Sand question

B

Bishopsnet

New member
Im on day 2 of my cycle. I feel like I put too much sand in the tank. The pumps have pushed the sand to the back. It's like 4 inches back there and about 1.5 in the front. Some of my rocks are covered. I had to pull the ones in the front up. I had set the rocks first and then sand because I want a watchman/pistol pair and I didn't want them to make the rocks fall. Can I syphon sand out during the cycle? What can I do? I tried to move sand around and the tank started getting all cloudy again.
 
If you take sand out now, scoop it. Do not do a water change. It would be best to leave it and just redirect the powerheads, but if you do not want it then make it look right and worry about other things after.
 
What kind of sand do you have and where are your pumps Pointed? Remember the point if pumps is not to blast coral but cause movement in the water. It might behoove you to turn down your pumps and point them at the surface of the water. The Cloudyness during the cycle is normal and you might want to skim more aggressively to remove some of it. Also using a fine filter sock to filter out the "sand powder" is helpful.
 
I think I'll wait for the dust cloud to go down and see what I have. I may have to hand scoop out sand. It's Arag alive Bimini.
 
asonitez said:
What kind of sand do you have and where are your pumps Pointed? Remember the point if pumps is not to blast coral but cause movement in the water. It might behoove you to turn down your pumps and point them at the surface of the water. The Cloudyness during the cycle is normal and you might want to skim more aggressively to remove some of it. Also using a fine filter sock to filter out the "sand powder" is helpful.
Click to expand...

My pumps are point down a little but not directly down. How do I put them down? I just have a WaveMaker that has a timed setting. I have filter floss on top of my mechanical sponge to help the sand cloud get filetered.
 
i would think that if you remove sand now you will be removing bacteria as well....i would move the power head so its not blasting the front so hard then move some of the sand back to the front.
really i wouldn't worry about to much of anything right now just let the tank do its thing for a week then start fiddling with stuff to get everything how you like it.

my tank has been cycling for 8 days now and i have the power head pointed to the front left corner because it seems like thats the best all around flow. its making a small hole in the sand where its getting blasted. once my tank cycles ill move the power head so its not blasting that corner anymore and play with it till i find a good angle
 
AK707 said:
i would think that if you remove sand now you will be removing bacteria as well....i would move the power head so its not blasting the front so hard then move some of the sand back to the front.
really i wouldn't worry about to much of anything right now just let the tank do its thing for a week then start fiddling with stuff to get everything how you like it.

my tank has been cycling for 8 days now and i have the power head pointed to the front left corner because it seems like thats the best all around flow. its making a small hole in the sand where its getting blasted. once my tank cycles ill move the power head so its not blasting that corner anymore and play with it till i find a good angle
Click to expand...

Yeah good to know
 
I usually point my powerheads more to the surface rather then pointed down. I usually place them midway to lower in the tank then face them pointed more upwards.

I'm not certain but I think the sand u used is a fine grain sand if I remember correctly. Newer sand tends to blow around a little more until it starts to settle in & gets some bacteria built up
 
Once you have inhabitants, they, as well as the current, will redistribute all the sand. One thing is true in a reef: nothing tends to stay where you first put it.
 
as the tank gets mature the sand will settle and blow around less and less.

i find its best to put the power heads/ wave pumps on the sides of the tank close to the back about 4-6 inches down and aim them kinda up and at the glass on the front of the tank for one and on the glass at the back of the tank for the other.to me this creates a nice water movement and does not disturb the sand as much ..
 
If the pumps blow the sand to the back when you have a lot of sand, they will still blow the sand to the back when you have less sand. It's definitely not because of the amount of sand you have that it is blowing.

Work with the pumps, either by redirecting them or lowering their output.
 
jmm said:
If the pumps blow the sand to the back when you have a lot of sand, they will still blow the sand to the back when you have less sand. It's definitely not because of the amount of sand you have that it is blowing.

Work with the pumps, either by redirecting them or lowering their output.
Click to expand...

Part of the issue also is it put the rock in first so the diggers wouldn't topple the rock but now some of the rock is buried pretty good. So I may take out sand for that reason
 
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