Adding Live Sand to Established tank.

hummer · #1 08-13-2009, 01:52 PM

I've had a barebottom tank for a while now and was thinking about adding a shallow sand bed (approx. 1"-1.5"). I bought a bag of Aragamax Select Sand. Any suggestions on the best way to add the sand and keep all the inhabitants happy?
I have a 90g w/ 33g sump. approx 90lbs LR, hammer coral, bubble coral, sps, zoas.
1. Turn off pumps and powerheads.
2. Rinse sand?? (fresh/salt water?) <- LFS says I could rinse it first but I'm not sure if that will ruin the sand.
3. Slowly scoop sand in.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Leah · #2 08-13-2009, 02:12 PM

I have added lots of sand just turn off your power heads maybe move them out.
Then I just cut a small corner cut in the bag, and slowly pour the sand where you want it. I have never rinsed live sand. Then when the dust settles use a turkey baster to get the sand off corals and the rock. Will be cloudy for a while.

hummer · #3 08-13-2009, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leah

I have added lots of sand just turn off your power heads maybe move them out.
Then I just cut a small corner cut in the bag, and slowly pour the sand where you want it. I have never rinsed live sand. Then when the dust settles use a turkey baster to get the sand off corals and the rock. Will be cloudy for a while.

Did your fish handle the dust ok?

Leah · #4 08-13-2009, 03:14 PM

Drock169 · #5 08-13-2009, 03:59 PM

I also run a canister filter full of filter floss to speed things up, its the only reason i still have my XP filter.

kien · #6 08-13-2009, 04:18 PM

On my new tank I ran bare bottom for all of two hours before I decided I didn't like the look and decided to add sand. This was after everyone was already in the new tank. I like to rinse sand thoroughly before adding it. Even a bag of live sand can have some die off and bad chems trapped in it. It won't take long for the sand to become "live" from being near the live rock and from the fish pooping on it all day long :-)

I did not have very much clouding when I added my sand. After I rinsed it in a bucket, I scoopped it up with a large mixing cup and slowly lowered the cup to the bottom of the tank and dumped the sand. Oh, and if you do decide to rinse your sand, just rinse a few cups at a time. Don't try to rinse the whole bag at once, that's just a huge pain! The shorter the distance the sand has to travel to settle the less clouding you will get. It can be a slow and painful process but if you take the time, you can do it with virtually no clouding. If you do end up getting clouding, a filter like floss or filter sock will clean it up pretty quick.

hummer · #7 08-13-2009, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

I like to rinse sand thoroughly before adding it. Even a bag of live sand can have some die off and bad chems trapped in it.

What type of water did you rinse the sand with?

Ron99 · #8 08-13-2009, 05:00 PM

When I did mine I washed several times with tap water and then two rinses with RO/DI.

kien · #9 08-13-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron99

When I did mine I washed several times with tap water and then two rinses with RO/DI.

That's what I did :-) Actually, I did a quick rinse cycle with tap water (entire bag of sand in a large tub. Just took it outside and sprayed it with a garden hose. Then rinsed a few cups at a time in a bucket with RO/DI water to finish it off before putting it in the tank 4 cups at a time. Might have been overkill rising it with RO/DI though, as there wasn't a lot of rinse water going back into the tank. Just mostly sand.

naesco · #10 08-13-2009, 08:41 PM

If you like the look I would recommend you add another inch so that the look will also function as well.
Some one near you may give you a scoop or two (that is all you need) of their sand provided they do not have a pest problem.
The fauna that live in live rock are not the same as the fauna that live in the sand.