Top 10 Tips for Adding Sand to Your New or Established Saltwater Tank
- Sep 10, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 465 0 0
Here are our top 10 dos and don'ts while adding sand to your new tank or to the tank that already has live rocks, plus one bonus tip that you don't want to miss: What you should avoid in the first couple of days after adding your sand?
1. Have a Tank Plan
Do have an overall aquascape and fish plan in mind. It doesn't have to be set in stone. However, consider both your desired look and the fish that you want to add in the future, like Wrasses, Jawfish, and Gobies, so that you add the right amount of sand the first time around.
If you are not sure how much sand to add, keep an eye out for a sand depth calculator. We always recommend about one pound of sand per gallon of display water volume as a general rule.
2. Don't Rise Arg-Alive! Or Ocean's direct Sand
If you want to maintain the benefits of the added beneficial bacteria inside, never rinse the Arg-Alive or Ocean's Direct sand.
3. Always Rinse your Dry Sand
Always rinse your dry sand, because more often than not, it is very frosty and will take forever for your tank to clear up. The best practice is to use the RO water for the rinsing process, but if you are in a pinch and have to use tap water, use some dechlorinate first.
4. Always Add all the Arge-Alive! Sand Water
In this sand, it is the water that contains most of the bacteria and the reason you bought the sand in the first place.
5. Always Use the Packed of Clarifier
If you are using sand, do always use a packet of clarifiers with the sandbag. It will clear the entire tank water almost immediately.
6. Do Your Rock Scape First
Always do your rockscape before adding water into your aquarium. It is very easy to build a solid structure, adn will be less messy to aquascape without water in your way. When building your aquascape, try using rock with as flat services as possible.
7. Don't Burry Your Corals With Sand
When adding sand to an established tank, don't burry your corals with new sand and uncover them after you are done. Instead, try moving them out of the way, or you can take them out of the tank temporarily while adding the new sand, and once you are done, just put them right back in the place.
8. Add Water Carefully
When all your rock and sand are in their place, do not dump water vigorously in your tank. The sand will go everywhere, your rock stricter can fall, and if you took hours to build your perfect sand garden look, you would destroy it in a minute.
9. Add Water to A Flat Surface
You can try pouring your water to a flat surface. Or even better, use a small pump or pipe to add water to your rock work slowly.
10. Add Sand Carefully
When adding sand to your tank that has already been set up, do not just cut open the bag and dump the entire content in your aquarium. Sand will cover everything, instead. To ensure that your sand ends up in the places you want it to go, you can use a small cup to add your sand to your desired areas slowly.
Bonus
After you have added the sand to your tank, do not try to clean up the inside of your tank with a magnet scrapper. The small dust particles actually stick to the magnet and make it like fine grid sandpaper that will scratch the glass of your tank.
Instead, use something softer, like foam cleaning spongs, to gently wipe the excess dust out of your tank's inside surfaces. You might have to do this a couple of times, but you will be a lot happier than you did not use your magnet scrapper.
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