Sands of time

[austin fishhead]

I want to add a small amount sand to an allready established tank. I was wondering what the best method would be. I just want one corner sandy.

 

[Liz]

I have never tried this so I don't know whether it will work but this is how I would do it.

1. rinse the sand thoroughly so that you get rid of any very fine particles - these will make the water cloudy almost instantly, though can be removed with a fine filter medium.

2. soak the sand in established tank water

3. I'm not sure how big your tank is so I don't know how much sand you intend to put in there. You may need to do this several times. Put the sand in a freezer bag and try and get rid of as much air as possible when you tie it off.

4. Hopefully the bag will now sink to the bottom of your tank. Either untie or cut the bag open and gently tip the sand out. Be careful as any movement will create a current and will disturb the sand.

Whatever you do you will probably find that some of the sand gets disturbed and any fine particles will cloud your water until your filter removes them. But this is the method that I would use but as I've said I've not tested this method.

An important point to note. I would leave your filter off for half an hour to let the sand settle. I am of course assuming that you don't have an ugf as I believe these are complicated when using sand as the substrate.

Good luck and if you use it let me know how it goes. You may find that someone else has a tried and tested method however.

Liz

Planted 50g community tank.

 

[RogerMcAllen]

How big is your tank? I have heard on method where you add some water to a bag of sand and freeze it into a solid block, then place the block where you want it to thaw. As long as you have a heater and your tank is of a descent size this should not mess with your temps too much as long as you don't add too big a piece at a time.

 

[jratuszn]

I'd also recommend unplugging your filters while you do this, so you don't grind up your impellers.

-J

 

[maro1107]

I don't know yet if this will work (we'll be trying it this weekend) but we were going to try using a piece of PVC or another type of tube and a funnel. This way we could guide the sand where we wanted it to go and hopefully not too much will float around. I'll let you know if it works.

 

[maro1107]

I don't know yet if this will work (we'll be trying it this weekend) but we were going to try using a piece of PVC or another type of tube and a funnel. This way we could guide the sand where we wanted it to go and hopefully not too much will float around. I'll let you know if it works.

 

[madasafish]

Austin,

(Sorry to negate what you've said Liz) No need to soak it in tank water beforehand--regular water is fine for getting the cloudiness out of the sand. And really, the sand won't develop beneficial bacteria until you've placed it in the tank.

The extent to which the sand is disturbed will be a function of the grain size. Most FW sand used in tanks is relatively coarse (~1 mm in diameter), and won't become suspended in the water easily. I'd recommend these if you have a choise... If you're using a fine marine sand, you will have more of a problem, as this suspends more easily.

HTH

 

[austin fishhead]

Thanks alot people! Great ideas. Im using a marine sand allready 5lb im not sure the size. Its going into a 48x13x24 fw. Not in a million years would i have though to freeze it.

Whats a good way to begin with a sandy tank? From ground up?