tk3445 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I have a nano reef tank i upgraded from 12 cube - 20l and put one bag of sand in after about 4-5 months it has been up in running i wish i had added 1.5-2 bags of sand. Is it a bad Idea to add more sand? Is there an easy/good way to do it as not to cause a sand storm? Will it cause a cycle? I have a fair amount of LPS and am not looking to make it angry. Thanks anyone and everyone. Tom Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Sand should not cause a cycle as it does not introduce excess biological material. You should wash the sand to get out most of the fine powder/dust, and then use a container to carefully lower it into the tank w/o splashing it. There might be a bit of cloudiness for a day or two, similar to after you mix up the sand bed. Should not be an issue in a healthy tank Link to comment
tk3445 Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Thanks for the quick reply! I was wondering if i should rinse it or not thanks for including that. the initial bag of arag alive special grade reef sand said not to rinse. Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Oh it is live sand? If so then follow the directions. I thought you were adding dry sand Link to comment
BulkRate Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I'd rinse it a few times in used tank water to remove as much of the fines as possible, but you should be able to add it without issue. Even if it was dry/dead, it'll become live soon enough. One neat tip I saw a while back was to put the new sand in a panythose or plastic bag, sink it to the bottom of the tank with the pumps off, then slit the bag to release & spread the sand - avoids a lot of the dust storm you'd get if you try to lower it in by the scoop. Link to comment
Hig789 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I'd rinse it a few times in used tank water to remove as much of the fines as possible, but you should be able to add it without issue. Even if it was dry/dead, it'll become live soon enough. One neat tip I saw a while back was to put the new sand in a panythose or plastic bag, sink it to the bottom of the tank with the pumps off, then slit the bag to release & spread the sand - avoids a lot of the dust storm you'd get if you try to lower it in by the scoop. That is a very good idea. Shouldn't be much dust or anything if you rinse it first. I'd rinse it even if you are using "live" sand, more than likey any bacteria in there is pretty well dead anyways a d I wouldn't want to risk a spike in nutrients. And like everyone said it will be come live soon enough to. Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 That's a great idea about the panty hose. The other idea that I've seen is using a long tube that reaches down to the sand bed. You simply pour the sand down the tube and the new sand should simply sink down to the bottom to wherever you want to add it. Link to comment
righttirefire Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I've added a little sand over weeks to my tank. I use a 2.5gallon bucket to rinse a couple pounds of sand. And a little plastic garden shovel to scoop and transfer. I drop in an open area and drag to where I want Link to comment
AZDesertRat Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I use a length of 1.5" PVC pipe with a large funnel trimmed and taped to the top. If it is live sand and I am going for a functioning deep sand bed I don't rinse the sand, if it is decorative sand then rinse if it makes you happy. By using the pipe and swlowly pouring it in you can target the areas you want sand and minimize any cloudiness. Link to comment
Exodus Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Take a big handful of the sand you want to add, turn your MP40 on Full speed and drop it directly on top of the wet side of the powerhead, repeat till you have introduced all sand, and there you have a natural evenly distributed sand bed addition! Link to comment
VW_TDI_02 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Take a big handful of the sand you want to add, turn your MP40 on Full speed and drop it directly on top of the wet side of the powerhead, repeat till you have introduced all sand, and there you have a natural evenly distributed sand bed addition! Sounds like a good way to get sand all over your rock work and corals. Link to comment
Exodus Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 There is always that one guy who is immune to Sarcasm and takes everything so seriously. I was gonna mention while doing it you should set the mood by cranking up Yello's "Oh Yeah" Link to comment
Murphs_Reef Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I use a length of 1.5" PVC pipe with a large funnel trimmed and taped to the top. If it is live sand and I am going for a functioning deep sand bed I don't rinse the sand, if it is decorative sand then rinse if it makes you happy. By using the pipe and swlowly pouring it in you can target the areas you want sand and minimize any cloudiness. +1 Link to comment
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