Converting from barebottom

[cmantis]

I currently have no sand in my 50g tank but it is fully cycled with 60lbs of LR. I just got my sand today and want to have a sand bottom. What is the best way to add it? Can I keep my fish in there while I do? It is caribsea seaflor special grade sand if that matters.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Alexm8856]

Just dump it in turn off your pumps I'll probably rinse it

 

[cmantis]

Will it cause a cycle if I add all of it at once? Do I need to remove my fish? Also is it possible to just add without rinsing? I just really have no where that I can rinse?

 

[tunicata]

I added 2 bags of aragalive fiji pink a few weekends ago. I essentially moved the rocks/corals to one area, then dumped it in.

Then lightly swept my hands over the bottom to distribute the sand.

I kept the flow off for a just an hour or two first to let some stuff settle.

Then I ran the tank and sump and just kept changing filter socks every 2-3 hrs or so.

I started say...9pm Saturday night and by 1pm Sunday it was clear.

My fish and corals were fine.

However, I did get a mini cycle of diatoms. I just am doing water changes and reducing lights a bit while my bacteria reacclimates. I'm also dosing bacterial additives like prodibio.

 

[Nandez13]

I'd remove the fish if you're able to. I've added sand both with rinsing and without. Even with rinsing, there still is a cloud in the tank for a while. Your filter sock should help catch alot of it but I wouldn't want my livestock in there while I'm doing it.

I also previously cycled a tank with just LR and added the sand afterwards. It caused a mini cycle for a couple days; my inverts survived it though (no fish in there)

 

[evolution21]

If you have space.....put the bag on the bottom of tank and open it....add it slowly to avoid the cloud....you will still get it but this way IME has minimized it

 

[jackson6745]

Cmaitis, just curious why you are converting?

 

[MikeC]

Get a 3" PVC pipe rince sand really good and slowly pour it down the pipe.

 

[vio]

cmaitis, just curious why you are converting?

+1

 

[tunicata]

Just keep in mind, with the pipe (that's how i STARTED doing it...) you will very likely still get plumes of the dust.

I don't know how great a job you'll do to wash the sand, but i doubt it'll be enough to get ALL small particulates/dust out.

I gave up using the pvc. Not saying that you should. Just that, when I was instructed to use the pipe and saw that the water was still getting cloudy I just made that decision.
I had expected it to be 100% cloud free so I got frustrated.

 

[Alexm8856]

Just rinse and dump it fish would be fine it will be cloudy but will go away

 

[edd]

if thats the special grade dead sand you should rinse it. i just used 80lbs rinsed it and a lot of dust came out, still got cloudy. no cycle tho.
just dump it in its gonna cloud up no matter what you do. i think fish will be fine they survived sandy in the ocean.

 

[ChrisB]

I rinsed mine the best I could then soaked in ro water . Then I put it in cup by cup over a few days letting cup fill up then slowly bring to bottom and poured it out. I only put sand in front not under my live rock for the appearance , and just deep enough to sink a frag in.

 

[cmantis]

Ok so I added without rinsing. Just no feasible way to do it as I have fish in my bathtub but it cleared up in a few hours. However I noticed some really decent size chunks for shells and looked at the bag and noticed it is Seaflor Super Reef not Seaflor Special Grade. I guess I ordered the wrong thing. I wanted the Special Grade after reading all the reviews on it but the few I found on Super Reef aren't that bad. It just looks different but evidently is good for borrowing fish and inverts like Jawfish.

Special Grade

Super Reef

 

[Nandez13]

no feasible way to do it as I have fish in my bathtub

Pics!?!?

 

[cmantis]

 

[oh207]

Is the bathtub reef safe?

 

[ducati335i]

rinse it really well several times and add a little at a time w a plastic red cup.. over a couple days.. slow n steady, no reason to do things fast

 

[cmantis]

rinse it really well several times and add a little at a time w a plastic red cup.. over a couple days.. slow n steady, no reason to do things fast

Too late for that! - Renegade Style!

 

[cmantis]

Is the bathtub reef safe?

Yeh its perfect just fill with 2" of water and if any fish jump they still sw:fish:mming!