Can I add more sand?

[Beeba]

This may be a dumb question but I can't seem to find a good answer and I don't want to take a chance on making the wrong choice. I currently have about 2" of sand in my tank. I debated when I started the aquarium about 15 months ago as to whether to go BB, short sand bed, or deep sand bed. Now I'm rethinking my decision. I know I don't want a BB so I'm wondering if I can add sand to my aquarium as it is set up. Should I put it in a my curing tank first and let it cycle or can I add a little at a time straight to the main tank? If I let it cycle can I use water from my water changes or should I use fresh saltwater?

 

[NaH2O]

I think allowing the sand to be colonized by bacteria before adding it is a good idea. Using water from your tank will help, so will sticking a piece of live rock in there. Add a little at a time. What I tend to be concerned with when adding more sand ontop of an established bed (depending on the amount added) is the smothering of fauna - not sure if this is a valid concern. I don't know if the fauna would be smothered and die off, or if they would be fine crawling out. How much sand do you think you'll add?

 

[Beeba]

I thought 4" total would be good so that would be an additional 2". What if I added a little at a time so that I don't smother the fauna? Maybe adding one bag every few weeks? Could I gently mix it with my hands while adding the new sand? Am I better off leaving it alone?

 

[mojoreef]

If you have a sand bed that is in the tank and is established you can add sand to it with out the new sand being live. Just make sure you give the new sand a very good wash to prevent it from clouding out the tank and hurting your exsisting corals. Then add it a 1/2 inch thick, no more thicker then that at any given time. Allow at least a month for that sand to colonize. then go again. The best way to add the sand is to use a pvc pipe (about 1 1/2 inch) put the one end where you want to have the sand and then pour the new sand from the other end. Takes a while but is the best way I know.


hope it helps


Mike

 

[MikeS]

I didn't even go that fast when adding my sandbed...I added two or three cups a week, evenly distributed over the surface of the exisiting substrate, then I gently raked the new sand into the existing to minimize smothering of critters and release some of the detritus trapped by the new layer of sand....to go from 2" to 5-6" of sand took me about six months or so...

You already have 2" of sand in there, is your goal to create a DSB?

MikeS

 

[mojoreef]

Mike you have a little spot of drule on your chin from reading the title of this thread, lol


Mike

 

[MikeS]

Mike you have a little spot of drule on your chin from reading the title of this thread, lol


Mike

And I was just about to caution him to do the research BEFORE committing to a DSB...geez.... o ye of litte faith mojo... :lol:

MikeS

 

[mojoreef]

rofl its all good Mike

 

[MikeS]

of course it is mojo....and to think, the fun I could have in this thread....the proverbial "kid in the candy store" :lol: ....your'e right however mojo...the title "can I add more sand?" drew me in fast... :lol:

MikeS

 

[Beeba]

I was going for a DSB. I've read until I'm blue in the face about BB, shallow sad bed, and DSB. I thought I had made a decision but now you have me wondering.

 

[NaH2O]

Beeba - is there anything inparticular you are now hesitant about? MikeS has a successful DSB, IMO, by keeping his bioload low. As long as you have an understanding of how the sandbed functions, then you will be good. Keep up with your maintenance. Let me ask you this...why are you making the switch from SSB to DSB? Maybe this would help you decide on whether you still want to go deep from shallow.

LOL, MikeS...I'm with mojo - I bet you couldn't type fast enough on this thread . Saying to yourself "quickly now.....I have to get this out before the croanies get in there" :lol:. (Beeba sorry about these exchanges between us...hehehe - we like to rib each other, its all in fun, and not meant to deter you in anyway).

 

[MikeS]

I was going for a DSB. I've read until I'm blue in the face about BB, shallow sad bed, and DSB. I thought I had made a decision but now you have me wondering.

DSB opinions range from "best thing to happen to the reef tank since live rock" to "a ticking time bomb that will crash your entire system"...personally, I think the reality of DSB's lies somewhere inbetween these two extremes. Getting good DSB facts can be a difficult task, especially on forums, as the "zelots" on both sides of the issue tend to myopically defend thier views to the bitter end. Case in point, go look at some of the older threads on Dr. Ron's forum at RC (back when he was still actually answering DSB realted questions in his forum... ), you'll see what I'm talking about, there are some pretty nasty debates there....good reading...

However, my friend, you have come to the right place to ask DSB questions. No true "zelots" here (except of course maybe myself), only experienced hobbyists who will give you good facts. Except of course the odd "croanie" here and there....*chough "Nikki" chough*.... :lol: sorry Nikki...Quid Pro Quo :lol:

All kidding aside Beeba...lets start at the beginning...after all your research, what made you decide to do a DSB over other substrate designs? And what do you view the pro's and con's of a DSB as?

MikeS

 

[Haole]

Grabbing a front row seat on this one.... I’ll try to stay quiet, Beeba.
But lemme just give you all my reasons for interest.... I plan on setting up a sump/refugium for my 40 gallon tank which I plan to keep it as a back reef/lagoon type set up, with a mixture of LPS and softies, including zoanthids. I only have two fish, a green chromis, and an ocellaris clownfish, and I don’t plan on adding any more fish. I’ve been contemplating the idea of adding a 3 inch sand bed to the refugium section of the sump, which would be a little less than 1 cubic foot of space. My intent is to encourage more worm and pod growth/population, especially their planktonic forms, along with possibly enhancing an area for denitrification to occur.
Am I okay with this thought?

 

[wrighty]

Im in this one for the ride - as I have both BB and SSB tanks and have never tried a DSB so am interested in the pros and cons as Im confident they will come up on this thread

Steve

 

[Jiddy]

a pro to a DSB is you can have jawfishes

 

[NaH2O]

Despite what the "Dark Lord of the Sand" aka MikeS has you believe about me.....I think a sand is fine, as long as you understand how it functions, the pros and cons, and what to expect from it. This really goes with anything in the tank. If you understand the processes and what is happening, you can get to the bottom of problems as they occur, instead of bandaid fixing them. Did I go off on a tangent there?

I thought I'd pull up some threads for you guys (don't know if you've already read through them or not):

Let's Talk About ~Filtration Concepts~. This thread discusses SSB, BB, DSB, and miracle mud

DSB Critters. This thread is a more Advanced Topic, but I think it will help when discussing the importance of sandbed fauna.