problem......HELP!!!!

[diskboy]

ok as you all know i added sand to the tank but i am having a problem with it. my mom picked up a 50lbs. bag of regular playsand from lowes. i put it in turned on the filter and added the sponge filter and airstone. i woke up this morning to the sponge filter covered in sand so i turned the air pump off. i took a close look at my discus and they have sand particles on them is this bad so i move them? feedback needed

[Bainbridge Mike]

How much sand did you put in the tank? Did you wash/rinse the sand before putting it in the tank?

If you have a spare (empty) tank, put your fish in it. You need to rinse the sand to get all the fine material out. And then I would only put about 1/2 inch or so of sand in the tank.

[diskboy]

its about 2 in. it said prerinsed . well i guess if it wasnt it is now it wasnt dusty or anything when i added the water im getting confused

[KIWI13]

Its not the best to add sand in the tank with the fish in there... Plus the sand on them is due to their slime coating.. I think at the most, it might irritate them. i cna't see any other damage.. maybe someone well versed in the practice will shed some more light on the subject...

Look, any filter is gonna experience problems int he long run with sand, cause sand wears out the axel. Is your water clear now??? I would try lowering the power of the air pump and see if that makes a difference..

did you clean the sand before adding it. Anyway I wouldnt try removing it. That might prove to be your worst nightmare..

Let it settle completely and then you could probably sprinkle some gravel over it.. Do not create another layer, just a little to kinda hold things down and save you a sand storm when you fire up the filter....

Good luck

[KIWI13]

K Obviously Mikey posted while I was typing up my short story LOL...

Did ya ask for advice before you added your sand in??? Just curious..

look moving the fish like Mike suggested is a sage idea and I would back him up on that...

You should always rinse out your sand and gravel before adding them to a tank with fish..

[Bainbridge Mike]

All those bags of sand say pre-rinsed. And they are rinsed well enough for most construction purposes--but not for aquarium purposes. The sand will be a big problem until you have thoroughly washed it. Put it in a large bucket or tub, run a hose in it and tilt the bucket to the side. The fine material will eventually flow out and you will be left with clean sand that you can use.

Best of luck,
Mike

[AmberC]

You should always rinse out your sand and gravel before adding them to a tank with fish..

EVEN if it says "pre-rinsed". And I believe that goes with anything you add to the tank. I always rinse everything before it goes into my tanks.
Good luck with that!
Amber

[Cosmo]

Ditto with Amber..

Also, sand over an inch thick can lead to severe health problems due to growth of anearobic bacteria (no circulation through the sand).

Jim

[Timbo]

ime, pre-rinsed means dirt added

bought some of that stuff too and you wouldnt believe the filth that came out of the sand when it was rinsed

[II j L c II]

I say leave the sand as is now and just do water changes where you syphon the sand but lift the syphon out of the sand before it gets sucked into the tubing, this way you circulate the sand and pick up all the fine material. Taking out the sand now would be useless because all the fine material is already floating in ur tank and you'd probably not be able to catch it.

If you haven't already, make sure your intake valves for your filters are no where near 5'' of sand, as kiwi stated, it can ruin your axel if sucked. You're in the clear as long as you don't let it splash towards the intake valve. You could also turn the filters off when you clean ur tank to be 100% sure it won't catch sand.

Good Luck,
Jon

[Bainbridge Mike]

I'll respectfully disagree with Jon. With as much sand as you have in there, you would be better off taking it out and giving it a good wash--and then returning a portion of it to the tank. 2 inches is about 4 times too much.
Good luck,
Mike

[II j L c II]

With all due respect,

I myself have sand in my tank, and I've used that sand he is speaking of. It's truly not that dirty. Thinking about when I washed my sand, I only rinsed it once and the fine pieces floated to the top, so if he didn't rinse his then the fine pieces should float to the top of the tank as well. Anyways, what harm could the fine material do? Also, how is 2 inches of sand 4 times too much? I tend to see most sanded tanks with at least a one inch layer.

Just curious about your statement.

Jon

[Bainbridge Mike]

I have washed a lot of sand and I have never had the fine materials float to the top (except for a teeny bit of the super-fine dust). I find it takes some agitation to get the fines out. I guess 1 inch would be ok too--so I could have said 2x more sand than you want, but with 2 inches of sand you will get anaerobic dead spots. If the idea is to keep the tank as clean as possible and keep it easy to clean, then a thin layer of sand is better. Of course, this is my opinion--based on my preferences and experiences.

Take care,
Mike

[II j L c II]

Understood, thanks for the reply! :)

Jon

[KIWI13]

You know you both have put up a very valid discussion.. It can work both ways and I for one would actually adapt both your advice to the situation...

Personally, I would remove the fish and keep them in a new tank. Then either I would let the sand settle down over time before siphoning it to remove the fine particules. OR I would go ahead and take all the sand out.. The easiest way is to siphon it out with a simple garden hose tube.. it creates enough of a vacuum to suck out the sand...

Either way I would move the fish to less traumatise them.

respectfully

jason

[hexed]

Kevin,
Sorry, I was on vacation. The sand is in there already. Remove the sponge filter and put some tank water in a bucket and remove the sand from it. Do not bury the base of the sponge filter in the sand. Continue running all your filters. You will need them going to cycle the sand. I would put my hands in the tank and slowly move them towards the discus, this should make them swim and the sand on them should fall off. Next time always wash or rinse ANYTHING you place in your tank even if it says "pre rinsed" Remember it is not "pre rinsed" for a fish tank but for a sand box so it wasn't a good idea to just place it in the tank. Keep your eye on the perimeters and the health of the discus. Make sure you do your water changes and the debris will slowly be removed.
Frank

[Boupette]

Was it looking like this:

http://i09.servimg.com/u/09/00/45/27/picots10.jpg

Since I change my barrebottom tank for a planted 90gallons, I'm in problems since the first day!

It's written "all purpose dried sand" and I must have rinced it at least 10 times... I'm a bit discouraged tonight..:cry:

Tell what you've done... I plan to take of the sand and put only plants pots, I don't know... what a job!

Hélène