Creating DSB

[tyrfing]

Any suggestions on converting my sb to a DSB. Just got 500 lbs of Southdown (not going to use it all on this tank) and I'm ready to go! Currently I have 75 lbs of LR and around 80-90 lbs of sand.
Any suggstions for adding? Should I remove all livestock and LR to lay it down? Can I just push the current LS to the side, then cover over the SD? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[fshhub]

the only problems you may have using aragonite or southdown sand is
it is fine and powdery, so it will blow alot until it is coated and wet enough to keep it from blowing and causing fogginess
and it is also bacterialess, so adding it could cause a mini cycle(go slowly incase)
so, i would probably soak the sd for a few weeks and also add some shrimp to cure ti too, incase, and then when i did add it, i would stilll add slow, until it is up to the desired depth
HTH and good luck

 

[susiepan]

Just a suggestion for when you do finally add it...Try using a fat tube to pour the sand into the botton of the tank...it will keep the fogging down to a gentle roar, and you can more or less add it exactly where you want it that way...
~susie

 

[marine qa]

Tyrfing,
Susiepan has the right idea. Beware though that SD sand is very fine and will create long-lasting clouds. Look up old posts re changing CC to LS, they often had good ideas for adding LS in an already stocked tank.

 

[tyrfing]

fshhub, so you're saying I should cure the LS with a shrimp before adding? I never heard of that one before, wow, good thing I posted. I have 20 gallong chemical barrels that I hold my water in waiting for changes, should I use an extra one of those to cure the sand?
My problem is that a barrel doesn't have a lot of surface area, so as I'm curing it, should I be mixing it up to get the bacteria throughout the sand?
Once it's cured then I won't have to worry about whether the "current" LS is no top or layed over with the new stuff will I?
Sorry to prattle, this is seeming more complicated than I originally thought. Congratulations on Sharkdom! Nice guys do finish first!

 

[fishfood]

I'm moving my tank around may 1st. I'm changing over to a dsb from cc. Right now i have one bag of sand in an 18g rubbermaid container with a powerhead in and saltwater. I just put a piece of lr from my tank in the container also and used a mesh bag that holds carbon or whatever and put some of the cc in and placed that in the container also. I'm not sure if i'm going to do this with the other 2 bags or not. Hopefully this will get things started for me. If you have sand in your tank already just take a cup full out and place it in with the southdown.

 

[fshhub]

all i am saying is that, southdown and or aragonite is fine and powdery adn usaually remains so for a whild, often until teh sand is coated with bacteria, adn doing this may help some wiht the dust storms, it does not have to be done, but adding dry non live sand to a tank, does have the poetential to do this and also creat a mini cycle, if you add large amounts, that is all