Adding New Sand?

[megsm318]

Can someone please help me by telling me how to add new reef sand to my tank? I already have a pretty good amount of sand, but I would like it to be a little thicker. I want to put another 20 lbs. in the tank. I have fish in the tank at this time, so can I put it in with them in there? Do I have to take them out? Also, do I need to prepare the sand in any way, and what is the best way to put the sand in so it settles the quickest? Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions for me!

 

[wayway]

Yes, you can put the sand in there with the fish still in the tank. All you have to do is rinse the sand good and put the sand in one cup at a time. Just get a cup full and take it to the bottom and pour it out. Should settle in less then a day.:happyfish :happyfish

 

[salty cheese]

IMO I wouldn't rinse it, the smaller the grains, the more surface area you have to support the bacteria.
I'm not sure if this will work but you could put the sand in a tub and add some tank water to it, along with a heater and some time you should be able to seed the the sand and make it live. That way when you put it into the tank it wont cause a sand storm. Just an idea.
Otherwise do what wayway said(minus the rinsing part) and add it slowly to the tank.

 

[tyedyed1]

i just did this yesterday and the way i went about it was.....i put the whole bag (20 pounds) on the bottom, got a new razor blade( clean the blade first cause they usually have some kind of oil on them), cut the end of the bag off and slide the sand out slowly. there was a slight cloud but it was gone within an hour.:yes: i even added and rearranged my live rock and the fish are back to normal. checked all parameters earlier and everything is still good. hope this helps out