best way to change sand type? Suggestions?

[Sk8r]

I'm not real happy with my combo of superfine sand and very high velocity flow: my sand travels, continually, making dunes and then dumping specimens as it erodes from under them. Detritus in my sandbed? It doesn't: it can't: the sandbed is in constant motion, ergo not as efficient as it needs to be.

So...I'd like to change to coarse sand, [54g wedge] at least in the display. I have another 4" functioning sandbed and live rock in a 20g refugium which will be partially supporting the tank during the transition...but here's the hard part: this is a 6 month old living tank [light bioload: all nanofish], and I don't want to provoke a cycle. I'm onto the concept of replacing it by sections...I have burrowing fish, so I don't want to go barebottom. Besides, I like the look of sand, when it stays put.

But does anybody have some super-clever techniques for getting the old sand out and the new in with minimal disruption to the reef? I have 50 lbs of fine sand in there, so it would be 2 bags worth outbound and inbound...

Suggestions are welcome. Experience is golden.

[mg426]

Mabe a shop vacc to get it out, (Never tried this) but I have heard of it being done. To get it in a piece of 4 inch PVC pipe used as a chute works pretty darn good. (I have tried this ). Its about the best way I ever used . HTH

[Mappelbaum37]

Im going from crushed coral to fine sand pretty soon and an idea that was told to me was to put most if not all rocks on one side of the tank and gradually empty one side of sand in the tank. wait a couple weeks and then put the rocks on the bare bottom side and scoop out the sand on the other side. then add sand on one side and to the other. I was told that this gradual change is the best way to go without a cycle.

[demonsp]

I would remove LR and stock first. Dont use all LS as this could cause tank to recycle. Just use spoonfull from your current SB. But IMO useing a flow control knob or duckbill to redirect flow sounds like the better choice.
Any sandsifting stock that feed from the SB may starve while new substrate seeds.

[tboneman]

I have about an inch of sand covering the bottom my 90 gal. Once a year I usually change the sand out in two stages, along with a water change. I use a length of 3/4 inch vinyl tubing and four, 5 gal empty salt buckets. I stick the end of the tube directly into the sand and move it back and forth, vaccuming all the sand I can get into the four buckets. The buckets will usually fill with about half sand and half water. This usually is enough to get at least half or more of the old sand out. I then put the new sand in and add newly mixed salt water back in. I then wait until the next week and do the same to the other side of the tank. With the 50 lbs of sand you are going to replace you should be able to do this in about two water changes. By siphoning everything this way, any detritus gets sucked out with the sand. Good luck!

[tboneman]

I just realized that I neglected to say the my live rock is sitting on top of pieces of eggcrate material so I don't have to worry about sand that might be under any live rock. Also I don't have enough sand in there for it to function as a deep sand bed. It's only for decoration. I have not had problems with my particlular tank cycling when I have done this.

[USC-fan]

I had this same problem when i bump up my flow from around 30x to over 70x. What i ended up doing getting a bag of small shells from the LFS and putting them over the places where the sand was blowing around. Also my jawfish loves moving around all the shells...lol.

[ryan_paskadi]

I would leave it or just remove some of the top of the sand.......If all you want to do is keep the fine sand from blowing around then cover the top of it with a courser substrate. There is no reason why the bottom of your sand bed cant be fine sand.

[ihopss]

That is about 2"sand if that ? with another sandbed in the sump and good liverock, light bio Iwould not worry(dry clean sand)

[Zestay]

heres a good idea... turn your 54 corner tank into a low flow tank and start a new tank for your high flow stuff =)

[Anemone]

Originally posted by ryan_paskadi
I would leave it or just remove some of the top of the sand.......If all you want to do is keep the fine sand from blowing around then cover the top of it with a courser substrate. There is no reason why the bottom of your sand bed cant be fine sand.

This would be my solution.

Kevin

[mr pink floyd]

i know of people who just dump bags of sand into their reef, with no ill effects, but i would recommend being a little more graceful. if you can wait a few weeks toa month... Why not get the sand you want to put into the reef(rinse it out well to get all the dust out), and put it in a bucket/tub with some tank water. Put in a bit of LR and some sand from the tank now, throw in a pump and let the bacteria start to colonize the sand. This will help keep the sandstorm to a minimum. mix up PLENTY of new salt water, maybe 20% of your volume? Siphon your current sand bed out, drain some water out of the display, put in the sand(quickly) and fill'er back up! The bacteria on the new sand will help it settle, and hopefully reduce the chances of a cycle, or an algae outbreak.

i did similar to this, except i drained my tank and moved it to its new stand, while switching from CC to sand, and it helped alot!

good luck

[Sk8r]

I so much appreciate all the suggestions. I also have an eggcrate base, which means it won't be a total strip down, but a combo of these suggestions seems like a really good way to go.

I knew the collective wisdom of RC was going to show up!

[ambrose]

I'd do that