Adding Sand?

drillsar · 01/06/2008, 07:10 PM

Best way of adding sand? How much should I put in at one time? Also for a dsb and a 55gal aquarium is a tiger tail cucumber safe? how many nassarius snails? Thanks

kydsexy · 01/06/2008, 07:32 PM

because your tank is setup already, make sure you rinse the sand all the way. if your rock is all setup, then make sure you pour around it, not on top of it. unless you want to spray it all with a powerhead. how much sand do you plan on adding?

if you already have "live sand" then make sure you only add under an inch every week or so, so that you give the beneficial bacteria and life a chance to move up into the proper depth of sand.

i don't think a tiger tail would be acceptable for a 55 gallon tank because they can grow well over a foot (in the wild they are monsters 5-6 ft long) a sand bed of 6 inches would be perfect for them. your Nass. snails will probably stay within the top 2 inches of the sand. you don't need too many. i'd say less than 10. they are monsters when it comes to consuming detritus and leftover food.

snorvich · 01/06/2008, 07:44 PM

When cucumbers die, they create a toxic situation. In a smaller tank, that toxicity is of greater importance.

drillsar · 01/06/2008, 07:50 PM

Ok, What can I add to sift the sand, In the middle of the sand bed is some algae, why do I have to rinse the sand? It's play sand from home depot. With the rocks I think I may move them, then add like a 1/2 inch of sand to one area of the tank per week, Im going to add probably like 50 lbs. Do I have to remove the nassarius snails that I have first?

kydsexy · 01/06/2008, 08:39 PM

the toxins of the cucumber are only important if you have somehting to harass it. when they die, if they're not taken out of the tank soon enough they will leach toxins. rinse the sand to eliminate the cloudiness. good plan, no you don't have to remove the nassarius snails if you're only adding 1/2 inch to certain spots. they'll manage. just add, then feed a short while after. if you're going for a dsb then you may have algae blooms because you didn't wait long enough. dsbs that longer than shallow sand beds.

drillsar · 01/06/2008, 09:53 PM

Is a fighting conch better choice?

01/06/2008, 07:10 PM	#1
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	Adding Sand? Best way of adding sand? How much should I put in at one time? Also for a dsb and a 55gal aquarium is a tiger tail cucumber safe? how many nassarius snails? Thanks

01/06/2008, 07:44 PM	#3
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	When cucumbers die, they create a toxic situation. In a smaller tank, that toxicity is of greater importance. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

01/06/2008, 07:32 PM	#2
kydsexy Moved On Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Middletown, CT Posts: 390	because your tank is setup already, make sure you rinse the sand all the way. if your rock is all setup, then make sure you pour around it, not on top of it. unless you want to spray it all with a powerhead. how much sand do you plan on adding? if you already have "live sand" then make sure you only add under an inch every week or so, so that you give the beneficial bacteria and life a chance to move up into the proper depth of sand. i don't think a tiger tail would be acceptable for a 55 gallon tank because they can grow well over a foot (in the wild they are monsters 5-6 ft long) a sand bed of 6 inches would be perfect for them. your Nass. snails will probably stay within the top 2 inches of the sand. you don't need too many. i'd say less than 10. they are monsters when it comes to consuming detritus and leftover food.

01/06/2008, 07:50 PM	#4
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	Ok, What can I add to sift the sand, In the middle of the sand bed is some algae, why do I have to rinse the sand? It's play sand from home depot. With the rocks I think I may move them, then add like a 1/2 inch of sand to one area of the tank per week, Im going to add probably like 50 lbs. Do I have to remove the nassarius snails that I have first?

01/06/2008, 08:39 PM	#5
kydsexy Moved On Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Middletown, CT Posts: 390	the toxins of the cucumber are only important if you have somehting to harass it. when they die, if they're not taken out of the tank soon enough they will leach toxins. rinse the sand to eliminate the cloudiness. good plan, no you don't have to remove the nassarius snails if you're only adding 1/2 inch to certain spots. they'll manage. just add, then feed a short while after. if you're going for a dsb then you may have algae blooms because you didn't wait long enough. dsbs that longer than shallow sand beds.

01/06/2008, 09:53 PM	#6
drillsar Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: West Orange, NJ Posts: 2,838	Is a fighting conch better choice?