Is it ok to add sand to your tank after the tank has already been established and cycled?

Question

i have crushed coral and sand mixed together as a substrate on the bottom of my tank and i have noticed that the shark i have in it tries to move the rocks aside from under him and he/she has red spots all under him/her. im thinking its a rash or something due to the mix of my substrate but not sure. thats y im gona try to add sand to cover all the crushed coral up and maybe its rash or whatever it is may go away. so i just wanted to know before i actually do add sand, will it effect my tank in any negative way.

Answer 1

Yes!  I converted my two tanks (both previously cycled and with gravel) to a nice sand substrate (use only the sand for fish at the fish store tho) and there were no problems at all. You mentioned that your filter is cycled and that's the main thing.  As for vacuuming the sand, it's quite easy and you'll figure out how much suction is needed.  I always do a surface sweep first and it pretty much only pulls up the debris that needs to be vacuumed.. I love the sand! It's great for the fish and looks beautiful. If your shark is in a tank that is too small this could also cause injury since they are notorious for banging their faces into the sides and top of the aquarium.

Good luck, Happy fish keeping :)

Answer 2

Well, the sand wont do anything to the cycle- as long as it's sterile, it has nothing in it that will put ammonia in your tank. If you have salt water and you want to add 'live-sand' you can, but it will have to be slowly over time so your bacteria aren't overwhelmed. But if you have an under gravel filter, I wouldn't bother with sand- it will eventually be more work than it is worth.

Sorry I'm not more help, I've never had to add sand like that...

Answer 3

Hi, Sand is nice to look at but it can clog your filter up and you would have to keep cleaning it often. If your shark keeps getting rashes from the rocks in it i wouldn't  advise you to have sand otherwise it could hurt the shark even more. Good luck - Fishqueen101

Answer 4

I've been following your questions so I know that you have a bamboo shark but you really should mention that you are dealing with saltwater in each question so that you don't become confused by freshwater answers.  You will still get freshwater answers but fewer of them.  

Yes, you can add sand after the tank has been established.  Wash the sand well or buy sand that is already clean or you will get cloudy water.  The bamboo shark definitely prefers a sand substrate as the abdomen is easily scratched by a coarser substrate, which may lead to an infection.  You are seeing this already but I hope that you are learning from the fact that you have done your tank backwards.  You need to know what the fish needs before you buy it and put it in the tank.  You have a fish that requires an expert fishkeeper.  Hopefully you will learn without killing the shark.  On www.reefkeeper.com there is a member called  lendz who has successfully kept bamboo sharks.  You could email him but you would have to register first, then look through the member list.  There are lots of members; lendz is on page 38 of the L's.   You really need to get some information from successful shark keepers.

Answer 5

what kind of shark are you having? a real saltwater shark? or freshwater hammerhead shark?  if freshwater sand is not a good idea it will be sucked through your filter unless you don't have a filter?  It will make your tank cloudy.  If your having a real shark it will bring you big problem in the future it will grow very big

Answer 6

rinse it and rinse it and rinse it again. Rinse it till you can't get anymore dust out of it and it should be fine. adding more won't hurt your natural bateria at all. Also, don't use home depot sand, use sand intended for a marine aquarium (seems like a no brainer but you'd be amazed)

Answer 7

No even if it was bought at a speciality store everything that is added to a tank must be sterilized.