How to add sand to an existing reef tank

melev

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Published on 01-01-2010 11:59 PM

29 Comments

Adding additional sand to an established reef isn't difficult nor does it have to be messy, but product choice should be considered. In the case of adding more sand, I preferred to purchase bagged sand from a local fish store specifically made for aquarium use. It is aragonite-based and pre-rinsed, which keeps the clouding issue to a minimum. In this article, I'm using the Tropic Eden brand, which has that nice white appearance I prefer, and has a grain size a little larger to prevent excessive movement by the Vortech pumps.

This is the bag, wiped down with a damp towel to remove any pollutants.

Next I had to move some corals out of the way. I turned off the return pump as well as the Vortech pumps, but two were still running on battery backup anyway.

Next, I cut off the top of the bag and lowered it into the tank, open-side downwards. Bubbles are rising from the top corners of the bag.

The empty bag is floating on the surface, and all the sand is now on the substrate.

Next I spread it out, moving some corals as needed to get that accomplished. The water didn't cloud much at all. Here it is after 5 minutes.

After 15 minutes

After 45 minutes

After 70 minutes

Done. It looks nicer, and the flow will level it out more.

And this is what the tank looked like the next day.

This is an easy DIY project that you don't have to fear. Using sand from other locations like Home Depot won't yield the same results, which is why store-bought aquarium sand is the best option. Typically one might only need one ore two bags of sand, so saving money might not outweigh the outcome in this particular case. Rather than continually rinsing out 'Pavestone' or 'Southdown' sand, this project is going to cost a little more - but it is well worth it.

29 Comments

Wes - 01-02-2010, 03:05 AM

want to come give this a try on mine? i added 2 more vortecs and the hole in the front of my tank went from a dent to a crater! :mad:

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melev - 01-02-2010, 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by Wes

want to come give this a try on mine? i added 2 more vortecs and the hole in the front of my tank went from a dent to a crater! :mad:

You may need heavier grade sand to help avoid that problem. The above sand was called Reef Flake, but it looks like sand to me.

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ams-chicago - 01-05-2010, 10:06 AM

I've been really happy with how clean the Tropic Eden sand is right out of the bag.

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pbreefer - 01-06-2010, 07:04 PM

great tip! I have been needing to add sand for awhile now, my pistol shrimp has relocated it for me, lol.

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noodlenugs - 01-10-2010, 06:28 PM

My tank is a little smaller so I have used the pvc tube trick. Just use a cup and pour down the tube to where you want it. Precise and easy

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leperworld - 01-14-2010, 03:32 PM

I find that a tube and funnel work quite well for filling in holes so there is minimal impact on the tank or disturbance of the animals.

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Digital Aquatics - 01-17-2010, 11:19 PM

Love the tank!

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dbdisok - 01-18-2010, 09:48 PM

With the addition of the new sand do you experience any type of "Cycle" trouble? I would like to add sand to my tank but have feared upsetting the chemical balance.

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melev - 01-19-2010, 12:52 AM

No, not at all. If you were to bury your established sand bed under 1" or more, that may be a problem. But to add a little more like you saw above, it isn't. You can always add some every few days to let the surface dwellers adapt to the new layer.

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jb61264 - 01-25-2010, 11:57 AM

Does adding an aragonite based sand to your system cause any sort of jump in your calcium or other trace elements when you add a bunch like this all at once? or is the release of calcium and other trace elements so gradual that it doesn't matter?

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melev - 01-25-2010, 12:58 PM

I've done this about twice a year for the past five years and never noticed any type of change in parameters. Then again, I only add one bag of sand per session.

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jb61264 - 01-25-2010, 01:34 PM

and do you add this much sand because you are siphoning off the top layer when cleaning? My sandbed has always stayed very clean and have never had to siphon it...course, I have a very active pistol shrimp/goby pair on one half of my reef and a pretty active CUC.

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melev - 01-25-2010, 01:37 PM

I never siphon my sand. It just seems to dissolve away, and needs replenishing. My sand looks good. Here's a picture from Jan 23.

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jb61264 - 01-25-2010, 01:56 PM

Thats really interesting...I guess I've never heard having to replenish ones sand (other than because maybe they were siphoning cyano or other algae problems off the surface)...would you attribute that to using a CO2 reactor? and/or maybe having a slightly higher pH (ugh...I meant higher acidity which would be lower pH...my bad...lol)? I haven't "graduated" to the use of a CO2 reactor yet but am considering it as a friend is getting out of the hobby and has a nice homemade reactor with a bubble counter that he is going to give me...just not sure if I want to take the dive as I've been dosing and having good success.

Your tank(s) is/are amazing, I have always been a fan and frequently check your FTS on thread on RC

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HAWAII - 01-25-2010, 03:32 PM

I love the way that tank looks !

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melev - 01-25-2010, 04:53 PM

jb61264, the reason I believe the sand dissolves is because in a deep sand bed, there is an oxygen-free zone. Where this occurs, pH drops. Aragonite dissolves in lowered pH just like it does in a calcium reactor. So I believe it needs to be replenished.

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no_Wedge - 01-30-2010, 05:18 PM

a pipe like pvc can also be used to pour the sand where desired. I do believe sand dissolves also. just like rock turns into sand sand turns into fine dust and gets caught by filters or taken out.

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OneReef - 04-02-2010, 12:25 PM

I have found success using large diameter PVC to pour the sand into and direct it where needed. I use a 3" inside diameter pipe that is 24" long for my 20" deep tank. You might need longer for a deeper tank. I have the sand in the bag and just use a large glass or cup to scoop it out and pour it into the top of the PVC pipe. With the end of the PVC resting on the bottom of the sand, you pour in the amount you want, and slowly lift up the pipe and as it leaks out of the end, you can slowly direct the pipe around the bottom to distribute the sand. You can repeat in different areas of the tank to evenly distribute it around. I have found this method to be as clean as possible for not stirring up or clouding your tank.

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