Preparing My Tank For Sand Bottom....

[Scott MacAdam]

Hi everyone, back for some more advice! I would like to set up one of my tanks as a sand bottom tank because i have always liked the idea but i have never really acted on it. I'd like to keep it small for now so one of my Ten gallons will be hopefully change over soon..... This is where you guys come in !!!!..... i'm not sure how to prepare because i DO have fish in there now and i don't want a mess to happen where i have to leave them out of the tank for an extended ammount of time and have to worry about running my filter for floating debris. I have read some of the posts on sand bottom tanks but I want specifics so i don't mess it up! hahahaha! for addinional info the current stock is 5 long finned danios (one inch) and a snail.

Can anyone give me a step by step on how to prepare, put down, and maintain a sand bottom tank ?

also this may be a good pin because i have wondered for a while now and i'm sure others have too SO MAKE IT GOOD !!! LMAO! j/k! any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks again guys and gals,

Scott MacAdam

 

[Spader]

i literally just put sand in my new 20 gallon i got today. i cleaned the sand out and threw it in and it settled right away, no problems. just make sure the filters off.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

wow really?

that's amasing! but i guess you only ever hear the bad stories because the good working ones don't need ay help! hahahahah!

 

[Spader]

haha yeah. i only had one problem. the firtst bag of sand i cleaned was fine, but the second bag of sand floated in the bucket, im not sure why, so obviously i didnt add it to the tank.\

right now its sitting in my garage.....

 

[Scott MacAdam]

hahaha! sounds like a smart move! i will watch for that! the only thing is ..... it's a new tank for you.... and a tank with fish for me ! any saftey ideas?

 

[Spader]

put them in jars, or another tank if u have one. when u finish put them in the tank again

 

[Scott MacAdam]

sounds sooo easy! I'LL DO IT ! lol

ok tomorrom after my final exams it happnens ! i'll keep you up to date! also any other tips would be helpful because i will check again before i do it ! anyone else or any new ideas ?

Thanks again Everyone

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Scott MacAdam,

The most important thing with sand, especially if you are using play sand, is to wash it thoroughly before you add it. You might be surprised at just how much silt rinses out, but just keep washing it until the rinse water runs clean.

I find that it's usually easier to wash small amounts in a dishpan or pot than to do a large amount all at once. Fill it with water and swish it around with your hands. Then spill the water off and repeat as often as necessary to get it completely clean.

Then just add it to your tank by putting some of it in a plastic cup or similar item and lowering it to the bottom of the tank. Gently push the fish away and spill the sand out into a corner. Repeat until it's all in and then just smooth it out with your hands. Do not add more than an inch of sand to avoid having problems with it later.

Be certain to turn off your filter before you put the sand in. The grains should all go to the bottom quickly and you can turn it back on in just a few minutes to begin removing any slight cloudiness that might remain. That should be gone within a day or so.

 

[Torrean]

Inch beat me to it. But I will emphasize something. RINSE RINSE RINSE RINSE RINSE RINSE RINSE...and then Rinse again. If it's clear after this rinse two more times and you should be good.


The silt in the sand won't hurt your fish but spending three days staring at water so muddy you can't see your fish isn't much fun.

 

[Scott MacAdam]

hahahaha! ok i WILL RINSE and alot ! thanks again everyone!