removing sandbed

[TAXMAN]

OK. I'm about ready to move this 110 tank. It has about a 4" sandbed in it now. I'm worried that with the move that when the sandbed gets disturbed it might jack up the nitrates and I could have some problems. So I'm thinking of just getting rid of the sand bed all together. It has a fuge with some rubble and about 200+ lbs of very live rock. DO you think it would cause any problems either way?

Thanks
Johnny

[Mr.Kook]

i have moved a few tanks and have always just draned all the water then scooped out the sand with a fish net. This way all the nasty stuff that is in the sand stayes in the tank. Just try and make a few buckets of the sand and put in the firts sand out back in last. Now my tanks were never as big as a 110 i had a 55 and a 28 reef . All and all things were a lil stressed but everything seames to rebound just fine.

Im waiting to start my new 54 gal corner and everything from my 28 will be going in when i start it sand and all but i will put the old sand on the bottom and get some new sand on top.

[Ping]

I am a proponent of the remote Deep Sand Bed. This consists of one inch of sand or less in the display tank, and a four inch or deeper bed somewhere else in the system. Many successful tanks however, do run the DSB in the display.

Moving a sand bed can be done in many ways. Each time I have moved a tank, I removed all the livestock and rock, leaving only the water and sand. I then run my fingers thoroughly through the sand bed in an attempt to put as much detritus into the water column as possible. Then I drain the water.

Upon setting up the tank I place the rock in first and then place the sand. I do not like to place sand in an anaerobic state. Corals and rock can tolerate this for a couple days, think of a hurricane. A couple times a day, use a powerhead or turkey baster to blow the sand and detritus off the rock and coral (we should all do this a couple times a year).

I use filter floss until the water stays clear after blowing off the rocks and coral, changing it daily. Conduct daily water changes for a week. You will have a cycle, but the denitrifying bacteria stabilize quickly.

[txstateunivreefer]

i am about to do the same and the advise i got off of RC was to get the sand out if you move it with that sand you must be the hulk because with the water, tank and sand it is really heavy and with the nice bouncy truck you have a better chance of breaking out the bottom. i have heard to remove your rock and livestock drain your tank until there is about 6 in in there. next mix the sand alot get all of the HS gas and trapped gunk out into that water. then sipon off that water while pushing the sand away from the corner that you are siponing from. scoop out the sand place in buckets and put it back in the tank when you get it situated at the new place. the sand will stay moist enough to keep the sand alive so it should work out for you.

[captexas]

I would suggest wearing gloves when you go stirring up your sand bed. When I tore down my 75g, I was amazed at all the stuff living in the tank and sand bed that I had never seen before.

[Bill S]

I second the gloves idea.

If I were doing this, I'd follow Ping's advice and stir stuff up. Let you are putting back in later.

[caferacermike]

I've helped move several tanks and each time we've just rinsed the sand in buckets with a hose until the water came out clear. Sure some bacteria may have been killed but the idea was that there would be plenty left on the rock work. Always had good results with that method.

[TAXMAN]

Thanks guys. I like the idea of leaving a little water in the tank and then stirring everything up. That sounds like the thing to do. I'm going to try and do this tomorrow or the next day if the rain holds out.