Changing substrate on an existing tank

[Canuck007]

So I have a 60 gallon 4 ft tank and I have fine sand about 1-2 inches in most spots. More for look than DSB. Tank has been up for about 6 months. Lots of live rock.

I'm going to have to move it due to some home remodelling so I thought of changing some things about the tank now that I have the chance and one of them is the substrate.

I'm thinking of going with something a little bigger in size like caribsea aragonite or something. I hear it's better and easier to maintain.

1. What substrate would you recommend?
2. Should I put a few scoops of the old sand in with the new substrate to keep some of the pods etc?
3. Any other suggestions?

Thanks

 

[whosurcaddie]

IMO the two best choices available now are either carib sea special grade or tropic eden reef flakes. I use carib sea myself. Its a great size I have over 65x turnover and the sand never moves. I hear a lot of good things about reef flakes but I don't use it so I cant attest to its performance.

I don't see a problem with adding a couple scoops of the old sand. It will help it become colonized more quickly as well.

 

[Canuck007]

Thank you for your reply. Those are the two that I have heard about most as well. But it seems like tropic eden reef flakes are hard to find and out of stock quite often.

 

[whosurcaddie]

Here is the mini flakes in stock.http://premiumaquatics.com/products/30-lbs-bag-miniflakes-aragonite-crumbs-2mm.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA7ZajBRCpur2xi47n1zkSJADqV2WlM2sNvUEGobOBNhIeP6eQvo3KfTj3kIW7ICNzLfMUWxoCtAXw_wcB

It says particle size is 2mm. I can tell you that Caribsea special grade ranges from 2mm to 1mm.

As for the Reef flakes yeah they are hard to find.

 

[phobos2deimos]

I liked carib as well, and I would definitely seed.
Watch out for buildup of toxic gasses in the sand. Can't remember what gasses in particular. You're probably fine with a younger tank though. I siphoned all of mine out just in case there were any gasses.

 

[Canuck007]

Thanks for the tip. I'll be taking all the water out and then removing the sand so hopefully should not have to worry about the release of any gases. That's part of the reason I would like to change substrate in the first place.

 

[Jritter02]

Not trying to steal your thread...but I have a question too. I have a 90g tank I'm almost ready to set up. I already have 100lbs live rock (got it from a guy on craigslist right out of his tank) is it necessary to get live sand too? I did both for my 24g nano. But I'm looking to save money where I can. I know it will make the tank,cycle,faster but will there be THAT much of a difference?

 

[phobos2deimos]

Live sand isn't necessary. Pretty common among experiences reefers. Good idea as a beginner.

 

[ExpertMarine]

CaribSea Aragonite Aquarium Sand is the choice sand. It doesn't create sand storms like the fine sand...

 

[ExpertMarine]

You can do half the tank at a time, vacuum out the old sand, use the same water to rinse the new sand.. Always rinse new sand with old SW from a water change.

 

[Mazzy]

For the OP - I have the Carib Sea Arag-Alive in Hawaiian Black and love the grain size. It's like course/really big sand, or really, really small gravel. You could describe it either way, but it seems to be the perfect size not to compact and trap gases and detritus. I can siphon it all the way down like gravel, but my sand sifting star cruises through it like it's sand. I have considered changing to the more natural white-ish color, but since I'm not taking down the whole tank it just seems like a lot of work, but even if I ever changed, I would go with that same sand, just in the other color.

@Jritter - I wanted sand for added protection in case of a rock fall and because I wanted a few things that I thought would be happier with at least a shallow sand bed, but IMO, I think bare bottom is the way to go when you can. No where for things to hide and just all around easier to keep clean.

 

[Jritter02]

I want to use sand or crushed coral. But crushed coral is like 20$ for a 40-50lb bag. Half the price of live sand. Here it's about a dollar pound or so for live Sand

 

[ExpertMarine]

Don't use Crushed Coral.. It traps detritus and leaches phosphates...

Aragonite is the way to go...

Depending on the tank, you can also line the bottom with Starboard Marine Lumber. Looks good too!

 

[ExpertMarine]

BTW: its not wood, it's similar to cutting board.

 

[Jritter02]

So does that mean I don't really need to have both (sand and rock)...if I'm going to have 100lbs of rock. I want sand too not bare bottom....but it doesn't necessarily have to be live sand. Right?

 

[Teenreefer15]

IMO the two best choices available now are either carib sea special grade or tropic eden reef flakes. I use carib sea myself. Its a great size I have over 65x turnover and the sand never moves. I hear a lot of good things about reef flakes but I don't use it so I cant attest to its performance.

I don't see a problem with adding a couple scoops of the old sand. It will help it become colonized more quickly as well.

I agree, If your taking water out of the tank just go with an aragonite live sand as that will help colonize. Also adding a few scoops of old sand won't hurt.

 

[phobos2deimos]

So does that mean I don't really need to have both (sand and rock)...if I'm going to have 100lbs of rock. I want sand too not bare bottom....but it doesn't necessarily have to be live sand. Right?

Any sand will become live after a month or two. But watch out for many of the non-Reef sands, such as play sand, etc. They may leach silicates into the water, possibly causing algae issues down the road.