# I've messed up



## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Good night my fellow fish keepers. 
I've messed up. My plan were to get geophagus redhead tapajos in my 75G,
But I search 2 fish stores today and couldn't find the sand I need or wanted,so I settle for this one








It's the National Geographic sand from prtsmart 
So my friend helped me moved the tank
I wash the sand and place it in the tank. I started the filter. It's currently on
I'm upset with my self 
I don't think my geos will be able to pick up the sand and sift through it
Any ideas what I should do


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Although there is a well established brand I always look for, this apparent store brand should be fine to use in its intended way in an aquarium. You rinsed it as directed and kept your filter intakes high and well away from the possibility of sucking in sand and damaging the impeller inside the filter.


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

I would have used PFS (Pool Filter Sand). Cheap, easy to clean, and looks good.


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## Jdriem (Oct 13, 2014)

tanker3 said:


> I would have used PFS (Pool Filter Sand). Cheap, easy to clean, and looks good.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^what he said. 
you can get a 50lb bag for like $5 from home depot.

I can't tell what kind of sand you bought from the picture you posted but I think you are worrying to much.

If you don't like the sand you put in, then go buy some PFS from home depot and switch it out.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Easy said than done. My tank is currently full with water and my sink isn't the bed. It's take a while for the water to go down. I'll have to check it out to see. 
So in order for me to add sand. I have to remove the water or I could just pour the sand in the water and let it be cloudy for a few


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Is it too coarse? It's not so terrible to drain the tank, scoop out the existing substrate and replace it with properly washed PFS.

I would not add sand to what is existing if it is no good. The 2 substrates will mix over time resulting in a bigger mess than you have now, assuming what you say is correct and the existing substrate is not suitable for Geos.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Mixing two different sizes of substrate results in the smaller grains filling in between larger ones. A perfect recipe for anaerobic bacteria.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

My plan was to scoop some up and dump it out and leave some 
Sorry it will take a long time to drain it. 
I'll just get a bucket. Full it with sand. Wash it. And dump it in the tank


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Buy a submersible pump or a Python equivalent. Your 75 will be a breeze to drain. If it's difficult to drain, how do you plan on getting motivated to do big water changes. If you only change 30 gallons, that's 6+ buckets full. Save your time and your back...


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

If you are worried that the fish won't be able to sift a large grain sand, let them get a little bigger and they will have no trouble. I have cichlids in with fairly large gravel, and none of them have any problem redepositing it and frequently redecorating the tank by moving piles of gravel around. Even very small cichlids like the African shell dwellers can move prodigious amounts of medium gravel as easily as sand.

I have noticed that sand is getting a little harder to trust when purchased for non aquarium applications. The black blasting sand which was for years a stand by, now often has additives like petroleum, which although it must be good for the sand blasting equipment, is very hard to remove. Likewise filtration sand for swimming pools is beginning to come with wonderful new additives, if it is used for its intended purpose. Even play sand, which you would think ought to be additive free for the sake of little humans, has been using something with the characteristics of titanium dioxide to color the sand white. However rinsing it for the aquarium strips away the pigment layer, leaving a less attractive color.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Buy a submersible pump or a Python equivalent. Your 75 will be a breeze to drain. If it's difficult to drain, how do you plan on getting motivated to do big water changes. If you only change 30 gallons, that's 6+ buckets full. Save your time and your back...


I have a purging plus a extension but I need to fix my drain. The water doesn't go down clear. Might have hair in it.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Mcdaphnia said:


> If you are worried that the fish won't be able to sift a large grain sand, let them get a little bigger and they will have no trouble. I have cichlids in with fairly large gravel, and none of them have any problem redepositing it and frequently redecorating the tank by moving piles of gravel around. Even very small cichlids like the African shell dwellers can move prodigious amounts of medium gravel as easily as sand.
> 
> I have noticed that sand is getting a little harder to trust when purchased for non aquarium applications. The black blasting sand which was for years a stand by, now often has additives like petroleum, which although it must be good for the sand blasting equipment, is very hard to remove. Likewise filtration sand for swimming pools is beginning to come with wonderful new additives, if it is used for its intended purpose. Even play sand, which you would think ought to be additive free for the sake of little humans, has been using something with the characteristics of titanium dioxide to color the sand white. However rinsing it for the aquarium strips away the pigment layer, leaving a less attractive color.


Thanks. For the feedback. I took half the sand out and push half too the side. I'll make a hill. Tommorrow I'll add the fine sand. I


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Geolovers24 said:


> Mcdaphnia said:
> 
> 
> > If you are worried that the fish won't be able to sift a large grain sand, let them get a little bigger and they will have no trouble. I have cichlids in with fairly large gravel, and none of them have any problem redepositing it and frequently redecorating the tank by moving piles of gravel around. Even very small cichlids like the African shell dwellers can move prodigious amounts of medium gravel as easily as sand.
> ...


