Sand change out suggestions/advise

[Curtie44]

I think it is time to replace the sand in my tank. I've had the same stuff since I started the tank back in Sept of '07. I'm planning on just siphoning out as much as I can while trying not to disturb the scape. I have a couple of questions since this is the first time doing this in an established reef. First off, I plan on using Carib Sea Ocean Direct Fine oolite.

So my questions are, should I rinse the sand before I put it in the tank? If so, rinse in salt water or RO? Can I change it all out at once or should I do it in sections a week or so apart? What kind of things should I be on the watch for afterwards?

Thanks for the input.

 

[melev]

How do you hope to siphon out the sandbed and not make your rockwork shift? If you have an areas that are blackened, unveiling that in an active reef is dangerous since it is toxic. That anoxic zone was oxygen free.

Caribsea sand is rinsed prior to packaging, so you should be able to add it directly to the tank. If you wanted to rinse it more, you can use tap water but I don't think you need to do that.

Save a few cups of sand from the old bed (off the top 1/2" layer) to seed the new sandbed.

 

[CJO]

Is this a DSB or regular sand bed? You might want to siphon off small areas at a time so that your tank can compensate for any of the anaerobic areas that Marc mentioned. Also, why do you think you need to replace your sand, just because it's been there for a while? Do you clean your sand ever?

CJ

 

[Electrobes]

I wouldn't feel comfortable siphoning just parts of the sand bed. Honestly I would yank everyone out of the tank, remove the entire sand bed, then put everything back in. I would be too worried about rocks shifting and the funk form the sand suprise shocking the tank.

 

[melev]

I agree with Christian.

And btw, I spoke to someone else today that used that exact same sand and he complained to me how he didn't rinse it out and how he ended up with a frothy mess. So... you might consider using something cleaner like Tropic Eden sand. It's very clean, and when I've used it in an existing reef, the water was clear in 45 minutes.

Reef Addicts - How to add sand to an existing reef tank

 

[Electrobes]

Awesome write up! I love your how-to's because you always include so many pictures, they're nice and clear.

What're you going to decide Curtie?

 

[Paul_N]

I would just use all new sand with some from the old batch to seed the new. If you must use the old due to cost, I would rinse it

I do have a question though, why is it time to change out the sand? When I broke my 75 gallon down, my dsb was 6 years old. I pitched it and just kept some in my temp setup in containers for clams and wrasse. When I set the 220 up I will use all new sand and seed with what I have in the containers. But down the road when needed I will just add more to the 220 and not switch the sand out. I'm just trying to figure out why you are changing it out if you are keeping a sandbed? Do you just want to try different sand?

 

[Curtie44]

Thanks for all the input guys. The reason I want to pitch the old sand is because over the years most of the fine sand has either been siphoned away or settled to the bottom. What is on top is bits and pieces of shells or rock. Instead of having a nice white sand bed I have an ugly purple and red one. I've tried to rake all the small shells and rocks up but they just seem to reappear. This is what my sand bed looks like now:

Not very appealing, eh? When I originally did the aquascape, I made sure the base rock was sitting on the bottom glass, then filled the sand in around it. Hopefully this will keep the scape from becoming unstable while I remove the old stuff. I know I won't be able to get it all, I'm mainly concerned with getting the front and sides. There is no way I'm pulling everything out...I did that once, it turned into a several day affair.

At one time the bed was somewhere around 2 to 2-1/2" deep but now I would have to say it is closer to 1" in the front.

 

[melev]

With rock on the glass and 1" deep, I'd kill all the pumps, siphon out an area and refill that side with new sand, then continue working across. That way you lessen the risk of the rockwork shifting by continually supporting it with new sand. OR get a helper or two to hold things temporarily during the transition. Those free hands in your tank will give you the flexibility to focus on what you are doing. Once you are done, refill the tank with NMSAS (newly mixed & slightly aged saltwater) and restart your pumps.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[butts182]

be careful,my tank crashed when i used all new sand

 

[thewackyreefer]

be careful,my tank crashed when i used all new sand

Not a very helpful statement....maybe you could give some ideas on WHY you think it crashed? There are TONS of people, including myself, who have changed out sand without having a tank crash...

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Personally i would do new sand in sections over a few weeks. I have heard tanks crashing (like butts) when you change out all the sand or even most. I would do it in 4 quadrants and replace old sand with a quarter of the new bag. Wait a week and do it again. If things are going good, i wouldn't chance it.

 

[VegasRick]

I wouldn't rinse the new sand with tap water. Use RO/DI.

 

[Electrobes]

Wow there's a lot of conflicting statements going back and forth! To elaborate I would:

- Take out all the old sand in one shot. Unfotunately this also means taking out all the rocks and corals to avoid collapse etc.

- If cost saving, I would rinse the heck out of the sand you want to keep. If not, replace the whole sand bed and rinse (If buying dry sand) thoroughly. I used tap water with no problems.

- Before putting in the sand bed, put in the rocks first so you know they are stable without the sand bed.

- Replace sand bed and add some old sand bed to populate the new sand bed.

- You're set!

 

[VegasRick]

Many people do use tap water to rinse with no problem. Phosphates bond to calcium carbonate. Easier and cheaper to not add phosphates to the system than to remove it via gfo later

 

[CJO]

If it's an aesthetic reason for changing out the sand, could you just top the old sand with a layer of new sand?

CJ

 

[fsu1dolfan]

If it's an aesthetic reason for changing out the sand, could you just top the old sand with a layer of new sand?

CJ

Good point...maybe just pull out the top layer of old sand that is clumpy and discolored and add the new over the top.