Switching to sand questions

[Rosenbaumn]

I’m planning to switch my substrate to black diamond blasting sand(medium grit), I’ve done all of the research and concluded that this would be the best option for my tank, but I have a few questions:
1. Would a 50 lb bag be enough for a 29 gal long tank?
2. How much sand should I plan on losing due to water changes?
3. What is the process of switching with fish? Should I remove them from the tank? For how long?
4. How much water can I leave in the tank when putting the sand in and how much should I keep to put back in after I put the sand in?

 

[Retired Viking]

I used 1 1/2 bags for a 55 gallon tank with about 2 inches thick. I have not lost any but you need to hold the vacuum about an inch above the sand. I put my fish in a bucket with an air stone and covered it with a towel before removing my gravel. I drained my tank completely.

 

[Rosenbaumn]

How much of the original water and new water did you put back in the tank? (I’m worried about shocking my fish, I don’t normally do large water changes)

 

[JuiceBox52]

You will need to do 100% fresh water, the old stuff with be full of gunk and ammonia

 

[Retired Viking]

Try and have the water about the same temp as the water in the bucket the fish are in. I had to also regulate my water's softness since I use RO to soften my water. I did not loose a fish.

 

[jkkgron2]

When I switched out my sand I did 50% right after I finished and another 50% the next day so I didn’t shock my fish.

 

[Rosenbaumn]

Try and have the water about the same temp as the water in the bucket the fish are in. I had to also regulate my water's softness since I use RO to soften my water. I did not loose a fish.

Does the sand affect hardness?

 

[Rosenbaumn]

When I switched out my sand I did 50% right after I finished and another 50% the next day so I didn’t shock my fish.

Did you leave the tank half full or put Half of the old water back and then do a water change the next day? (I don’t know if I’ll need to take all of it out, I’ve never had ammonia issues)

 

[jkkgron2]

Did you leave the tank half full or put Half of the old water back and then do a water change the next day? (I don’t know if I’ll need to take all of it out, I’ve never had ammonia issues)

I tried to stir up the sand before I started to get out some of the muck that might’ve just shown up after I finished then I removed 30% of the water (do more if needed) so I could reach the sand. After I finished replacing all the sand I removed 20% so I basically did a 50% water change, I just didn’t take all the water out at once. I filled the tank up all the way after I finished removing that 50% of the old water. The next day I removed 50% of the water and siphoned around the bottom to get any waste that could’ve settled there.

 

[utahfish]

When i switched substrates i took fish out put them in a bucket of fresh water with the a hang on back filter from the tank to keep my beneficial bacteria alive and oxygen to the fish. I also put all my wood and plants in a the bucket of water. I then took all the old substrate out and rinsed the tank out then put in the newly rinsed substrate then put in new dechlorinated water put in plants wood decor ect. Put in heater and filter then when temp is up lastly put in fish. Running the old filter in the new tank and having the decor that also has beneficial bacteria on it will help to not shock the fish. Expect water to be cloudy over night while it settles and sometimes some if the particles of sand will float at the top, just scoot them out.
I lose a miniscule amount of sand when cleaning, mostly before the plants were well rooted. I went about 2 inches on my 20 long and had about 5-10 lbs left over. A 29 gallon has the same foot print as a 20 long so one 50lb bag should be enough. Good luck have fun post pics when done!

 

[Retired Viking]

Does the sand affect hardness?

I used play sand and no it has not. My gravel was increasing the hardness. I use a TDS-3 water test pen to test the hardness of my water and so far my water has maintain the level of softness I wanted. Gravel kept pushing the hardness back up and that was one of the reason I got rid of it for sand. As far as my change over I did like @utahfish did. You can look up my post on my changing from gravel to sand and I explained it as I went with even pictures.

 

[Rosenbaumn]

Thank you all so much for all of the help! I’m so excited!