Adding live sand to existing tank

[glstine]

I just got an order of live sand that was supposed to come with information on how to add it to my tank. It didn't. I know I saw a post somewhere, sometime that had advice on how to rinse it and add it to an existing aquarium with minimal cloudiness. I cannot find that post now? Help please.

 

[Jacob Morgan]

u don't rinse live sand.. if its LIVE then ure just gonna rinse out the live stuff lol..



umm I have heard of getting a cup and scooping it out hten slowly lowering it in teh tank and dumping it in..?


I just removed my Fish/LR since i didn' have much at the tmie and went all out.. it took a while to settle but was easiest for me.. n ow if i had several corals fish tons of LR i would of used the cup idea


Jacob

 

[fishfreek]

You don't want to rinse live sand. Rinsing live sand will totally defeat the purpose of having live sand in the first place. Rinsing it would wash way most of the small worms, pods, baby stars, etc.

You can use this method to add sand to an existing tank.

Assuming your adding the sand to a bare bottom or a bottom that already has sand you can skip the first step.

1. If your add it this sand to a tank with CC then move the CC from 1/2 of the tank over on to the other half.

2. if the sand is in a bag then lower the bag (closed) into the tank and turn the bag over so the opening is down on the bottom of the tank. Then slowly pull the bag across the 1/2 side of the tank and rase the bag up. The LS should flow out into the tank with minimal clouding.

An alternate method is to use an empty 2 litter soda bottle. Cut the bottom off of it so you effectivly have a funnel. pour the sand into the bottle with the top on. then lower it into the tank slowly and then remove the top of the bottle so the sand just flows out.

 

[tyler]

greg, i love you sig line.

 

[glstine]

Thanks, got in in without a whole lot of cloudiness, should clear up pretty soon.

 

[glstine]

Wish I could take credit for the sig line. Have to than Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe for that one.

 

[MaggiesGame]

If you have CC and move it to 1/2 of the tank, does the CC go on top of the LS?

 

[fishfreek]

If you have a CC substrate now. And you want to upgrade to a DSB then move lets say the left half of the tanks CC over to the right side. THus you have exposed glass on the left. Then slowly add your sand to the left side. Run this for a week or two. Then remove the CC from the right side and add additional sand.

If you have some CC left behind no big deal.

This is what I did when I converted my 20 gal CC over to a DSB

 

[Jacob Morgan]

The purpose of this is. the CC has live organism in threre. by giving it a couple wks will allow the worms etc to move to teh DSB. since they will like the DSB more then the CC this will happen naturally.


I have a mixture myself for PH issues since i ahve sillicate sand.



Jacob

 

[reefrunner69]

I have a mixture myself for PH issues since i ahve sillicate sand.

Jacob, you have silica sand, not silicate. That needed to be cleared up, cause silica is basically ground glass, and silicates will fuel diatom growth. I'd also like to point out, that CC does very little to buffer the tank. For the CC to buffer, the ph has to drop low enough to disolve the CC, if that's the case, you got bigger problems. The CC isn't necessary, and not recommended for a DSB, a good buffer and regular waterchanges will maintain your ph just fine.

 

[Jacob Morgan]

oo sorry botu the wrong term there..


hehe well i do the W/c newho...



Jacob

 

[fishfreek]

No biggie jacob. The fact that you used the wrong term shows how easy it is to confuse the two words. Kind of shows how people get silica and silicate mixed up or confused.