Adding more substrate - any risks?

[Stevetheadi]

Hi

I have a small (64L) aquarium that has been established for 4 years.

It has black sand as the substrate but it is quite thin - only about 1.5" deep.

I would like to add some more so that plants can be rooted more deeply so I have bought some Caribsea sand. No rinsing is appealing!

If I cover the existing substrate with, say, an 1" of Caribsea is there a risk that the 'good bacteria' in the existing substrate will stop working?

Should I add it to one section of the tank at a time and leave a week or so between each addition?

Thanks.

 

[TNG]

I’m not familiar with Caribsea sand. But if it’s for freshwater aquarium (not marine) then it shouldn’t affect your tank’s cycle.

 

[Stevetheadi]

Thanks

 

[noahm]

...

Should I add it to one section of the tank at a time and leave a week or so between each addition?

Thanks.

There will be some impact if you just add an inch on top, but it should be short lived. If I was doing the same thing, I would probably add half an inch to half of the tank (maybe in strips or regions) then 4 or 5 days later do 1/2 inch in the blank spots then repeat - - breaking it into 4 steps.

 

[Stevetheadi]

There will be some impact if you just add an inch on top, but it should be short lived. If I was doing the same thing, I would probably add half an inch to half of the tank (maybe in strips or regions) then 4 or 5 days later do 1/2 inch in the blank spots then repeat - - breaking it into 4 steps.

Thanks, that's what I'll do.