big switch on cc to sand please help!!!

[thai]

I am planning to change my establish fowlr tank to sand. Currently now i have cc a friend of mind has sand fowlr that is been running for years in his salt water tank he is willing to give me his sand bed and fish, he is getting out of the hobby. My question is how do i transfer the existing sand in to my tank by not hurting the fish or the balance. Do i stir the sand up and clean it like you would have brought new sand with the existing salt water in it or should i drain the tank down then scoop in big pieces and transfer in my tank. Please help me.... My plan was empty my rock and fish into a vac that hold about a 150 gallon than do the switch out then slowly introduce my water fish and rock back in my tank. Can somebody tell me if there is a better way of doing this... thanks

 

[naclh2o nut]

Check the answers for this post in new hobby.

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyist, there are 2 options. Either remove everything from your aquarium ex. water,fish,lr etc. ,then place the sand from your friends aquarium into your existing aquarium, then replace the water,lr,fish etc. or just siphon the water from your friends tank,remove the sand with a clean dust pan,place it into a plastic bag,lower your aquarium water ( by adding sand to your tank, your water will rise and overflow your aquarium ) then place the bag into the aquarium on top of the cc and spread it slowly. There is no easy way of doing this,it will take time. I had the same problem,and I chose to just place the sand over the cc,and my wrasses still enjoy themselves.

 

[eric b 125]

i respectfully and adamently disagree with the father. mixing up a sand bed that has been in an established tank will release a lot of things into the water including detritus, nitrites, and nitrates. when i upgraded tanks i moved my existing sandbed and this is how i went about it:
i moved all my fish and LR into a QT, then i moved all the sand into the new tank and added a few extra bags of the same type/brand (after rinsing). then i mixed the two sands together in the new tank, to purposefully release any detritus, etc. i added a few powerheads and a power filter w/ carbon to the dt to help clear up the sand storm. once the sand storm died down, i tested my water and did water changes until my parameters were ideal, and that's when the LR and fish went into the tank. it took a few days, i think 4, and some large water changes, but the fish handled the transition wonderfully.

 

[thai]

Originally Posted by Eric B 125
http:///forum/post/2988183
i respectfully and adamently disagree with the father. mixing up a sand bed that has been in an established tank will release a lot of things into the water including detritus, nitrites, and nitrates. when i upgraded tanks i moved my existing sandbed and this is how i went about it:
i moved all my fish and LR into a QT, then i moved all the sand into the new tank and added a few extra bags of the same type/brand (after rinsing). then i mixed the two sands together in the new tank, to purposefully release any detritus, etc. i added a few powerheads and a power filter w/ carbon to the dt to help clear up the sand storm. once the sand storm died down, i tested my water and did water changes until my parameters were ideal, and that's when the LR and fish went into the tank. it took a few days, i think 4, and some large water changes, but the fish handled the transition wonderfully.
so did you mix the sand together with the existing water that was in your old tank or did you start with new salt water?