[DJ88]

Dan,

Putting sugar sand into a system and waiting for it to clear up is not a long wait as it has been shown here. With proper circulation your tank will clear within a few days.

Little tricks can be done to speed up this process. By taking a powerhead and putting a piece of tubing on the end of it, then submerging the other end in the sand bed you will clear your tank very quickly. The sand bed acts as a large filter and traps the minute particles suspended in the water within itself. As well the circulation of your system with a skimmer running will clear it up. Other tricks are putting hagen powerheads with quick filters on help speed the process up. My 90 was done only with those and took the longest at a couple of days.

Steve,

Don't take this the wrong way but..

Sand in a glass with no circulation, no salt or bacteria to speed up the process of the sand bonding together is not the same as an actual functioning tank. I have switched four tanks from Crushed Coral to a DSB and none lasted for more than a couple of days. Once I found out about the powerhead trick by the next day the water was clear enough to see everything in the tank with only the very fine sand particles still suspended in the tank. Those particles then settled quite quickly.

Could you please mention this when telling others of what you are doing. Just so those lurking don't get the impresion that their tanks will never clear up if they use the oolitic sand. Mis information will just serve to confuse others. we are here to help get rid of the confusion. Not make more.

There are pros and cons for each type of "sand". I understand the desire to save a few dollars here and there but IMO & IME this is a hobby where if you don't spend the money and do it right the first time you will most likely end up redoing it.

[ 09 January 2002: Message edited by: DJ88 ]