Sand help?

emeraldeyes_bc · 03/04/2014, 01:58 PM

Hello friends! New here and need a little help

First of all, my tank at the moment is a 65g FOWLR. I'm hoping to order new LED's this week and add corals eventually.

Anyway, my main question is, when I started my tank the sand I bought has black chunks in it... I really don't like the look of it and would like the "cleaner" look of all white.
I just bought a 20g and will be building a sump (planning a standard 3 chamber) Sooooo can I switch the majority of the sand (possibly strain the black bits out as they are larger?) down to the sump then add new sand to the DT? Or would that not be the greatest for the sump? Is it a terrible idea to add/change sand at this point and upset the bacteria?
P.S I started with a 20g about 10 months ago, and just moved to the 65 about 4 months ago so It's still pretty new.

Thanks so much in advance

Dawn

davocean · 03/04/2014, 03:02 PM

Hmm, depending on how long you have been up for w/ this used sand you could disrupt and cause a mini cycle, or possibly more, so I would be careful of any fish if there are any in there if you do siphon/remove that sand.
You might even want to place any fish in a holding tank while you do this and test for amo.
As for sand down in sump, and I'm guessing you have a fuge area, I personally don't like sand near pumps down below, and I don't see a big need for it.
A fuge only needs macro algae like chaeto, maybe some LR or rubble.
You will have LR and sand in display where pods can collect.
BTW, while I personally would at the very least remove these black chunks, even if you do all new white sand, it will not stay perfectly white, just FYI

danil · 03/04/2014, 03:33 PM

How thick is your sand bad? If it's just few inches I wouldn't worry too much. Just suck it out and replace with the one you like and do WC after. If you have really thick sand belt you might consider transfer your fish to temporary tank. When disturbed DSB could release poisonous gas and suffocate your fish.

emeraldeyes_bc · 03/04/2014, 03:54 PM

This is a photo (hopefully I do this right lol)

03/04/2014, 01:58 PM	#1
emeraldeyes_bc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 11	Sand help? Hello friends! New here and need a little help First of all, my tank at the moment is a 65g FOWLR. I'm hoping to order new LED's this week and add corals eventually. Anyway, my main question is, when I started my tank the sand I bought has black chunks in it... I really don't like the look of it and would like the "cleaner" look of all white. I just bought a 20g and will be building a sump (planning a standard 3 chamber) Sooooo can I switch the majority of the sand (possibly strain the black bits out as they are larger?) down to the sump then add new sand to the DT? Or would that not be the greatest for the sump? Is it a terrible idea to add/change sand at this point and upset the bacteria? P.S I started with a 20g about 10 months ago, and just moved to the 65 about 4 months ago so It's still pretty new. Thanks so much in advance Dawn

03/04/2014, 03:02 PM	#2
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Hmm, depending on how long you have been up for w/ this used sand you could disrupt and cause a mini cycle, or possibly more, so I would be careful of any fish if there are any in there if you do siphon/remove that sand. You might even want to place any fish in a holding tank while you do this and test for amo. As for sand down in sump, and I'm guessing you have a fuge area, I personally don't like sand near pumps down below, and I don't see a big need for it. A fuge only needs macro algae like chaeto, maybe some LR or rubble. You will have LR and sand in display where pods can collect. BTW, while I personally would at the very least remove these black chunks, even if you do all new white sand, it will not stay perfectly white, just FYI __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/04/2014, 03:33 PM	#3
danil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Concord, CA Posts: 935	How thick is your sand bad? If it's just few inches I wouldn't worry too much. Just suck it out and replace with the one you like and do WC after. If you have really thick sand belt you might consider transfer your fish to temporary tank. When disturbed DSB could release poisonous gas and suffocate your fish.

03/04/2014, 03:54 PM	#4
emeraldeyes_bc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 11	This is a photo (hopefully I do this right lol)