Couple questions about sand

Ok, couple questions. First off, my 29g tank has CC in it right now (bad advice from LFS). If I wanted to change it, first would it help me get my nitrates down? I do 25% water change every 2 weeks, and nitrates seem to stay at around 25-50. How much sand would I need to get about a 3-4 in dsb? Could I just mix the southdown sand with say aragonite to seed it?
Oh, I do use RO/DI water for water changes with Instant Ocean salt mix, just in case of any questions.

Benjamin

 

sand would help lower your nitrates. i originally started with cc and couldnt keep them below 70-80. once i switched over to sand they dropped to about 10 or so. i think you said u have damsels what you might want to do is remove small sections of the cc at a time then let the water parameters straighten out. i had several fish when i switched and if i took out to much cc it seemed to raise the nitrites because when u remove substrate you remove bacteria. then replace the cc with the sand. you could get away with the 3" sand bed using the type of sand you have. they have a fine oolitic sand for shallow sandbeds and the southdown is close to the same size as this type of sand. i have about 80 lbs in a 75 gall gives me a 4" sb so i would say a little over a lb/gall (30-35 lbs for you). you can always add more later if needed. i would put the sd in first since it is finer and can blow around more then place the caribsea over top its a little coarser and doesnt stir as easily. it will seed it and all become live eventually. just my opionion but i found smaller water changes are easier on the system then a big one like 25%. i do a 5% change/week with a skimmer. when i ran w/o a skimmer i did 10% just a suggenstion

 

Thanks for the info Karlas

 

Is it better to buy sand from a pet shop (or fish shop) or just to buy it from a place like the Home Depot?

 

Pet shops chargeto much. Home Depot and other bulk sand sellers are a better way to go. :thumbsup1:

 

Thanks for the advice. Is the sand quality as good at Home Depot as it is at a Pet Shop??

 

The sand quality is the same at both establishments in my opinion. Although some companies that distribute the sand for pet use argue that there are specific nutrients added to absorb odors, etc. In my experience, this is a bunch of hoopla- it simply is a way of jacking up prices.

 

Sand is so costly for large aquariums. I am glad to hear that I can goto the Home Depot or bulk sand sellers. THANKS!! :thumbsup1:

 

if you can go to home depot and get the southdown play sand its an aragonite sand and the exact same type as you would get if you bought carib sea sand for triple the price. the main difference is carib sea sand has bacteria and water in it. but if cycling with lr or shrimp or adding just a couple pounds of ls all the dry will become live anyway

 

I can't wait to get my tank finished. ;D