Sand in aquarium

[PufferGrrl]

This might be a really stupid question, but can I use a bubble disk under sand in my brackish tank? I've never used sand before and I wouldn't think I could since the sand is kinda cloudy when first adding it anyway, but that should settle, but I would think the bubble disk would upset this. I'm thinking bubble wand above the substrate in back instead.

[plurmaster]

What kinda sand are you using?

[PufferGrrl]

Aragonite.. there's nobody in the tank yet, planning to fishless cycle it.

Another question while I'm on the topic though.. as far as water changes, I'm assuming I don't clean the sand like I clean the gravel... but I did hear I need to stir it weekly to avoid gas bubbles in it?

[plurmaster]

You have to rinse the aragonite and i wouldnt care what instruction say because it contains dust in there. Put it in a bucket and rinse it couple of times. As for cleaning the fish poop will not sink under the sand or any waste it makes it easier to clean but you still have to vaccum least once a week. Yes you have to stir the sand occasionally to avoid getting gas pockets which is toxic to puffers and other fish.

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, you must stir every inch, weekly.

[PufferGrrl]

Do I vacuum the sand itself? Would that suck it up into the vacuum, or once it's settled is it more likely to stay that way?

Thanks for everyone's help!

[plurmaster]

just place tube on top of the waste not all the way down but usaully some sand might get sucked up into the vaccum that cannot be prevented. Most important thing is RINSE the sand till the water is clear before you put into the tank. You'll thank me later!!

[Happy_Puffer]

When I clean the sand some always get sucked up I heard that you can take apart an old net and rubber band it in the end, but I had to do that at the lfs I used to work at and it was more trouble then it was worth. I have a bubble stick in my marine tank and I haven't had any problems yet. Its on top of the sand I have never put it under the sand, so I don't know if that will work or not.

[PufferGrrl]

Is there a way to stir the sand without making the tank cloudy? ...and will that cloudiness hurt my puffer? I just worry about him breathing that in somehow...but not sure.. never had one with sand..

[cobra1713]

well you have to stir it either way, i mean if you dont stir it, it will hurt your puffer for sure! toxic pokets of gas can and most likly will form if you dont stir the sand so you just stir it, and if there isnt a fish in the tank yet stir it up REALLY good right before you do a water change and that way you might be able to suck up some of the dust from the sand with the water change.

[LizB]

I have all purpose sand in my tank and when I clean it I put the vac about and inch or 2 above the sand and it sucks poo right up. I loose so little sand that it's not even worth paying any attention to. I always poke my fingers around in the sand to the point of feeling the tank bottom and I move plants a little by sliding them in the sand. I don't have any trouble with the tank getting cloudy. Unless someone more experienced says different I think poking around would be just as good as stirring.

I used a bubble wand for a bit in the tank. I laid it on top of the sand and used a chunk of coral to keep it in place but the coral wasn't sitting on it. It's like the wand was free to float but it could only go so far up before the coral caught it and kept it in place. I took the wand out because Harry seemed like he might not have liked it and over protective me worried about bubbles being on everything.

I would worry about Harry being in a real sandy tank too. When I switched from gravel to sand I did it in sections with Harry [GSP] in the tank. He would go under his coral for a bit while the sand settled. It worried the heck out of me. Since then I've learned to pour sand through a pvc pipe if you need to.

Is there a way to stir the sand without making the tank cloudy? ...and will that cloudiness hurt my puffer? I just worry about him breathing that in somehow...but not sure.. never had one with sand..

[PufferGrrl]

I was thinking of sort of raking the sand...probably the same way you were talking about..or if i can find something with a handle I can hold onto.. otherwise I'm not sure what I was planning on using...just sticking the side of my net in there, but even tonight I stirred it a little bit because I'm still getting the tank ready..nobody in there yet..and it clouded up a bit... but I think it'll be ok.

[jimi]

yeha every one uses something different i use a bamboo pole that i call my kill stick ( goes back to high school days ( a whoe 2 years ago) when my friends where spending the night and got talkative one night so i beat them wiht it and a rumble pursued then we went back to our laying areas and the talking started again ( keep in mind the sun was coming up and if my mom cought us up she would force me to make her breakfast) so i threatened to use my kill stick ( then it broke so i now have the kill stick and the kill stick junior) but yeha i stick a bag on the end of the bamboo and just stir around a bit