adding live sand to an existing tank

RickGemme · 06/05/2007, 04:18 PM

ok i made the mistake of putting crushed coral as my base for the past year, i want to fix this by removing it all and going to a live sand base. I already have live rock in the tank so adding live sand could cause spikes in my readings, thus harming livestock.... any ideas/suggestions?
'
rick

alan214 · 06/05/2007, 04:24 PM

I would do the whole thing in stages. Siphon out a part of the CC over a 2 week period as it is still performing a biological filtration role. Then add the new livesand a little at a time (say 25%). You should avoid any large ammonia spikes that way.

As always, you should monitor your ammonia levels as you add in the new sand.

kevin2000 · 06/05/2007, 04:53 PM

Don't waste money on bagged live sand .. heck its just sand with a bit of bacteria.

People switch out crushed coral substrate all the time. There are legit arguments for doing this slow .. but making multiple partial changes is highly stressful and frankly a PIA. I recommend biting the bullet and changing it all at once .. only takes a couple hrs.

Remove most of your water and place it in a rubbermaid trashcan along with your live rock. Place the livestock in a suitable container. Take some of the top layer of the crushed coral and place it in some nylon stockings ... then place the stockings/cc in your LR container until later. Toss the rest of the CC as well as any remaining water which will be filthy.

Install your new sand along with the live rock and the old water ... then place the nylon stockings of CC on top of your new sand. That old CC will help seed your new substrate and prevent any ammonia issues ... after a couple of weeks you can toss the nylon stockings.

Run your filters/heaters etc and when things are decent add your livestock.

Lpabsolute · 06/05/2007, 05:05 PM

If it were me i would take out all the corals and put them in a bucket of tank water. Then take all the tank water out and keep it. Take out the CC and put in the live sand. Then put the tank water back into the tank. Then the corals. Done this before and everything worked out....

blazzent · 06/07/2007, 02:56 PM

would there be anything wrong with just pushing over existing cc to one side of the tank and then adding sand in its place. could you leave it that way?

stillcity · 06/07/2007, 03:16 PM

whats the problem with crushed coral and sand mixed?

kevin2000 · 06/07/2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stillcity
whats the problem with crushed coral and sand mixed?

CC is a lousy substrate for SW ... covered in a zillion threads. Some aquarist will try and cover their CC with normal sand but the basic law of physics dictates that the small grains will always end up on the bottom and your debris harboring large CC will end up on the top.

RickGemme · 06/08/2007, 02:32 PM

so ive finally decided i am definitely doing this soon, probably next week or two..... question only now being that is the CC in the nylon stockings thing realy effective? didnt see anyone agreeing or disagreeing with kevin's methods... just wanted more input on the idea

06/05/2007, 04:18 PM	#1
RickGemme Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: West Suffield CT Posts: 63	adding live sand to an existing tank ok i made the mistake of putting crushed coral as my base for the past year, i want to fix this by removing it all and going to a live sand base. I already have live rock in the tank so adding live sand could cause spikes in my readings, thus harming livestock.... any ideas/suggestions? ' rick

06/05/2007, 04:24 PM	#2
alan214 Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Colony, TX Posts: 1,258	I would do the whole thing in stages. Siphon out a part of the CC over a 2 week period as it is still performing a biological filtration role. Then add the new livesand a little at a time (say 25%). You should avoid any large ammonia spikes that way. As always, you should monitor your ammonia levels as you add in the new sand. __________________ I live really close to the airport. The other day I was walking across the living room and the stewardess told me to take my seat. Current Tank Info: 73G FOWLR

06/05/2007, 05:05 PM	#4
Lpabsolute Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Johns Island, SC Posts: 2,021	If it were me i would take out all the corals and put them in a bucket of tank water. Then take all the tank water out and keep it. Take out the CC and put in the live sand. Then put the tank water back into the tank. Then the corals. Done this before and everything worked out.... __________________ "Do not float above me when I'm drowning in the abyss......float away from me.........float away" Current Tank Info: 54g Corner Reef Tank......and......5.5g Nano Reef Tank......and......20g Long Reef Tank.......and......27g Cube

06/08/2007, 02:32 PM	#8
RickGemme Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: West Suffield CT Posts: 63	so ive finally decided i am definitely doing this soon, probably next week or two..... question only now being that is the CC in the nylon stockings thing realy effective? didnt see anyone agreeing or disagreeing with kevin's methods... just wanted more input on the idea __________________ Savings account? ... oh you mean my aquarium right? Current Tank Info: 45 gal. with live rock... 1 true perc, 2 clarkis, 1 neon blue velvet, 1 coral beauty, 1 fire shirmp, 2 bta, 2 turbos

06/05/2007, 04:53 PM	#3
kevin2000 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,805	Don't waste money on bagged live sand .. heck its just sand with a bit of bacteria. People switch out crushed coral substrate all the time. There are legit arguments for doing this slow .. but making multiple partial changes is highly stressful and frankly a PIA. I recommend biting the bullet and changing it all at once .. only takes a couple hrs. Remove most of your water and place it in a rubbermaid trashcan along with your live rock. Place the livestock in a suitable container. Take some of the top layer of the crushed coral and place it in some nylon stockings ... then place the stockings/cc in your LR container until later. Toss the rest of the CC as well as any remaining water which will be filthy. Install your new sand along with the live rock and the old water ... then place the nylon stockings of CC on top of your new sand. That old CC will help seed your new substrate and prevent any ammonia issues ... after a couple of weeks you can toss the nylon stockings. Run your filters/heaters etc and when things are decent add your livestock.

06/07/2007, 02:56 PM	#5
blazzent Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: san diego, ca Posts: 37	would there be anything wrong with just pushing over existing cc to one side of the tank and then adding sand in its place. could you leave it that way?

06/07/2007, 03:16 PM	#6
stillcity Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 151	whats the problem with crushed coral and sand mixed?