# putting sand into a tank



## Lindsey (Mar 23, 2008)

Last night I put play sand into my empty 10 gallon after rinsing it well. today it is still very cloudy and I can't decide if the sand is still settling or if I didn't rinse it good enough. Should I just start daily water changes? Should I use my filter? I'm not sure where to go from here.


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## Blue Cray (Oct 19, 2007)

If you did indeed rinse it well and left it for a day then yes you can put the filter on.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

I'd run the filter..everytime I change a tank over to sand, I run the filter and within 24 hours the tank is clear. And I think it's probably the same play sand you are using, like from Lowe's etc


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2008)

IME, playsand is REALLY dusty. You have to rinse it REALLY well. 

I usually turn my filter on within an hour of putting the sand in. As long as you don't mix the sand around, the filter will be fine. You just don't want the sand getting into the filter, but the dust is okay.

You filter should clear up the tank in about 2 days. You'll be able to see through the tank within a couple of hours, but it won't be perfectly clear until about 2 days. By then, the tank looks REALLY nice.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

I agree, fishb.....then after that light vacuuming will take the "dust" off the top of the sand when it's all settled.


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## Lindsey (Mar 23, 2008)

fishbguy said:


> IME, playsand is REALLY dusty. You have to rinse it REALLY well.
> 
> I usually turn my filter on within an hour of putting the sand in. As long as you don't mix the sand around, the filter will be fine. You just don't want the sand getting into the filter, but the dust is okay.
> 
> You filter should clear up the tank in about 2 days. You'll be able to see through the tank within a couple of hours, but it won't be perfectly clear until about 2 days. By then, the tank looks REALLY nice.


Yeah, it wasn't really see through even after a day so I think I am going to rinse it more and start the process over.


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

what type of filter do you have?


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## Lindsey (Mar 23, 2008)

justintrask said:


> what type of filter do you have?


I have a Whisper 10 but I wasn't even using the filter at the time...

Anyway, I spent a good long time rinsing the sand and it made a HUGE difference. The first time I had the murky water even after a day. After I went back and cleaned the sand again, it was almost immediately clear. It's been another day now and I set up my filter. I have a few guppies that I am going to move over from my other tank to get the cycle going before I put in my shellies. How long should I have just the guppies in there? Also, this is kind of OT but does anyone know if I can put live snails in the multies tank? I am not sure of their breed, they're small, and dark colored.


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## Pac-Man (Mar 18, 2005)

I changed the sand out on my 29 while the fish were still in it, it took a couple days to really clear up. I don't think you should be worried.

Edit: Oh I just read your above post. Best of luck to you with the tank. Sand looks a lot nicer than gravel imo.


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## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

When I put the sand in my 55g I waiting until all of the larger visible clumps had settled (its kinda weird when the sand stick to air bubbles and starts floating.. very annoying). Once the larger grains had settled and all I could see was a haze in the tank, I cut the filter on. It still managed to suck up a little sand which has made that particular filter run a bit louder then the other (I flushed it out well once I realized, but I think it messed something up slightly, no biggie though).

Just do your best to rinse the sand as best you can. Assuming it is still murky, run the filter. Water changed would eventually accomplish the same thing, but I'm lazy and would just cut the filter on myself.


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

*another sand question*

I didn't want to add another topic since this is right on what my question is.

I have a 75 gallon with a large Angel and a large Rope fish. i have had the tank for about three years and over that time the white sand in the tank has evaporated. there is still sand but not nearly as much as when i set the tank up years ago.

i noticed someone else stated they added sand while the fish were still in the tank. is this healthy? i would like to add some more since it is so thin (less then a half inch in places).

i would REALLY like to add pebbles since the sand builds up gases underneath (which killed a bunch of my Rainbows) becuase i didn't have any sand sifters and used my hand to release the gas (way too much, to fast!!!  )

Is it possible to add pebbles/rock over the remaining sand without any complications or should i just stick with sand?

i it possible as long as i wash the sand to add it straight to the tank without harming my fish?

I plan on getting more rainbows once the tank settles. 

thanks!


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## sneasle (Jun 25, 2008)

Yes, you can add rock over the remain sand. The laws of physics say that the larger particles in a solution that is agitated will move to the solution, so even if the rocks got mixed in they would eventually end up on top.


