adding live sand

[chefer]

I have a 135 gallon reef tank with 2 250, 12k metal halide with 100 pounds of live rock with a crushed coral base. I bought somebody's tank that has sandown sand that has got a lot of life in it and want to add it to my tank with out making a cloudy mess. Can I just put in on top of the crushed coral? The sand is from a 45 gallon tank. :?

 

[ricky1414]

Hey chefer
i would replace the crushed coral with the sand, but 45 lbs is not going to be enough. i would add it in stages. this may not be the best way, but this is how i did it- I took out my livestock, and once i had my crushed coral all removed, i replaced the sand a cup full at a time. iused a disposable plastic cup. i filled it about 3/4 of the way, gently lowered it into the water upright, letting the water barely flow over the top. that released any air trapped in the sand. I then lowered the cup to the bottom, titled it gently, and let the sand SLOWLY pour out. I just repeated it over and over again. Mine is only a 20 gal, but i put in appox 40 pounds that way. It will take some time, but i had very little silt. you should have less if the sand has been weighed down by any type of bacteria already on it. Good luck in your endeavor.

 

[chefer]

Thanks for the advice but I wont be able to remove all the crushed coral with out removing the live rock and such. I don't want to disturb the habitat of the tank. Is it bad to leave the crushed coral in, why do I have to remove it. :?

 

[Anonymous]

You can add SouthDown sand on top without problem. In fact, in one of my tanks, I have several types of sand added over the course of 4 years.

There are some concerns about denser packing (different particle size), but in most cases, the benefits outweight the potential "harms."

 

[hillbilly]

I have a 135 gallon reef tank with 2 250, 12k metal halide with 100 pounds of live rock with a crushed coral base. I bought somebody's tank that has sandown sand that has got a lot of life in it and want to add it to my tank with out making a cloudy mess. Can I just put in on top of the crushed coral? The sand is from a 45 gallon tank. :?

One way to add sand to your tank without making a mess, is to get a
piece of pvc pipe about 3" in diam. long enough to reach the bottom, and
slowly pour it in. Its easier if you get someone to hold the pipe while you
pour. With this method you put the sand exactly where you want it by
moving the pipe around. I would put the new sand on top of the old.

 

[ElMonoCalvo]

What about potential die off when adding LS to an established tank? I was under the impression LS needed time to cycle much like LR?

 

[hillbilly]

Just do it slowly, and don't dump it all in at once if
you have doubts about it. Just add a small amount
and see what happens.

 

[chefer]

the live sand is in another tank sitting right next to my large tank that I want to put it in. I bought somebody's whole set up nearby and transfered all the livestock and put it in my big tank and left the tank set up with the sand in it. The sand has tons of spag worms and such in it. The only moving problem I found was that the ammonia level jumped to .5ppm. as expected with the move. Sould I by more southdown sand and put that in 1st then the live sand? Also I thought that I could move all the live stock
and rock to the 45 gal bow tank and take out all the crushed coral but don't want to disturb the whole ecosystem unless the benifits from removing the crushed coral will outweigh the risks. thanks again chefer

 

[ricky1414]

i thought that i read people saying that southdown was not the best choice for substrate, as it can get packed down to much and not provide beneficial nitrification???