Would it be a big no no if I went and changed the sand in my tropheus thank that has been there for a year? If so I know what I am doing next weekend hehe :)

I'm not sure of the answer, but that certainly seems like a monumental task. How big is the tank?

Yeah you could do it with out any problems. What I do just to be extra safe is to take a small aquaclear bag full of the old substrate and just hold it in the tank for a couple days. Just in case any bacteria lost can reastablish.

If you haven't thoroughly churned the sand frequently throughout the past year, you could release some pockets of bacteria and cause some problems in the tank, so be very careful! I would test my water and make sure things were perfect before putting the Tropheus back into the tank, and under no circumstances would I risk making the switch with the fish still in the tank!

Do you plan to take the tank completely down to do this?

Good luck! Sounds like an all day job to me!

Kim

Well here is what I was going to do...
- empty some of the water into tubs and move fish there.
- empty the rest of the water and get the sand out.
- refill with new sand
- add half new water
- top off with old water
- add fish
- enjoy the new look :)

I dont see how and or / why it wouldnt work. I might also leave some of the old sand in a bag inside the tank for backteria to get in faster.

Tomek
Sounds like a solid plan. If I may suggest that you should also keep your filters running in the tubs to keep the bio filter going and keep those trophs happy. Other than that I did the same when I redid my hap tank recently. Just rinse that new sand good to get out the dust. It will cut down on the wait time until the water clears after you refill the tank,get the temp right and get your filters in place. You probably knew all this but I couldn't help myself! :blink:

Good Luck

What are you currently using for substrate now? What are you changing to?

I have sand in there now but its white... I got into liking the black moon sand mix and will think of adding that.

OOOOOrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Instead of complete redo... just add the new black sand on top of whats there now... that shouldnt do any harm.

Tom, your plan sounds fine to me. I have just changed substrate in two of my Tropheus tanks from play sand to silica sand and basically used the same method. I placed the fish into a spare tank and moved the filter there too. Then I removed 50% of the water and the old sand. After washing the silica sand I added it and the rocks back, filled up the tank with fresh water, moved the filter back and let it run until the next day. The water was crystal clear and I moved the fish back into their new surroundings. No problems at all Good Job

Good luck Cheers!!!

Just a little helpful hint for removing cloudiness from water when changing sand or going with sand for the first time...Pick up one of the blue microfibre cloths at Walmart in the automobile section - they use them for car detailing. Put it in your filter overnight, and your cloudiness will resolve quicker.

Quick question for Klaus...What made you change from play sand to silica? Larger grain???

Tomek, are you "crazyravr" from ACF?

I love the black sand look, but it does show waste really bad! You'll have to post pics when you're done!

Kim

The play sand I used was too fine, almost like dust. That made it very difficult to vacuum the surface. The other thing I did not like was that the fact that this particular play sand did not settle quickly. So the sand disturbed by the fast movement of the fish close to the filter intake (it is about 5" of the ground) would get into the filters.

I have silica sand in my Amazon tank and is just great. The sand is so heavy that nothing will ever float in the water and the cleaning is a breeze.

Another thing is that the play sand I used would get very packed and hard while the silica sand stays loose. Hey, live and learn Cheers!!!

That's good to know, Klaus!

I found the Tahiatian moon sand much as you describe the play sand, way too fine and you need an extra bag of it laying around to replace every time you vacuum. It was an expensive lesson for me, so now I stick with my $5 bags of silica sand! But, the black sure looks good with the lighter coloured fish!

Kim

I really like the Tahitian moon sand in my 38 gallon tank, but it does have its problems. I've noticed all of the same things that were already mentioned. It also seems to "absorb" the light so it's a pretty dark tank. My saulosi really stand out against it. Good Job

Tomek, in one of my fry tanks I added some moon sand on top of the play sand that was in it and it mixed together for a salt and pepper look. It's not nearly as dark, but I think I like the uniform color better. I always try things out in my 10 gallon tanks first so it's easier to change if I don't like the result.

I went from using #8 blasting gravel to silica sand...what a mess. I wish you luck Tomek, and be sure to post us a few pics, even if they are "ALIENS". 4mongo