removing sand in the sump

[dodge em]

i have about 1.5 inces of sand in my sump and a light Dust algae problem... now starting to thenk there connected.

Can I
take the macro and LR out... drain the water into the LR bucket and shovel all the sand out and clean the sump? any ill effects?

i think yes but dont want to unballance anything but as i see it its doing more harm now as i have never vacced it like the DT

tanks 1+yrs old 72 bow mixed reef 20l sump, Skimmer, gfo, carbon

 

[Speg]

Just keep running the carbon. May be a chance to stir up some ammonia as you remove/replace the sand. That's the only issue I see with this.

 

[dodge em]

i was thinking drain the sump so there is no "cloud" would there still be a spike?

when i switch sumps a while back i moved sand and started a cycle again and lost $150 worth of live stock. one of my lessons learned that and the "flood" 2nd

thanks for the quick reply

 

[Paul_N]

As long as you turn off the return pump and remove all sand and water you should have no issues. In the future you should not move sand, always use new and just keep a cup full or so of the old sand to seed the new.

 

[Speg]

It doesn't really matter which method you choose to remove the sand...you'll still end up causing stuff to unsettle in the sand.

I'm not saying that you're always get ammonia spikes...but there is certainly always that possibility.

If this is a serious concern of yours, and you don't feel like using carbon will take care of the potential issue from stirring up the sand, you can slowly remove the sand a cup or two at a time. But if you decide to replace the sand, you may end up with the ammonia spike again.

 

[Speg]

As long as you turn off the return pump and remove all sand and water you should have no issues. In the future you should not move sand, always use new and just keep a cup full or so of the old sand to seed the new.

to bump Paul's post:

Yeah, if you just shut off the return and remove all the rock/sand/water, then obviously nothing can transfer into your display.

They've done studies and 60 percent of the time, it works every time.

Good luck.

 

[dodge em]

yeah turning off the system removing live rock, macro. drain water and remove sand. wipe down and replace. But with NO sand... and i run carbon 24/7.

I just wanted to make sure that the tank was not depending on the sand for filtration like i was told back when i started which is why its there to begin with. but that advice included bio balls and no skimmer Ha

thanks again, ill do it later if no opposers

 

[Speg]

Well, now you bring up another interesting question...

Yes, sand and rock both do act as a filter. Biological bacteria grows over sand/rock and sand/rock are also huge breeding grounds for things like pods, bristleworms, etc.

Removing the sand can also effect the way your system is staying clean.... It may take a short while for your system to catch back up...

but, since you're using carbon, I would wager that this wouldn't be as big of an issue as if you weren't using carbon.

 

[Paul_N]

I just broke down my 75 in June, started with all new water and removed all sand except for a tupperware container full for my clams. I didn't lose any livestock. The live rock in your display and sump depending on how much you have should be your primary biological filtration.