Converting bare bottom to sand???

[mkengr45]

My 30 cube is currently running bare bottom style with about 40# rock, lots of corals, 250w 20k halide. I want to switch it over to sand bottom but dont really want to traumatize anything. Should I buy live sand from someones tank and add it all at once. Should I use dry sand, rinse it, and add it gradually over a few weeks. Maybe add a cup every couple days? How should I go about doing this? Thanks for your advice.


Randy

[don-n-sa]

I recommend doing it this way:

1.If you dont have one buy a 40g trash can from lowes or home depot
2.do a 10g water change the day before and put that water in the can with a power head and heater
3. syphon 10 - 20g water from the cube into the can
4. remove all rock, coral, and livestock from the cube and put them in the can
5.If you use new sand wash it thouroughly and let it dry somewhat before you add it to the cube
6. If you use used sand from someone elses tank and it stinks like rotten eggs then toss it
7. I recommend using arag-alive and seed it with a cup or two of sand from another tank
8. Add the the sand to the cube...it still should have at least 10g of water left in it. Let the sand settle. If needed syphon some water from the can to the cube
9. Turn on heaters and power heads and let everthing stablize
10. Two choices here: wait a day or two and test parameters before adding livestock and the rest of the water, or add everything to the tank at once after the sand settles.
11. you will probably have about 20g of leftover water

HTH

[scuba_steveo]

I recommend not doing it!
Keep the bare bottom.
I have alway done a DSB but I never will again. To much work keeping it "alive". You have to have a bunch of worms, snails, stars.... or you get "dead" spots. dead spots cause smell.
How thick of sand are we talking anyway?
My next setup will have a thin sand layer, about 1 inch, because I do not like the look of bare bottom and I do not want the trouble of a DSB.
Also, a DSB can crash.

[brewercm]

Is it just the look of the bare bottom you dont' like or do you really want the sand? If it's the look of the glass get some of the white cuttimg board material and place it in there. Shouldn't be too much trouble in a 30 cube. By the way if you go that route the stuff is called Sanilite and can be bought at Regal plastics. I think it looks really nice and thats the way I'm going, I'll just have sand in my fuge.

[don-n-sa]

I think he is asking for advice about the best way to add sand to his tank...I could be wrong though. :P

Sand beds work fine in my opinion, I just don't like having a DSB that you don't stir up once in a while. What you dont want is a DSB with a heavy BIO-Load and without a good cleanup crew to keep it healthy.

IMO bare bottom tanks dont look right...like something is missing almost....hmmm...bare :lol

[brewercm]

Just offering a compromise that may not have been thought of if bare is what he really wants but not the look of bare glass.

Seems most ways to add sand to an existing tank have pretty much been covered though. I like the PVC way, it seems to leave the least cloudiness.

When I first changed over years ago on my previous tank I did kind of like Don said and removed everything into holding tubs. Removed the crushed coral and then dumped the sand in and put everything back in. Very cloudy though for a couple of days.