Live Sand Question

[scsaltywater]

Hello,
I was wondering how do you add sand to a tank that already has about 125lbs of live rock along with fish, crabs, snails, reefs, etc..? My tank is 90 gallons, and full of live rock.
How do I add more live sand to it? Do I just pour it in (including on the live rock, snails, crabs, etc...)?
Please help. Thanks. :help: :help:

 

[tropills]

just go real slow and try to keep it toward the front of the tank. don't really need it behind your live rock that will just create another place for detris(waste) to get hung up.
Greg

 

[scsaltywater]

thanks...any other suggestions out there on how to put live sand in a tank with lots of live rock already in there?
What's a good kind of live sand to get? Marshall islands? Fugi Islands? Some other type of live sand????

 

[scsaltywater]

any other thoughts on this??? I don't want this one to get lost in all the threads. It would really help me out a lot. Thanks in advance for you assistance. Kim

 

[f14peter]

I haven't done this yet so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness, but once I heard of it I decided to make it my plan-of-action since I'm curing LR in my tank and haven't added sand yet . . . get a PVC pipe maybe one-inch or so inside diameter long enough to reach the bottom of your tank with some sticking out of the water and a funnel (You know where this is going, don't ya!), and then pour the sand down the pipe. The pipe should allow you to place the sand very selectively, as well as keep sand flying about to a minimum.
Maybe get another smaller PVC pipe to get into those little nook-and-crannies.

 

[scsaltywater]

Originally Posted by f14peter
I haven't done this yet so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness, but once I heard of it I decided to make it my plan-of-action since I'm curing LR in my tank and haven't added sand yet . . . get a PVC pipe maybe one-inch or so inside diameter long enough to reach the bottom of your tank with some sticking out of the water and a funnel (You know where this is going, don't ya!), and then pour the sand down the pipe. The pipe should allow you to place the sand very selectively, as well as keep sand flying about to a minimum.
Maybe get another smaller PVC pipe to get into those little nook-and-crannies.
Thanks for your post. Anybody with experience at this? Also what kind of live sand?

 

[bsd230]

Originally Posted by f14peter
I haven't done this yet so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness, but once I heard of it I decided to make it my plan-of-action since I'm curing LR in my tank and haven't added sand yet . . . get a PVC pipe maybe one-inch or so inside diameter long enough to reach the bottom of your tank with some sticking out of the water and a funnel (You know where this is going, don't ya!), and then pour the sand down the pipe. The pipe should allow you to place the sand very selectively, as well as keep sand flying about to a minimum.
Maybe get another smaller PVC pipe to get into those little nook-and-crannies.
This is probably the best solution but you can also just open the bag and submerse it to the bottom and pour it out keeping it as close to the bottom as possible. Make sure you turn off your pumps to reduce current stirring it up.

 

[gary1328]

Put some sand in small plastic bags and reach down to the bottom of your tank and slowly release.

 

[michaeltx]

but once I heard of it I decided to make it my plan-of-action since I'm curing LR in my tank and haven't added sand yet . . . get a PVC pipe maybe one-inch or so inside diameter long enough to reach the bottom of your tank with some sticking out of the water and a funnel (You know where this is going, don't ya!), and then pour the sand down the pipe. The pipe should allow you to place the sand very selectively, as well as keep sand flying about to a minimum.
absolutely the best way to go to add sand to a established tank.
also as far as brand of Live sand it really doesnt matter which ever you can get. If you already have sand in the tank its all alive so you can add a thin layer at a time so you dont kill all the fauna in the tank as you add sand it will migrate up makeing the dead sand alive.
Mike

 

[f14peter]

Originally Posted by f14peter
I haven't done this yet so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness, but once I heard of it I decided to make it my plan-of-action since I'm curing LR in my tank and haven't added sand yet . . . get a PVC pipe maybe one-inch or so inside diameter long enough to reach the bottom of your tank with some sticking out of the water and a funnel (You know where this is going, don't ya!), and then pour the sand down the pipe. The pipe should allow you to place the sand very selectively, as well as keep sand flying about to a minimum.
Maybe get another smaller PVC pipe to get into those little nook-and-crannies.
Is this wierd, quoting myself?
Anyway, I just added some sand last night and used a modified version of the technique and was happy with how it worked out. I ended up using a shorter tube that was entirely submerged, scooped up some sand in a medium sized plastic cup, slowly let the cup down in the tank until it filled with water, then gently poured the sand into the end of the tube. The sand poured rather easily from the cup down into the tube, the sand was well rinsed so there wasn't much (hardly any at all) cloudiness, and I was able to get the sand into some pretty tight spots.
BTW, since your hands and your forearms will be in the tank, please scrub up good beforehand.

 

[chipmaker]

YOu can use a piece opf PVC pipe, that is long enough to reach bottom of tank and pour sand into the pipe and manuver pipe to distribute sand where you want it. Or use plastic bags with a corner cut off, sort of like those bags used for cake decorating, and submerge bag to bottom and allow sand to flow out of cut corner of bag. Turn off all your power heads and pumps and skimmer while adding sand, and allow the sand to settle out of the water column if any got stirred up, which more than likely it will get some in suspension in the water. Once its settled out, use a turkey baster to dust off rocks etc, allow that to settle for a bit then turn on fitlers and power heads etc.