Changing to sand this weekend.

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Since I know you. Do me this favor. Change out your substrate. Get a nice big blanket. Cover the tank. Walk away. Don't look at it for at least 2 days. Don't make me notify your boys at the FD. I'll go set buildings on fire if I need too.

It's gonna be cloudy but it's ok. I'd also recommend to put down egg crate before you start pouring the sand in cause if you don't (knowing how your guys dig so much) you're rocks are gonna start hitting the glass on the bottom. It used to drive me insane always terrified the bottom would blow out.
 
Malawi Freak said:
Since I know you. Do me this favor. Change out your substrate. Get a nice big blanket. Cover the tank. Walk away. Don't look at it for at least 2 days. Don't make me notify your boys at the FD. I'll go set buildings on fire if I need too.

It's gonna be cloudy but it's ok. I'd also recommend to put down egg crate before you start pouring the sand in cause if you don't (knowing how your guys dig so much) you're rocks are gonna start hitting the glass on the bottom. It used to drive me insane always terrified the bottom would blow out.
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YES!!! Whats your address con? I need to send a straitjacket to ya so you cant mess with it! Haha

Man i love white sand! You will too. I like the idea of also adding, say, crushed coral or tiny rocks. That'd give the sand more different shaped grains!
 
Malawi Freak said:
Since I know you. Do me this favor. Change out your substrate. Get a nice big blanket. Cover the tank. Walk away. Don't look at it for at least 2 days. Don't make me notify your boys at the FD. I'll go set buildings on fire if I need too.

It's gonna be cloudy but it's ok. I'd also recommend to put down egg crate before you start pouring the sand in cause if you don't (knowing how your guys dig so much) you're rocks are gonna start hitting the glass on the bottom. It used to drive me insane always terrified the bottom would blow out.
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+1 on that hahahaha mine are fake forgot
 
Oh man!! Think I'll take a vacation after this. A blanket huh? That bad huh? What about the fish? Do they go back in after or do I wait for it to clear up? Filters? On or off after?

Now here I go lol. Where's that jacket?!
 
I just added some sand to my tank, and what i did was turn off my filters for about 45 mins, and let the sand settle. I also turned off my powerhead. Then i turned on my filter.

after a couple of hours i turned on my powerhead. The next day i did a wc to make the tank less cloudy.
 
gman42 said:
I just added some sand to my tank, and what i did was turn off my filters for about 45 mins, and let the sand settle. I also turned off my powerhead. Then i turned on my filter.

after a couple of hours i turned on my powerhead. The next day i did a wc to make the tank less cloudy.
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Fish in?
 
How big is your tank? The first picture you posted looks great before can't wait to see it when your done.
 
Malawi Freak said:
Since I know you. Do me this favor. Change out your substrate. Get a nice big blanket. Cover the tank. Walk away. Don't look at it for at least 2 days. Don't make me notify your boys at the FD. I'll go set buildings on fire if I need too.

It's gonna be cloudy but it's ok. I'd also recommend to put down egg crate before you start pouring the sand in cause if you don't (knowing how your guys dig so much) you're rocks are gonna start hitting the glass on the bottom. It used to drive me insane always terrified the bottom would blow out.
Click to expand...

+1 to everything he said lol especially about not looking at it and egg crates is an excellent idea
 
I used Coral Sea cichlid sand. I bought it at Pet-smart, but can probably get it cheaper at Amazon. I posted some tips that I figured out on my thread, and to save time, I won't repost here. Just pull out your scape, and vacuum the hell out of you current substrate before scooping it out, and wash the new sand, and then wash it again :). Have fun. I did leave my fish in. The only cloudiness I had was from the old water left from the water change before starting. All my sand settled, and as soon as I had enough water for the filter to pick up, I turned them back on. The next day when I got home from work, it was clear. Still waiting on the PH though. Good luck.

Posted a couple of pics, the quality sucks ( just got done with the elliptical), but the water was pretty clear. I just need to run the magnet to clean the inside glass.
 
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Just wait a couple hours once it's done to let all the big particles settle. Honestly your fx5 can be turned on 15 mins after your done since canister filters have the propellor on the return side so you wouldn't have to worry about damage, but your media is gonna be nasty afterwards and I would just replace them.

Fish in is totally fine, just make sure you take your time and wash that sand good.
 
Ok sand is in. 4 20lb bags of that black sand mentioned. Looks pretty sweet!!

My OCD is bad and is a serious thing. I'm having anxiety over this for real. Will the sand be easier to clean or harder? Will debris be more visible?

How do you clean the sand without sucking it all up and down the drain when using the python?

Convince me it's worth it please. I know it looks good! That's a given but change is my worse enemy and I've read some stories in other forums how people wish they never went to sand. Maybe a link or two?

Why is sand better? Is it really? Or just personal preference? Are there benefits to sand? Pros/Cons?

Sorry for all the questions but seeing the sand makes me realize Tuesday is right around the corner.
 
I bought 50 pounds of playsand. I washed it for about 30-40 mins, but i washed about 5 pounds at a time. I washed it a lot, but it really payed off. I had very little cloudiness. As for pros, the sand makes gravel vaccuming a thing of the past. Instead of gravel vaccing u just put the hose right above the sand, and all waste gets removed. The 1 con i can think of is churning the sand every now and then. But my fish really do this for me.

I changed from gravel to sand about a year ago, and it was a bit stressful at the time, but in the end it was worth it.
I cant wait to see this new sand in your tank, good luck bud.
 
gman42 said:
I bought 50 pounds of playsand. I washed it for about 30-40 mins, but i washed about 5 pounds at a time. I washed it a lot, but it really payed off. I had very little cloudiness. As for pros, the sand makes gravel vaccuming a thing of the past. Instead of gravel vaccing u just put the hose right above the sand, and all waste gets removed. The 1 con i can think of is churning the sand every now and then. But my fish really do this for me.

I changed from gravel to sand about a year ago, and it was a bit stressful at the time, but in the end it was worth it.
I cant wait to see this new sand in your tank, good luck bud.
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That's gman!! I'm pumped and nervous lol but I'm doing it. I'm also getting rid of most of not all the Cichlid stones and going with real rocks for a more natural look. I LOVE LOVE driftwood so yes I'll be adding back the DW. I hope you ladies and gents like it!

THE CON CAN NOT DISAPPOINT!!
 
Take a deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath. So far I love my sand. The look, watching my guys play in it, everything about it. As for vacuuming it, I use my eheim (sp) battery powered vacuum. My sand is just heavy enough that if I hover it just above the sand, it sucks up the waste and excess food on the bottom. And once you see all the crud that's in your substrate, you will be glad for the conversion. I'm still waiting for my PH to come in Monday to see if that will help even more with the cleaning. So take that deep breath, everything will be good.
 
Crawdaddy said:
Take a deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath. So far I love my sand. The look, watching my guys play in it, everything about it. As for vacuuming it, I use my eheim (sp) battery powered vacuum. My sand is just heavy enough that if I hover it just above the sand, it sucks up the waste and excess food on the bottom. And once you see all the crud that's in your substrate, you will be glad for the conversion. I'm still waiting for my PH to come in Monday to see if that will help even more with the cleaning. So take that deep breath, everything will be good.
Click to expand...

Haha thanks! This battery thingy? Do you have a link? I want one!
 
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