to go if ya keep an eye on ya water quality in the tub

 

[steve-s]

I have swapped out CC from my tanks and added sand without removing a things, fish or inverts. It won't hurt anything and the added bacterial surface area from the fine particles are very beneficial. Don't rinse it.

The rock should definately be well cured before placing in the display though.

Cheers
Steve