adding more sand

[vsecret]

I have had my tank running for a over a year now. When i first started I stupidly suctioned out a lot of sand (I was used to cleaning a fresh water tank where you suction the rocks and such) and it has been a while now since i have done that, i have learned!, and I was wondering how I can go about adding more sand to my tank.
Can i just buy live sand and add it or will it cause a cycle? Or can i get "dead" sand?

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by vsecret
http:///forum/post/3242356
I have had my tank running for a over a year now. When i first started I stupidly suctioned out a lot of sand (I was used to cleaning a fresh water tank where you suction the rocks and such) and it has been a while now since i have done that, i have learned!, and I was wondering how I can go about adding more sand to my tank.
Can i just buy live sand and add it or will it cause a cycle? Or can i get "dead" sand?

I think the old and new have to be mixed together, but if you haven’t had the old sand bed stirred regularly with a critter like a sand sifting goby..Stirring the old sand bed up could cause some real problems.
So that could be the only thing to be concerned about. Like I said, I don't think you can just cover the existing sand bed with new sand live or not.

 

[mrdc]

You can add live sand but the bigger issue is how to add it in the best way as to not make a total mess. I took a pvc pipe and taped a cut off milk carton to the one end of the pipe. I stick the pipe in and add sand to the milk carton. I then slowly raise the pipe to allow the sand to come out. I still get some cloudiness but nothing that won’t go away in an hour or so. Here is what my contraption looks like.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3242363
You can add live sand but the bigger issue is how to add it in the best way as to not make a total mess. I took a pvc pipe and taped a cut off milk carton to the one end of the pipe. I stick the pipe in and add sand to the milk carton. I then slowly raise the pipe to allow the sand to come out. I still get some cloudiness but nothing that won’t go away in an hour or so. Here is what my contraption looks like.

Did you mix the two at all, or just add to the existing sand bed undisturbed? I mixed mine, but I had a and sifter goby keeping it stirred up all that time.

 

[mrdc]

I try to mix it somewhat when I am adding the new sand. I have some sand sifters but probably not as many as I should. Lately I have been sucking out sand on purpose since I am getting ready to add some new sand. I know my mixing is probably not the greatest but I hope it’s better than nothing.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by mrdc
http:///forum/post/3242368
I try to mix it somewhat when I am adding the new sand. I have some sand sifters but probably not as many as I should. Lately I have been sucking out sand on purpose since I am getting ready to add some new sand. I know my mixing is probably not the greatest but I hope it’s better than nothing.

I keep thinking about Lil Guppy, she stirred her sand up and Oh my, what a mess. Poor thing had grief for weeks and weeks, her tank looked awful.
A sand bed that has been undisturbed should not be messed with. Any kind of sand sifter is better than none.

 

[luvmyreef]

I was advised to only add new sand to one part/portion of the tank at a time over a period of days to a week, to not have "problems".

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by luvmyreef
http:///forum/post/3242383
I was advised to only add new sand to one part/portion of the tank at a time over a period of days to a week, to not have "problems".

Have you done that? Did you mix them at all in the section you added sand? Or do you think it is Okay to not bother to mix them?

 

[luvmyreef]

Yep, I added some new sand about 5 months ago. I just put it on top in the back section and stirred it a little. But with the flow in my tank, i dont think i really needed to. and I am talking about live sand, not the dry stuff.

 

[aquaman]

I started reading this post about 30 min ago, and decided to add 30 lbs of dry sand to my tank before I added anything else. I am glad I did, I was on the fence about it, but later I probably would have regretted not adding it. BTW I used the device mrdc showed, and it did a good job keeping the cloudiness down.

 

[vsecret]

wow! Thanks everyone for all the posts! So if I am getting this right, I can add the live sand slowly on top over a period of time on to my old stuff? I have a pink & blue watchman goby (which I think is supposed to sift sand - however I have only seen him on the bottom staring at me). SO after adding, small portions at a time, I can LIGHTLY mix the two together...slowly?