Should I???
- Thread starter Seagars
- Start date
sirrealism
New member
I have 4 systems. 2 with and 2 without sand. guess which 2 I have issues with. I will never use sand again
Ted_C
Active member
adjusting an existing system to remove sand usually leads to all sorts of problems.
You'll be impacting the system by changing the balance. You may never be able to recover.
The physical removal of the sandbed usually releases the nutrients that were bound in the sand bed - no matter how efficient you can siphon out the sand. Be prepared to run 100% water changes for a few weeks to remove those nutrients (I exaggerate with 100% - but change out as much water as you can)
You're also disrupting the balance you may have going on now when it comes to phosphates / nitrates. Expect a dinoflagellate bloom when you remove the sand bed. I always got one when I impacted the balance of the tank.
Your removing (maybe even killing) a ton of nitrifying bacteria when you remove the sand. That causes imbalance and the release of those nutrients the bacteria were taking up.
I have two systems - a 150 and a 300. the 300 went bare bottom from the beginning. I had sand in the 150 that I removed. I experienced all of these problems when I removed the sand bed.
You'll be impacting the system by changing the balance. You may never be able to recover.
The physical removal of the sandbed usually releases the nutrients that were bound in the sand bed - no matter how efficient you can siphon out the sand. Be prepared to run 100% water changes for a few weeks to remove those nutrients (I exaggerate with 100% - but change out as much water as you can)
You're also disrupting the balance you may have going on now when it comes to phosphates / nitrates. Expect a dinoflagellate bloom when you remove the sand bed. I always got one when I impacted the balance of the tank.
Your removing (maybe even killing) a ton of nitrifying bacteria when you remove the sand. That causes imbalance and the release of those nutrients the bacteria were taking up.
I have two systems - a 150 and a 300. the 300 went bare bottom from the beginning. I had sand in the 150 that I removed. I experienced all of these problems when I removed the sand bed.
ClownMan727
New member
I removed mine a little at a time over the course of a few months and didn’t have any problems.
blindskater02
Premium Member
Bare bottom with lots of flow.
Webmanny
Active member
If your tank is well established, sand is not really needed. Sand is critical at the beginning of setting a tank up because of the surface area it has for bacteria to setup camp, but about a year in, you can remove it with little impact to the balance.
My recommendation would be:
My recommendation would be:
- Prepare enough saltwater for a 25% - 50% water change
- Get yourself a shop vac that is big enough for about 5 - 10 gallons
- Super clean the hose of the shop vac (vinegar soak, hydrogen peroxide, etc.)
- Turn off all the pumps
- Find a way to be close to the shop vac switch so you can control it or have someone turn it on and off for you, but it is better if you do it
- Turn the shop vac on once the hose is on the sandbed
- Turn it off when you have sucked the sand from that small area so you don't waste too much water or cause a big mess in your tank
- Empty and rinse the shop vac often so it does not flood your house. (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)
- I would do half the tank and the rest after a week or two later
