Changing crushed coral to sand

[amandadee]

Hi, I recently (3 mo) started up my first sw tank, and not knowing much at all, followed most of my lfs' advice on the set-up. I purchased some "live sand" which doesn't look much like sand at all, but crunched up white seashells. I assume this is what most people refer to as crushed coral. This worked fine for getting the tank going, and I've got a damsel, two clowns and a flame angel that are all pretty happy. :happyfish
Now that I've seen some beautiful tank set-ups on here, I'd really like to change my substrate to a finer sand. Is this possible, or is it too late in the game? Will I mess up the biological filter if I remove the cc all at once? :notsure:
I have an empty tank I could use for holding the fish until the sand "settled." Or would it be better to add a little sand at a time right over top of the other stuff, and then come along later with a net to sift the shells out, like the kids do at the beach?

I don't want to make a big deal out of a silly thing like this, but I think it would really improve the whole look of the tank. If anyone has any ideas about how to go about it without seriously stressing the fish or compromising the water quality please reply!
Amanda

Here's a picture just to show you what I'm talking about!

 

[blemmy_guy]

Yep it would be fine to change out your cc for ls. I did after 6 months myself. heres how i did mine, first day i scooped out all the cc and let my tank settle over night, then the next day i just poured in all the ls slowly, it makes a real mess, water will be cloudy for a day or 2. and since your tank is only 3 months old it shouldnt cause any problems at all. good luck Todd

 

[amandadee]

Thanks Todd. Did you take your fish out when you did yours? I'm just afraid all that dust wouldn't be good for them to be breathing, if that's the proper term.

 

[blemmy_guy]

No I left all of them in, and i didnt loose a single fish. Some peopl say you should remove your cc slowly a little each day, but like i said i did mine in 2 days and it was older than yours was. But you definately can leave your fish, inverts and corals in there no problem. also turn off your pumps and filter for a few hours and it will help it to settle faster, just dont leave them off longer than 4 to 6 hours though. Todd

 

[jay knows]

funny thing you wrote this after two weeks I am thinking of doing the same thing....
The sand looks SO SO SO much better, and if you dont have to vacuum it, it is even more attractive to me.....
I have like 50 lbs in my 55 gal tank...
So when you add the sand, do you remove the LR from the tank or drop the sand in and move the LR around after it settles?

 

[thomas712]

What Todd (Blemmy_Guy) says is fine, but a word on turning off your filters. Your filter is what keeps most of your useful bacteria, just don't let it dry out. Keep them wet and that bacteria alive.
I for one think you will be most happy when you get that larger substrate out of there.
Thomas

 

[jay knows]

if you buy LS that is packaged in water, is it a mess as well?

 

[thomas712]

Not as much of a mess. I used dry sand to set up my 90 and it was cloudy for about 3 weeks. But I also used very fine sand.
Then I have also pre cured dry sand and it was cloudy for only a few hours.
Live sand usually won't cloud like the dry stuff and should settle in an existing tank in a few hours to a day.
Thomas

 

[amandadee]

Guys, thanks so much for your help. I'll look for live sand packaged in water and keep a close eye on my filter.

One thing someone mentioned that I hadn't thought of--you don't vacuum sand. Is this true? I would want to keep the sand as sparkly white as possible, and would prefer to leave this to the clean-up crew, but I would want to help them out if they started to get behind. It's not BAD to vacuum sand or anything, is it?
Amanda

 

[thangbom]

i just changed my cc for sand about 2 week ago.. it look really dif... but i like both looks... main reason why i changed it to sand was so i wont have to vac the cc anymore.. (suckx vicuming around rock) anyhow. i use carribean playsand (argonite.. even vinegar tested it ) anyhow.. i think my sand is too fine tho.. it covers all mt rock with like a dust layer.. i use a turky baster to clean it some but it all come back...(maybe it's super-fine sand and floating in the water then settles on the rock?) anyow.. i took my fish out.. heck there still out of my tank.. i well put them back in my tank today.. i just wanted to play safe w/my fish.. i dont wanna lose $400+ worth of fish....

 

[amandadee]

You bring up a GREAT point...what brand or general type of sand have you guys had success with? What kinds look good in your tanks and what kinds don't? Are there types that are better than others for reasons besides appearance?
Amanda

P.S. Has anyone tried the ls from this site? Pic looks nice.

 

[blemmy_guy]

yes, the sand in my 125 is all from this site, its really good sand i think. todd

 

[skrimpz]

I bought sand form a LFS the guy said it was carribean sand, i tried to vingear test on it but didnt really see or hear any fizzing, its suppose to fizz right? shouls i not use it since it didnt fizz.
( I just put a small amount of the sand in a platsic cup and the poured some vingear in the cup, was that alright?)
here's the sand

 

[thomas712]

Then it means that its not aragonite sand, therefore its not calcium carbonate sand.
It should have bubbled/dissolved.

 

[dailey76]

Did a full cc-live sand change this weekend. one thing that will help is put your fish in other tank and turn off filters wile sand is everywhere. i noticed after i changed mine that my filter was making the sand blow on the bottom and keep it stirred up. i had to place liverock where the current hits the bottom to break up the force of the filter. after that my tank was clear in maybe 4-6 hrs. just be patient. you will definitly enjoy the sand though.

 

[arkey.d]

I got rid of my undergravel filter and crushed coral. What I did was take out half of the CC then waited 2 weeks then took the fish out , pulled the rest of the CC out and added 30 lbs of Live AgraSand and after it cleared added the fish back in. Here is what the tank looks like after the work was done.

 

[amandadee]

Well, it's done! Last night, after toying with the idea of going to the beach and getting some real sand, I went out and picked up some aragonite sand from lfs because 1) wasn't sure how legal smuggling sand off the beach is; 2) not sure what creepy crawlies/cigarette butts/suntan lotion residues might be tagging along.
Anyway, I decided to go with the dry stuff which was a couple bucks cheaper, brought it home and rinsed it real well. Scooped out the cc with fish net and scooped in the sand, 2 hrs total time. Water was pretty cloudy, so I had the filters off for a bit, then turned back on before I went to bed. This morning tank was crystal clear!
Thanks to all who helped with this project! Here's the "after" pic:

 

[plumbjohn]

Hey amanda looks good. How much sand did you use and how deep is it. Or can anyone tell me how much to buy for a 135 gallon tank. I am seriosly considering doing the same thing as the look of sand is so much better. Tanks alot and fish on:happy: :happyfish

 

[plumbjohn]

P.S. What type of sand did you use?

 

[amandadee]

I grabbed 30 lbs figuring it looked about right for my 30 gal tank, and it was enough to make it about an inch and a half deep all the way around. Of course that equation may not work for everyone, depending on the dimensions of the tank, but at least it gives you an idea. The brand was CaribSea aragonite reef sand, about a buck a pound. I don't know if that's a good price or not, but it was there and I had the money so...
Here's a better pic to give you an idea of the depth.