Simple DSB questions

[pdwire]

I asked the following questions a few days ago but never got a response...reposting as I was hoping to add the extra substrate this weekend


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I currently have about 55# of Caribsea Aragonite- Seaflor special grade reef sand in my 55 Gal FOwLR setup. I am planning on adding another 40# so that I have a proper DSB and have a few questions.

1) Can I just add to the top of the current substrate?

2) Can the fish stay in the tank when I add the new substrate?

3) should I rinse the new substrate before adding?

4) Is this grade sand OK for sand sifters?

Any helpful suggestions welcome.

Thanx,

Patrick

 

[alrmc4]

patric i would add it slowly so you do not risk killing all the critters that are already in your sand bed just add it a little at a time try taking your new sand and getting it wet and sliding it down a piece of pvc or freeze the damp sand in a pie tin slide it out and place it in the tank i would not add the whole 40 lbs in the course of a weekend, i can not help as far as rinsing or if the grade is good not familiar with what Aragonite- Seaflor special grade reef sand is.hope i helped some just remember good things in tanks happen slowly bad things happen fast....lor

 

[fishfreek]

I saw your question and did not answer because I am not fimular with the grain size of the seaflor special grade sand.

We have the following article on how to change out your substrate

 

[reefrunner69]

1) Can I just add to the top of the current substrate?

Not more than 1/2" every other day

2) Can the fish stay in the tank when I add the new substrate?

Yes, but do what you can to minimize the "dust" ie; wet the sand, add with a large diameter PVC pipe etc...

3) should I rinse the new substrate before adding?

Technically no, the silt and dust will add a variety of grain sizes with will encourage diversity of your sand fauna

4) Is this grade sand OK for sand sifters?

Yes, but it is considered too large a grain size for a DSB. You should look into a sand with a grain size closer to that of a sugar grain, like SouthDown Tropical PlaySand, or Aragamax, etc...

 

[pdwire]

Reefrunner,

Thanx for the replies. I must say that I am surprised to here that the grain size is to large for a proper DSB as that is the reason I bought this in the first place. The description on the Carib-sea web site states the following "1.25 - 1.95 mm diameter grain size. A revolution in reef-keeping! This is the one you’ve been reading about in all the hobbyist publications. This grade of aragonite is specifically engineered for plenum-type nitrate reducing beds or anywhere a deeper bed is called for. The pore water space created by precision grading also allows maximum pH support and dissolution of calcium carbonate. "

Am I misinterpreting something or is the information the product incorrect?

Thanx,

Patrick

 

[reefrunner69]

Am I misinterpreting something or is the information the product incorrect?

Exerpt from Deep Sand Beds by Ron Shimek, I recommend reading the entire article prior to setting up your DSB.

Construction:

Making a sand bed is almost too easy. The most important part of the sand bed is, not surprisingly, the sand. While earlier I referred to "mud" and now I refer to "sand," I am not discussing two different materials. There is no scientific definition of "mud," however, those of us befuddled folks who spend part of our life working with marine sediments have a naming scale for the parts of the continuum of particles ranging from the very big ("boulders" = particles over 25.6 cm, about 10 inches, diameter) to the very small ("clay" = particles less than 0.004 mm, about 0.00016 inches). Nowhere in this scale is there a mention of that most desirable of substances, "mud." Generally, what a sediment-studying scientist would refer to as fine or very fine sands with smidgen of silt, most normal folks call mud. These are sediments whose particles generally range from about 1/16th mm (0.063mm) to about 1/8th mm (0.125 mm).