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

Thank you sneasle, I guess my only other question/comment would be that even though I would now have rock over the sand, the sand would still produce the deadly gases correct? only this time, i wouldnt be able to sift through it, since the rocks would be in the way, or would the rocks mass help displace the sand enough to keep the sand from producing the gas?

i just want to make sure im not setting myself up for another surprise. My tank was absolutely perfect (on the outside) for 2 1/2 years and in a matter of seconds almost everything was gone .


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## Lindsey (Mar 23, 2008)

I never thought about the sand bubbles. Should sand be stirred around during every water change?


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## pog0 (Jun 29, 2008)

Just curious - how does sand produce gases?


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

This may or may not be helpful to the OP, but I'm wondering exactly how one is supposed to properly rinse sand... I know how to rinse gravel but that's fairly obvious. What is the best way to rinse sand?


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

I take a 5G bucket and put a few coffee cups full of sand in it at a time and run water through it really fast at first, and then turn the water down and let it overflow the bucket. After 10 seconds or so, I dump out all of the water from the bucket, and repeat. I repeat 5-10 times depending on the amount of sand in the bucket. Sometimes even this is not enough, but usually once you can fill it up with fast running water until the bucket is filled and nothing floats up, or the sand sinks right back down to the bottom, it is safe.


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

That's kind of how I do it too, with some slight variations. I fill the bucket about 20% full of sand, continously add/dump water, and agitate it with my hands a lot. It's a very long and tedious process, but IMHO it's a beautiful addition to a tank.

I'm sorry, tromeo, but I'm not familiar with sand creating gas, and cannot contribute to that portion of your question.


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

gases are produced in sand because of anerobic pockets which produce hydrogen sulfide gas ( This is the "rotten egg smell that some tanks may have )
if you are not planting the tank, ie for cichlids, keep the sand only an inch deep. When planting tanks with sand, I frequently siphon through the deep areas , although the anerobic bacteria is breaking down wastes that can later be used by the plants. I just do this to keep the anerobic pockets to a minimum


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

sorry, is there no way to delete a post? i accidentally posted twice.


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## tromeokid (Mar 8, 2006)

I used to have a few horse faced loaches which are great for sifting through the sand. when i sold them i never got any others. i Tried my best to use my hands when doing changes but apparently missed a giant portion of the sand. one night while sifting, the gas released and killed 8 rainbows within 2 to 3 minutes. it was so traumatic to see the beautiful fish go from happy to...well, you know.. in such short of time. i haven't gotten any new fish since. now im ready and more knowledgeable then ever. Luckily, My Angel and Rope fished survived...how, i have no idea. I love sand but i think i may go with gravel now.


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## ThatFishKid (Aug 9, 2008)

another option, wile some may have their dissagreements (it's always worked for me though), is if you have a stream nearby that has a sandy bed, you can grab a bucket full of that, let it dry most of the way in the sun, then bake it or bleach it to remove natural diseases or parasites. (with bleaching, allow another day of rinsing and drying) This sand is always lees dusty than play sand, and it seems to have a more natural look, as well as bein less rough on the fishes skin.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2008)

the best......BEST sand to use is a sand blasting or water filter sand. there are several different grades of sizes. this sand is clean and really dense, which means you can actually vacuum it. Filter sand comes in several different colors depending on where you get it from, we have it in a neutral brown/tan/grey mix, as well as garnet sand, which is a redish purple, looks very nice. 

i only use a thin layer of sand to avoid any build up of anaerobic pockets of gas produced by bacteria. i used one 50 pound back in my 210, was perfect. if you are planting, thats a different story. usually, the sand does not even come up to the top of the rim of the tank.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

if you use sand as a substrate,put in some malaysian trumpet snails.
they live in the substrate and keep it aerated so the gas pockets never develop.they are good scavengers and won't eat your plants.


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## Sideswipe (Aug 5, 2008)

At one point in time i was toying with the idea of trying a "Nitrate Reducing Sand Bed"
I cant remember all the specifics but it entailed using a very deep sand bed, 4 inches or so, and apparently this method would eliminate the Nitrates in the water. It was important however that the sand bed never be disturbed therefore no diggers.
there was an amazing thread on this topic going on an African Chchlid forum, i will try to find it.

S


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