I made a mistake when I put my tank together 2 years ago in that I placed my rock work on top of my aragonite sand bed. My snowflake eel has finally dug himself out of a home which he isn't very happy about and I've been noticing that there is less sand than there used to be anyway. This is my display so I'm not interested in going bare bottom. I have a 30 gallon trough, so I am considering draining the tank, removing the fish and rock work, placing supports on the bottom for rock work support and eel safety, and adding more sand. I know disturbing the sand bed can be a big concern and I certainly want to avoid crashing the tank or causing a mini cycle. If I remove the existing sand and rinse it well in salt water, mix the new sand into it, and replace will that work?
Replacing sand in an established tank
- Thread starter Cook
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Yeah, that's not a good plan. Nothing good will come from that approach.
You could remove some of the rock and put the pieces into the trough in saltwater and rebuild sections at a time over the course of a week. This would be a time where this sock hater would be using them nonstop until the project was complete. Having a reefer buddy to lend a hand would be a big help.
You could remove some of the rock and put the pieces into the trough in saltwater and rebuild sections at a time over the course of a week. This would be a time where this sock hater would be using them nonstop until the project was complete. Having a reefer buddy to lend a hand would be a big help.
What does the greatest harm? Removing the rock work or disturbing the sand bed? I understand gradual is better for both. The sand I could certainly add over time. If I can't remove the live rock all at once , I can't add the supports I want. Is just the act of moving the rock within the tank a problem? Potentially, I could pull some of the rock out and move others out of the way long enough to insert it. I have a window in March where we are getting new furniture. So potentially, I could have the trough setup right next to the tank for about a week, but much more than that and I'll need to find a new place to live.
I have one question first: why would you do this?
I understand the steps that you proposed, but I cannot make any claims as to their efficacy towards a goal without you first identifying the goal. But other’s responses so far are all valid concerns. ...so tell us, what is your goal/objective?
If your goal is to get the rocks resting on the bottom glass instead of the sand, this does not require removing sand. Likewise, removing the rocks would actually be taking steps backwards so I would not recommend that. But if that is the case, I’d say lower your rocks manually.
1) use your fingers to scrape out sand from under the rocks... or a Turkey Baster to blow/suck sand out from under the rocks.
2) slightly jiggle the rocks to lower them. Just be careful to to apply too much pressure that would crack the bottom.
These won’t work if the sand has already completely solidified into a rock. But if that’s happened already, then your goal is already achieved before you began. Which brings us back around to the importance of identifying our goals. Lol
I understand the steps that you proposed, but I cannot make any claims as to their efficacy towards a goal without you first identifying the goal. But other’s responses so far are all valid concerns. ...so tell us, what is your goal/objective?
If your goal is to get the rocks resting on the bottom glass instead of the sand, this does not require removing sand. Likewise, removing the rocks would actually be taking steps backwards so I would not recommend that. But if that is the case, I’d say lower your rocks manually.
1) use your fingers to scrape out sand from under the rocks... or a Turkey Baster to blow/suck sand out from under the rocks.
2) slightly jiggle the rocks to lower them. Just be careful to to apply too much pressure that would crack the bottom.
These won’t work if the sand has already completely solidified into a rock. But if that’s happened already, then your goal is already achieved before you began. Which brings us back around to the importance of identifying our goals. Lol
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