hello friends. I also have a sand substrate question that hadn't been asked in this thread or the one entitled "sand or gravel". I went and bought a heater, filter, thermometer and a few statues for my 46g bowfront last night and filled her up. I purchased red gravel which actually looks hideous - I don't know what I was thinking... anyhow I put 10 cap-fulls of cycle in the tank, along with de-chlorinator and aquarium salt. I was told to add a few cheap fish tonight and let them start #2ing in there to get the cycle going for a few weeksnow my concerns. i'd like to replace that red gravel with pool sand. since i'm still establishing my cycle, would scooping the gravel out (without removing any water) screw my chemistry up? also after thorouhly rinsing the sand, what would be the easiest way to put it in a tank already filled with water? lastly, my new filter is an aquaclear 70... is this ok for sand substrate? thanks so much to any and all who lend a hand on this matter.
Sand substrate question
- Thread starter katuuuz
- Start date
First off...if this is not going to be a brackish tank....lose the salt. You can pull the gravel out and it won't bother anything especially since you just set it up and hasn't had time to develop any bb as yet.
As for adding sand to an already filled tank....I simply used a large glass and slowly lowered it into the water letting the glass slowly fill up. Then lower the glass to the bottom and slowly pour it out. Had no issues with it at all. I did it this way since there were occupants already in the tank. Worked nicely and didn't have to remove fish or turn off filters.
Your filter will be fine. However, if you just dump the sand in the tank (without fish on this method), turn your filter off to let the dust clear. It's also best to run poly-fil material for a spell. It helps trap the particles better.
Can't comment on the length of service of the sand but I would have to wager a bet that with proper maintenance, the only time you would have to change it is if you get tired of it.
As for adding sand to an already filled tank....I simply used a large glass and slowly lowered it into the water letting the glass slowly fill up. Then lower the glass to the bottom and slowly pour it out. Had no issues with it at all. I did it this way since there were occupants already in the tank. Worked nicely and didn't have to remove fish or turn off filters.
Your filter will be fine. However, if you just dump the sand in the tank (without fish on this method), turn your filter off to let the dust clear. It's also best to run poly-fil material for a spell. It helps trap the particles better.
Can't comment on the length of service of the sand but I would have to wager a bet that with proper maintenance, the only time you would have to change it is if you get tired of it.
thank you so much james, the info gave me a real grasp on what I am to do tonight. if you could just elaborate on what you mean by the quotet text. is that a media insert for my aquaclear filter? use it instead of the media I currently have in my filter? also if you can tell me how long a spell is... sorry just new to sandy substrate.
Hey Katuuz. Have you read about fishless cycling? That way no fish get hurt.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81388
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81388
JEEEEEZE. it's 11:50 eastern time and i just got finished with a tank disaster. so i wanted to be cool, even though i'm a noob and switch out my gravel for pool sand... i poked a series of hole in the bottom of a plastic cup, and the arduous scooping of gravel began. time passed on, and i came up on the last of that nasty red gravel, and i was overwhelmed with joy... in a few moments my 46 gallon bowfront would be nice and purty with pool filter sand as my substrate. i was DEAD wrong. being the loser that i am, i just went ahead and dumped 50 lbs of this sand into my already filled tank and within 30 seconds my filter had ceased. dead. i unmounted the aquaclear 70 and disassembled it to reveal the fan. i wiggled that out and try as i may, was unable to free the clumps of grainy sand from it's chamber. (either that, or the sand totally ate up the walls). now i have 25 minutes to make it across town to report to Ed, my LPS owner and get laughed at as i purchas a new filter and 50 lbs of tan stone substrate. upon returning home, i was faced with yet another grueling task. syphoning all 46 gallons of water out my front door and into the pouring rain. after that is finally finshed, i go ahead and dump what sand i could all over my lawn, then rinse the tank clean with my python.... in the pouring rain. hoping the sand doesn't stay all clumped up on my grass, i walk inside, wipe the excess residue from the inside of my tank and prop it back up on its stand. the new substrate i purchased is RINSED and evenly spread along the bottom of my bowfront. i put a dinner plate in the center, and begin the long process of refilling this glass nightmare. upon topping off the tank, i assemble my new filter, fill her with water, and plug her in... ahhh the surreal sound of water trickling fills my angered soul with satisfaction... i diagnose the water with dechlorinater, and cycle... respective amounts of course... installed my heater and dropped my sinking thermometer in the back corner... i'm finally done, but after all this, i'm right back where i was last night. on a lighter note, i'm much happier with the tan rocks rathe than those vibrant reds. i'm sure a bunch of people are going to tell me how to do sand the right way, but at this point, i don't give a s**t. i had to learn this the hard way, and i'm sorry this is so long, but it was a nice venting excersise so hopefully i can be re-enthused to proceed tomrrow. until then, i wish you all a good night.
Im sorry to hear you had to do all that but Im glad you like the new look.Sometimes its better to learn from experience than just to have someone tell you. But if someone else happens to read this and wants sand heres some steps: If you ever add sand again once you take all of the old gravel out turn the filters off (saves alot of money) and use cups of sand instead of pouring it in. Let all the sand settle for about 10-20 minutes and turn the filters back on....that way the bigger particles of sand reach the bottom not the filter.
Lets see some pics of the tank katuuz
Lets see some pics of the tank katuuz
The filter is not dead, most likely. It just has sand in the impeller. Clean the filter out very thoroughly and it will most likely work again.
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.
Next time you have a repost, just click the ! with the little red triangle around it to report it
.The filter is not dead, most likely. It just has sand in the impeller. Clean the filter out very thoroughly and it will most likely work again.
Next time you have a repost, just click the ! with the little red triangle around it to report it
thank you for the information. now if i put the dechlorinater and cycle in my tank around 11:00 pm last night, would it be safe to get a few hearty fish to start my cycle tonight after work? (around 5:30 p.m.) if you're unsure, what should my test kit readings be when it's time to add a couple starter fish?