Switching To A New Tank- Need Advice

[GoldfishAttentionSpan]

Today I found a brand new 10 gallon setup (minus heater) for 25 dollars at the flea market. My hood broke on my 10 gallon, and the filter is getting there.

Anyway, I want to switch to sand substrate. I got some playsand from Lowes, but I'm not sure what I should do to clean it? Should I boil it?

Also, what can I do to keep the tank from cycling? I am switching to a new filter seeing as my old one has been threatening to give up. I have read about running both filters at once- I can do that, but of course the hood won't fit, and I would worry about the fish jumping out. Could I just keep the water level really low and have the hood off, both filters running, with fish in the tank for a few days? I will also put some gravel from the old tank into a breeding net thingy and put that in it as well, seeing as I am switching substrates.

So, what should I do about the sand, and does my plan with the filters/gravel sound like it will keep the tank from going into a new cycle?

 

[Tolak]

Gotta love the flea market, great source for nearly everything. Most people rinse sand in an old pillowcase, the chlorine in tap water does a good job cleaning out any bacterial nasties that may be in there. The main purpose of rinsing is to remove fine dust particles that will cloud the tank.

You could place anything over the gap to keep fish from jumping, as long as it's reasonably water resistant. I've used everything from scraps of lumber to cardboard Pepsi cases.

Running both filters for a couple of weeks along with the sock of gravel should prevent a mini cycle.