Would topping off my SB with new sand be bad idea?

[RioReefr]

I have my tank for 2 years and feel like finally it is "established" and things look good.

For only aesthetic purpose, I have some brand new white sand (CaribSea Aragonite) that I want to add to the tank to make it look really nice.

Admittedly, I stopped vacuuming my 1" DS long time ago as I would just get nasty nitrogen spikes leading to algae breakouts. Per some video (I can't remember), someone suggested just using coral feeder and blowing the detritus off the SB into the water column. This is what I do now ,but thing just don't look pretty.

So, this is my question. I was going to stir the SB, but not vacuum it. Then add a thin layer of brand new sand. Will this have any negative affect on the tank?
I have a whole slew of spaghetti worms in SB and know this is a good thing. Will that negatively affect them?

 

[mcgyvr]

I do not suggest disturbing a sand bed that has not been continually stirred..
You can add more sand just dont disturb whats there..

 

[D-Nak]

It'll look nice for about 5 minutes. Then the new sand will blend into your existing sand and it'll look just like it used to.

At only 1" high, you probably don't have much anaerobic bacteria. Stirring it will probably do more harm than vacuuming it. My recommendation would be to carefully vacuum it during your next water change, doing only half of the tank. Next water change do the other side.

 

[billdogg]

It'll look nice for about 5 minutes. Then the new sand will blend into your existing sand and it'll look just like it used to.

At only 1" high, you probably don't have much anaerobic bacteria. Stirring it will probably do more harm than vacuuming it. My recommendation would be to carefully vacuum it during your next water change, doing only half of the tank. Next water change do the other side.

^^^This^^^

I, for one, cannot imagine keeping an aquarium without having a python siphon available for routine cleanings. No buckets, no spill, and it allows you to clean your sand bed as much (or as little) as needed. I would go with no more than 1/4 - 1/3 of the sand per cleaning.

 

[RioReefr]

So far, I have not done anything in regards to adding sand as I am still researching doing.

Why do you guys recommend only a small amount (1/4 - 1/3) of the SB at a time? Is it because of a spike of ammonia/nitrites into the water column?

Admittedly, I used to vacuum the entire tank and noticed in a couple of days my corals would close up and get algae booms. So now, I don't vacuum anymore. I probably have not vacuumed the SB for at least 1 years. Once a week, I take Coral Feeder and blow the detritus into the water column, then in about 1 hour I take out the filter sock. After about 1 hour, when things settle down. I do my 10% water change.

 

[falconut]

I had about 2-3" sand bed in my old tank & would occasionally siphon the sand. As others have said, only did sections to avoid releasing too much at one time. This was if I left it undisturbed for a while.

My understanding is that adding small amounts of sand is to avoid a cycle. I've done this without issue. I would use the siphon tube to get the sand to the bottom, so it didn't get blown around on its way down to the bottom.

 

[billdogg]

When you vacuum the sb, you are removing not only the detritus but also some of the good stuff like bristle worms and pods. If you remove too much it will take awhile repopulate the good guys.