 Not a good idea. No matter where it starts from, all the sand will mix together and the two sizes will compact, driving out oxygen from the sand and producing hydrogen sulfide gas toxic to fish and smelling like rotten eggs.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Really 
On be left side of the tank is where I would put the hill
So what you reccomnd I do since it's a bad idea


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Geolovers24 said:


> Really
> On be left side of the tank is where I would put the hill
> So what you reccomnd I do since it's a bad idea


Sand will not stay where you put it. It will mix sooner than later. If you really insist on mixing different size sands, use a gravel cleaner siphon at least weekly, and immediately any time you see bubbles coming up from the sand. If there are bubbles, try to suck out as much sand there as you can. The bubbles are an indication that hydrogen sulfide, a deadly gas, is being produced in your sand. The more sand you drain out with the water, the better. Rinse the sand in your bucket with clean tap water a couple times. Don't worry about the bacteria since there is not enough oxygen in the sand to support the good kind of bacteria. On the final rinse, add a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the rinse. Let it sit until any black bacterial stains are bleached out. Drain out the water and return the sand to the tank.

With many kinds of fish there is often more than one right way to do things. That does not mean the other right way is as easy as a popular way. What works for one person may not work for another who does not know how to cope with the consequences of that particular method.

It is a lot easier to use a sand with uniform size grains because that allows more open spaces for exchange of oxygen into the sand. With different sizes, there is no natural flow of oxygen into the sand so you have to introduce it mechanically by using a gravel cleaner frequently.

There is even another way to deal with keeping the gravel oxygenated. Burrowing snails can tunnel through the substrate, bringing oxygen with them, but then you have a whole new set of coping mechanisms to deal with the snails. They tend to clog intakes, grow inside filters, and have to be included as inhabitants when you decide how many fish can live well in a particular size tank.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Well I don't have any fish in there, the tank is just full. But I kinda understand where u coming from 
So if I wanted to make a hill. How would I do that?
Should I try to remove all the sand I place in the tank from the beginning?
What should I do with the old sand?
I don't have any hydrogen peroxide?
Wouldn't my geophagus redhead move the sand around. So the gas wouldn't add up?
Can I poke the sand with a stick every couple days to remove the gas?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

What exactly is wrong with the sand you added?


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

The sand I currently have is to course for my geophagus
So last week I purchase black sand. Then white sand, some is in the tank already 
So I scoop most out and push the rest on a side 
I bought fine sand yesterday!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Remove the water and then all the old sand. Throw it away.

If the gas forms and you release it with a stick it will kill your fish. Why take a chance?

It's easy to make a hill, but it will be rearranged by the fish and the water circulation, so why bother?


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

I can't remove all the water.
So it's a bad idea keeping that sand to the left
Aka the mini hill


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

You can remove all the sand without removing the water. For maintaining fish though, it's very important to be able to remove lots of water, probably on a weekly basis and replace it with new clean water. So get some equipment that enables you to remove and change water. The water can be removed. You got it in there somehow and removing it could be as simple as reversing the process that got the water in the tank.

Anyway, here are two ways to remove the sand without removing the gravel. Take the gravel cleaner off of the siphon hose. Start a siphon and then begin alternately sucking in sand then a slug of water to keep things moving. When the bucket gets close to full, return the water to the tank. Continue until all the sand is removed and the water is all back in the tank. If you have a lot of sand, you may need two or three buckets.

Another way to remove the sand is with a new clean all plastic dust pan. Scoop up some sand and lift it out of the tank and put it in a bucket. Repeat until all the sand is scooped out. With a little imagination there are probably other ways to remove only the sand.

I have trouble imagining that the sand is too coarse for earth eaters to move. The first thing I can think of right now is that the fish are small.


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Thanks. I got it. I used a dustpan and scooop it own. 
Tank is a little cloudy but it's no big deal. No fish in there. I'll let the sand settle down then turn my filter on


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

after reading this thread...........I have a feeling you all are being trolled.       =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: Atleast I Hope so


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## Geolovers24 (Apr 9, 2017)

Goose14 said:


> after reading this thread...........I have a feeling you all are being trolled.       =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: :dancing: Atleast I Hope so


Who's the troll??


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## Goose14 (Nov 28, 2014)

Just seems like you're asking these people the same questions over and over again and not wanting to do what the suggest.

Either leave the sand and see if it will be ok with the Geos, or tank the sand out. Those are your 2 options. 
I can't see any reason why the National Geographic sand would be a issue for the Geo's. Unless you don't like the look of the sand, just leave it. Plus you paid a lot of money for the sand from the pet store when you could have just got 100lbs of PFS for like $10. So unless you just hate the "look" of the sand, I recommend just leaving it.

My 2 cents anyway


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