adding sand in a running tank?

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hi all,

i have a problem.

This was my first time with sand and plants all together. well, the tank is all up and running cycled and has fish in it, but when my plants arrive in the post i dont think i have enough sand subtraight for the plant to anchor down

It doesnt even seem an inch deep, can i add sand into the tank with fish and water in their?
i just thought it might be very messy tipping sand straight into a runnign tank.

Or do ii need to bag all the fish up, empty all the wayer, put in sand then refill?!?! (coz i really dont want to do this)

 

[OohFeeshy]

Well..
I'd take the fish out, and the filter and pour it in. It's heavy enough to sink, then you can just spred it out.
If I'm wrong, it was him *points to random person*

 

[ddm18]

2 things:

1 - I don't think you need any more sand, I only have about 1/4 inch (varies around the tank), and my plants are rooted perfectly well. Also (you may know this already), you don't want too much sand, because you can get pockets of toxic gas in the sand, which are bad for the fish if the sand gets disturbed and the gas gets released.
2 - If you do still want more sand - Adding sand while the tank is running shouldn't be a problem at all. I'd switch the filter off while you actually do it, and use some kind of scoop to put the sand right down to the bottom of the tank, rather than just dropping it in the top. The water will be a little cloudy until it settles (about an hour or so), but this won't bother the fish.

EDIT: Sorry, OohFeeshy, posted at the same time as you, didn't mean to completely contradict you... )

 

[toggle]

ok, thanks,

i was just worrying on because it isnt very deep that i would still seet the anchors

 

[FrAnK3333]

You dont need to take the fish out when adding sand, and you have enough sand for plants, mine do well in 1 inch deep of sand. When i I added my sand I did a 50 percent water change and all fish stayed in the tank, I even left my filter running. This may be different on the type of sand you buy.

 

[CathyG]

If you do decide to add more sand, once it is washed you could syphon the wet sand from a bucket into your tank, holding the syphon hose just above the existing level.

 

[toggle]

sand can be siphoned

 

[CathyG]

LOL! yes, sand can be syphoned