sand?

[nestquick]

i was planning to switch from gravel to sand on my 55
and i have a few questions

what kind of sand is safe?
should i go the the hardware store or
can i go to the beach and grab sand since i live in hawaii

if i do the switch
am i able to take out the gravel with the fishes inside the tank
and just pour the sand after i have cleaned it
is there a proper method of doing things

thanks for any info or suggestions

[hpt84]

If you choose to go with the sand on the beach, that is your call. Some people have success with this but you must remember that sand in Hawaii is different from sand in Florida. I would go with pool filter sand because it is cleaner. I think the recommended type is Grade 20? If you can't find pool filter sand, play sand will be fine, but it require a lot of rinsing. I have never try adding sand with water and fish inside the tank. I personally would drain the tank. I hope this help.

[Fishguy2727]

I only use Estes' Marine Sand. It is completely clean. It is pretty cheap and has a number of colors to pick from.

Vacuum the gravel very well and then remove it. Turn off the filters. Then slowly pour in the sand. Some of it will try to float at first, but just tap it for a little while and it will all end up on the bottom.

[xoolooxunny]

you might want to keep a couple handfuls of that old gravel in a stocking hanging on the side while the nitrifying bacteria colonize the new sand. while there is plenty of bacteria on the decor and filter, it may or may not be enough to take on the full load after the old gravel is gone, and you could see a slight ammonia spike.

[Fishguy2727]

Unless there is an UGF almost all the nitrifying bacteria will be in the filter, not the gravel. No need to keep any of it.

[nestquick]

ill probably make the change in a few weeks.
ill update to let you guys know how it went

[smcurry83]

I haven't had my tank long at all & I'm already wanting to change from gravel to sand. After seeing all the beautiful tanks on here with sand I'm gettig jealous.
I'll definitely be looking foward to see how you go about it and how it works for you.

[jb300m01]

How I made the switch in my 28 gallon (assuming you have another tank)
Saturday:
1. Filled up my empty 10 gallon with water from the 28 gallon.
2. Put all of the plants, decor, and filter (to keep bacteria alive) in the 10 gal.
3. Plugged in the heater that I had for the 10 gal and make sure the temps are the same.
4. Transfer fish (the hardest part for me, lol.)
5. Empty the rest of the water from the 28 gal into a huge rubbermaid container (after rinsing of course.)
6. Empty and cleaned all of the gravel. Stored in an open rubbermaid container (drained water every couple of hours.)
7. Rinsed tank out with filtered water (to get the gunk out.)
8. Put the sand it the cleaned tank (no water.)
9. Put a plate on the sand and returned about half of the water from the huge rubbermaid container.
10. Drank a beer (not the first of the night though.)
11. Ran fingers through sand to hopefully release air pockets.
12. Put the rest of the water from the rubbermaid container into tank.
13. Added 10 gallons of treated water I had stored for when I switched to sand.
14. Plugged heater from the 28 gal back into the 28 gal along with the filter from the 10 gal with new filter media (to help with potential clouding & circulation.)
15. Went to sleep/passed out on sofa.

Sunday:
16. Hangover.
17. Make sure water parameters of both tanks match.
18. Return plants, decor, and filter to 28 gal.
19. Return fish.
20. Watch corys spit sand through gills and bury themselves.
21. Step back and admire your creation, then get the urge to change something else in the tank...

Now, this may not be the way you chose, or the correct way for that matter. But my fish were not stressed at all and immediatly ate after going into the 10 gal and back to the 28 the next day and I haven't lost a fish. Cleaning may take some getting used to, as I am still sucking up sand. Good luck and keep us updated!

[xoolooxunny]

just a note, you cant use a gravel vacuum on sand. But it does look great. i just use a regular vinyl hose that comes with the gravel vacuum and stay above the sand an inch to get the poo cleaned up. no matter how careful i am, i always take up some sand, but not enough to the point where i have to replace it.

if anyone has any other ways of cleaning it, i'm all ears:22:

[Fishguy2727]

Enough flow in the tank should keep most debris moving until the filters grab it. You can still use the gravel vacuum part and do like you are doing. Hold the wide tube just above the sand and the debris will be sucked up without sand going too. I use Estes' Marine Sand which is heavy, other sands may be more likely to be sucked up with this method.

[nestquick]

so today i went to my local lowes and home depot and i asked if they had any pool filtered sand and they dont carry it all they had was regular sand so i just got that.

i went home cleaned it for about 10-15 minutes i thought it was clean but i was dead wrong for those of you that want to switch i suggest you clean the sand for about 20-30 minutes

so i siphoned water from my 55 into a rubbermaid container and transfer the fish into it and also the HOB and took all the gravel out into a bucket

i siphoned all the water out and started to put the sand in. after all the sand was in i made the mistake and just poured water inside of the tank without pouring it on a plate or the side of the tank and it made the sand and water all murky

so currently im waiting for the sand to settle down which i hope will be completed by tomorrow if only i just cleaned the sand for a bit longer then i think i wouldnt be having this problem

[Fishguy2727]

This is why I stick with and suggest Estes' Marine Sand.

[sailor]

This is why I stick with and suggest Estes' Marine Sand.


I like the Estes products but they cost you an arm and a leg if they are for a larger tank. For that reason I use the pool filter sand. I have had 0 issues with it.

[hpt84]

I rinse play sand until it was clear. Took me like 20 minutes, but my water was clear. If I have to do it again, I'll go with pool filter sand.

[Fishguy2727]

It doesn't cost any more than gravel, or at least it shouldn't.