Adding Sand to an established tank?

J

Joncelone

Membership Expired
I've had my tank established now for a while and I wanted to get a scooter, but my live sand has a mixture of crushed shells in it. I tried taking a plastic cooking spoon with hole to remove only the shells but after 30 minutes I made a mess and didn't make a dent in the shells.

Is it feasible to add a nice layer of sand to cover the shells so my scooter doesn't get hurt?? If so, how can I do it without making a mess in my cube??
 
A few thoughts.. you can use a pvc pipe as a long funnel to place sand on top of the CC without making too much of a mess. You don't want to add a lot of sand at one, no more than 1/2" at a time.
 
You can get pre-washed sand on ebay for a reasonable price. This is really nice sand too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/25LB-WHITE-NATURAL-MARINE-NON-LIVE-SAND-1-ON-EBAY_W0QQitemZ250277707230QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3212QQcmdZViewItem
 
I agree with the pre-washed sand on ebay. I added some a couple of months ago and it didn't cloud or cause much of a spike in my tank.
 
I like the pipe idea, I just might try that. Thanks guys, I'll check ebay for some prewashed.


If I get too lazy to eBay order, what is the best way to wash store bought sand from the bag?
 
Somewhere I heard or read to freeze the sand in a container and then put it upside on the bottom of the tank. As it thaws, it will come out of the container and then you can spread it around where you need it.
Haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to over Christmas break.
 
I've done that, too. Take a small tupperware container, fill with sand, then fill with RO/DI.. freeze, then pop out like an ice cube and drop in the tank where you want the sand.
 
Make sure you use the good sand that doesnt need cleaning before using. Caribsea live sand is good. Put the sand in a large plastic ziplock bag. Take it to the bottom of the tank and gently move the sand out while in the bottom.
 
@Ashlar wrote:
A few thoughts.. you can use a pvc pipe as a long funnel to place sand on top of the CC without making too much of a mess. You don't want to add a lot of sand at one said:
This is a great option. I added sand to my tank this way. Very easy and no mess.
Click to expand...
 
there's many different methods to putting in sand i myself use the ziplock method but i turn my pumps of before starting that way it doesn't blow it all over your tank thats what happend the first time i tried adding sand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top