Sand Help Needed *asap*

[Tempestuousfury]

I changed all of the gravel out for sand, and the tank is extremely cloudy. I've got the 45 filter and a 10 gallon filter running, but I know it's not giong to make much of a difference anytime soon.

Anyways, I've got all of my fish in 2 buckets with air stones, but I know I can't leave them like that for too long. Should I move them in now anyways (I'm told the sand won't hurt the fish, but IMO, it's best not to take the risk). *shrugs*

Couldn't really find any posts on sand, so wasn't sure where to put this. Sorry.

 

[phlawed]

I changed all of the gravel out for sand, and the tank is extremely cloudy. I've got the 45 filter and a 10 gallon filter running, but I know it's not giong to make much of a difference anytime soon.

Anyways, I've got all of my fish in 2 buckets with air stones, but I know I can't leave them like that for too long. Should I move them in now anyways (I'm told the sand won't hurt the fish, but IMO, it's best not to take the risk). *shrugs*

Couldn't really find any posts on sand, so wasn't sure where to put this. Sorry.

the fish can go in but do it slowly to avoid shock, u know this, but anways, only thing i would keep an eye on is the filters....sandy tanks can clog the impeller assembly during first few days with all the sand floating around the tank. Just a tip.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Well, it's mild shock (half the water is the same) or ammonia poisoning over time. Don't think there's any easy way to transfer them over, since the temperature is the same, the only difference being water chemistry.

 

[Sheridanp]

Does it look anything like this?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

Not as bad. I can actually see the decorations I put inside, though the hood is not on at the moment, so not sure if it'll make a difference.

Bah, I went ahead and added them a minute ago.

Had one fatality, though it was a rasbora jumping out of the bucket before I covered it (it died after I put it back in the water).

The corydoras are already sifting and whatnot, so the results seem mixed. Worst case scenario: I lose around 100 dollars worth of fish, but fish loss = opportunities for restocking, I suppose.

 

[phlawed]

Not as bad. I can actually see the decorations I put inside, though the hood is not on at the moment, so not sure if it'll make a difference.

Bah, I went ahead and added them a minute ago.

Had one fatality, though it was a rasbora jumping out of the bucket before I covered it (it died after I put it back in the water).

The corydoras are already sifting and whatnot, so the results seem mixed. Worst case scenario: I lose around 100 dollars worth of fish, but fish loss = opportunities for restocking, I suppose.

in nature, not all fish are in perfect water condtions like in aquariums, so i doubt some sandy water with right parameters will make a difference

 

[SamUK]

ive just been wondering the same thing cos the sand in my new tank isnt settling very well.....




thinkin about it tho, as soon as it floods here and the river rises it goes from nice and clear to chocolate colour basically from all the mud from the moors.


fish still swim in that!

 

[mark7616]

If you washed the sand properly and took all the silt out it should clear in maximum 12hrs i would say the best thing for taking silt out is poly wool keep changing the poly wool in your filters every few hours and you should clear it all up.

 

[heather]

i had sand in my tanks it makes the tanks look muggy although it does look nice and natural i just think that the sand is alot of hassle at least with gravel u can clean it better ,
the tank should start to clear but if u are keeping large fish and they swish alot in the water it just makes the sand lift and looks muggy again .

i know some people wont agree but unless uve hade these problems u will never know ,,

especially when a large plec plays in the sand ,, he flips it every where

 

[Sheridanp]

My tank was super cloudy, infact orange like the picture I posted. So, I took the sand out, washed it through again. I put it back in, and then used a plate and poured water over it. The water was crystal clear in 2 1/2 days. Great idea from Torrean.

 

[Torrean]

I know most people will not want to go through what I did but I swear if I were to do another tank with sand I would do the same.

Here is my cleaning process.
First I put a 1 inch layer of sand in the bottom of an empty 5 gallon fish tank I had. Then I ran the water hose in there stirring the sand up really really well. Then when the water reaches the lip of the tank I dump out all the water. I repeat this process around 7-8 times or until the water clears to crystal in 10 seconds. I changed the substrate in my GF's 29 gallon tank to sand. I didn't remove any fish or water. I used a fish net to remove the gravel, being careful not to catch any of my khuli loaches in the process. Then I used a coffee mug to put the sand in. I lowered the mug to the bottom and then dumped the sand on the glass. Almost no cloudiness. These pictures were taken probably one hour after adding sand. It is a little bit cloudy but not anything like what sheridan shows.

 

[shaunza2010]

did you wash your sand in a separate bucket till the water ran clear also using your hand to move the sand to get most of the dirty from it