Adding new live sand to a barebottom tank...

[Brie]

I was just curious if adding a new bag of live sand(Carib-sea) to an already established bare bottom tank would make it cycle again? Getting kinda tired of the way it looks... There's about 15-20lbs of coraline covered established live rock in the tank already...

 

[returnofsid]

if it's good live rock, with no die off, you should be just fine. You'll have a sand storm for awhile and will probably get a diatom bloom. After that, you'll just be fine!!

If you can use a funnel with a piece of PVC pipe, you can keep the pipe just off the bottom and pour the sand through the funnel. This will help keep the sand storm to a minimum. Also, if the sand is wet, it'll be less likely to get blown around. I'd also recommend turning off your flow while adding it. Another thing to keep in mind is that you may have to adjust your flow once you have sand in your tank.

 

[Brie]

if it's good live rock, with no die off, you should be just fine. You'll have a sand storm for awhile and will probably get a diatom bloom. After that, you'll just be fine!!

If you can use a funnel with a piece of PVC pipe, you can keep the pipe just off the bottom and pour the sand through the funnel. This will help keep the sand storm to a minimum. Also, if the sand is wet, it'll be less likely to get blown around. I'd also recommend turning off your flow while adding it. Another thing to keep in mind is that you may have to adjust your flow once you have sand in your tank.

yeah, its very mature live rock, took most of it from my 54gal reef at work thats been up for 2.5 years or so. And the tank has been running for about a month now with no nitrite or nitrate...

Usually what I do is rinse/wipe down the outside of the bag, clip the corner then carefully pour the sand onto the bottom of the tank... Good idea with the pipe and funnel though, may have to try that. Sounds easier... And yeah, its wet.. its the type that comes in a bag full of water.

buh. I hate diatom algae.. I just got over the lfirst bloom from setting up the tank. dang-it...

 

[aquariumdebacle]

just do small amounts at a time the cycling should not be a major effect on the system if you only add a few handfuls at a time over a week or so.

 

[returnofsid]

With new sand, you won't get a cycle anyway as there's nothing to die off in it, nor anything dead.

 

[Brie]

With new sand, you won't get a cycle anyway as there's nothing to die off in it, nor anything dead.

I thought the point to buying the Carib-sea style bagged live sand was that it was already loaded with nitrifying bacterea?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Doesn't matter... as Sid mentioned, there's nothing creating ammonia by adding new sand - even if it isn't "live". So there's no cycle. Whether or not "live" sand is really "live"... well, that's a totally different thread!

 

[BCT182]

Save your money and buy dry sand. The "live" sand is a scam. Regardless of wether or not its "live" you already have an established tank with live rock so you need no benficial bacteria to jump start anything. Adding dry sand would really be no different than adding dry rock. As Sid had said, you might want to heavily rise the sand to minimzie the sand storm.

 

[aquariumdebacle]

"live samd" will increase you bioload. stick with dry sand unless you are setting up an emregency tank that needs to be cycled quickly (days)

 

[Brie]

Save your money and buy dry sand. The "live" sand is a scam. Regardless of wether or not its "live" you already have an established tank with live rock so you need no benficial bacteria to jump start anything. Adding dry sand would really be no different than adding dry rock. As Sid had said, you might want to heavily rise the sand to minimzie the sand storm.

Know where I can get dry black sand? I'm only buying the (massively overpriced)Caribsea from work because I wanted black sand, and haven't seen it anywhere else.

 

[DonW]

Bag sand "live sand" is full of dead material and will cause a cycle. Like everyone else stated dead dry sand is the way to go. Screening the sand will eliminate the white coud of fines.

Don

 

[warforged]

Brie head up north to Mid-Way pets they have lots of sand selection last time I was there.

I don't know if wild side on canyon carries it or not but give a call to those two shops.

Also I was reading with regular sand on threads in here...to put it in a bucket and be sure to rinse it out very well using buckets ...put the sand in and fill and poor...

 

[BCT182]

Know where I can get dry black sand? I'm only buying the (massively overpriced)Caribsea from work because I wanted black sand, and haven't seen it anywhere else.

Shoot me a PM when your free.... I may have an idea for you.

 

[Chichas01]

Know where I can get dry black sand? I'm only buying the (massively overpriced)Caribsea from work because I wanted black sand, and haven't seen it anywhere else.

You might check this out:
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/GrayCoast.html

I'm thinking of using this on my next tank.