Thoughts needed on Adding sand.

Fieryfrog · May 10, 2014

So I have some VERY fine sand. And the powerheads and fish keep pushing it all over the tank. And have left some bare spots on the bottom.

I have gotten some sand that is not so fine. I am considering doing some rescaping of my tank and attempting to even out the sand. And then I want to put the new sand on top. Is this an issue if I already have about 3" of established sand? I know that It is a Huge part of keeping my tank in order.

kstpeter · May 10, 2014

In for opinions as I've been thinking about adding some to my tank as well with a similar problem.

The griz · May 10, 2014

I've tried this once before. I've found over time that the bigger grains will sink to the bottom leaving the fine on top over time.

ictvaper · May 10, 2014

Yeah, you may need to add a little more sand...but honestly, the fish will keep pushing it around....BTDT. If you want a nice pretty sandscape, you may want to reconsider what corals and fish you have.

-Logzor · May 10, 2014

You could siphon out the old sand and put in more coarse sand.

ictvaper · May 11, 2014

Fieryfrog, if you choose this option, I would caution you to do it a little bit at a time, that way you don't risk setting your tank into a new tank cycle. How much do you take out at a time? Depends on your tank and I would err on the side of caution. The main worry is that you take out and put just enough back in for it to be colonized with the proper bacteria...then repeat.

-Logzor said:
You could siphon out the old sand and put in more coarse sand.

jayhawk · May 11, 2014

My 2 cents for what it's worth. Removing the sand and adding sand shouldn't cause a new cycle. I recently combined two nano's into a larger display. I used new sand and the parameters did not fluctuate. The issue you may have is the stirring up of established sand. If you choose to add to it or remove it, there is a lot of trapped nitrates. The rapid spike will not be good. I would remove all the sand over time until you have a bare bottom. Add new sand when ready. Adding sand is a rare treat. It will cloud the water no matter how careful you are. There several techniques to do this. That can be a topic for another day...

Fieryfrog · May 11, 2014

Yeah, I am a little afraid of removing too much sand and starting a new cycle. I have done that before on my other tank. I removed 3/4 of the sand and added the new, and Boom, new cycle.

I may just go down and even out the sand and then move my powerheads so they are not effecting the sand as much. And just leave it the way it is. Until I can find a 120g or larger tank.