Gravel To Sand During Cycle...

[andy_sheff]

i started my fishless cycle yesterday in my rio 180 tank, at the moment the water is nice and clear and there is 16kg of roman medium gravel in there,... i think i want sand instead tho after looking at pics etc and readin i think id prefer it,..

is it ok to shovel the gravel out and put some platy sand in while its cycling and full of water. will it cloud up massively?

also, do i need to put anythin under the sand... i want to keep a couple of plants, not many tho

 

[Geoff1991]

Well, since your cycles only just begun, id empty the tank and take the gravel out, you cant really put sand in with it full of water anyway.

You could use a nutrient rich substrate under your sand, but if you only want a couple of plants i wouldnt bother.

I changed from gravel to sand the day i changed from a fish-in to fishless cycle.

 

[umpsfar]

What type of sand? play sand is very fine and sticks to glass, its also needs alot of water run through it to ensure the finer particules runoff,
Looks great but dirt stands out alot more.

 

[Geoff1991]

^ I agree, but if kept clean it looks excellent.

 

[andy_sheff]

why cant i put the sand in while the water is in and add some rocks and plants while im at it? Was just going to get some sand from argos or somewhere like that, the way i washed my gravel was to put it all in a big container and put it in bath and put the shower head in it and leave it running and over flowing and stirin it round, that seemed to do the trick, was taking forever doing it in a bucket and tap over and over. I presume same thing wil work for sand . .

 

[Geoff1991]

Theres no reason you cant add sand with water in but youll find the majority of it will hang around in the water and just be a big mess.

Thats right, just put the sand in the bucket and keep water constantly flowing in and let the bucket overflow, this was the sand will stay at the bottom and all the dust and scum will float up and out of the bucket. Give it a stir every couple of minutes and keep going until the water runs clear.

I also used argos playsand.

 

[andy_sheff]

cool cool, i can imagine some sand will float about but surely it will settle? Will it clog the filter up? Is it common to add plants and your general decor while water is in

 

[Geoff1991]

Personally, id say its easier to do it without water but it will eventually settle i guess.

Also plants and decor is fine while water is in.

I recommend giving the plants a quick salt bath first to kill anything thats hitched a ride. IE: Snail eggs.

 

[andy_sheff]

cool, cheers, is builders sand etc useable, as im sat near a builders merchants having my pork sarnie lol

 

[Geoff1991]

Im not sure, but id avoid that just incase theres anything nasty added to it. Plus, isnt it like... orange?

Argos play sand is good enough and is very cheap.

 

[andy_sheff]

cool, cheers, is builders sand etc useable, as im sat near a builders merchants having my pork sarnie lol

cool, cheers, is builders sand etc useable, as im sat near a builders merchants having my pork sarnie lol

cool, cheers, is builders sand etc useable, as im sat near a builders merchants having my pork sarnie lol

 

[andy_sheff]

no idea why that last post came up a few times! Cool, ile take a trip to argos and battle my way through all the single mums and chavs buying jewlery

 

[Geoff1991]

Make sure you dont have to carry the sand far if youre buying more than one bag. As i found out if you walk home, its a dead weight and is really awkward to carry

 

[andy_sheff]

just got it. The youth behind counter helped me carry it to van, i see what ya mean. I got 4 bags, think i got too much! Ile have to make a sand castle in the kitchen with the rest

 

[lana]

just got it. The youth behind counter helped me carry it to van, i see what ya mean. I got 4 bags, think i got too much! Ile have to make a sand castle in the kitchen with the rest

lol , post pic when your done for us to see and good luck