Substrate help

[Sultrysamurai]

Hello I have a planted 10gallon with sand as the substrate. The plants are fine as I use fertilizer but the sand always looks so dirty.. I wanted to switch to Fluval stratum but the bag reads not to mix. Am I supposed to empty all the sand out and re plant everything? I wanted to just mix in because every time I clean/vacuum I loose a bunch of sand and there are holes in substrate. 
mid there a better substrate I can just mix together with the sand until eventually all the sand is vacuumed away?

Thanks!

[nabokovfan87]

You can mix it if you want to.  It might not look the way you think. 

I would remove all the sand, clean it, and then go ahead and replace it.  If you use the sand, it would be for a cap (need a certain thickness) or you'd want to have a section with sand, a section with substrate.  Corvus Oscen has a lot of good videos on this.

As far as the process, I know it seems like a lot of work, but it's really easy. 
1.  Get 2-3 tubs/buckets ready with tank water.
2.  Move the plants into one tub
3.  Move the rocks and wood into another tub
4.  Move the fish into their own tub with an airstone.  Optionally add any filter you have to this bucket or pouches of ceramic media.
5.  Drain the tank as much as you can
6.  Use a cup or scoop or wet/dry vac and get all the sand out.
7.  Clean the sand like you would with a brand new batch of sand.
8.  Rinse your new substrate, add that in, then add some water and hardscape and plants,
9.  Fill the tank all the way, run the filter for a few hours and run a water test.
----> Some planted substrates leech out ammonia, you'd want to be aware of this.  Optionally you can test a cup of the substrate soaked in water for an hour or so and see if it leeches before you proceed with the full dismantle.
10. After everything is good, put the fish back in. Acclimate to temp.

[Sultrysamurai]

Would just adding lava rock with the sand be an option? I struggled with cycling my tank and now my water parameters are good, I don’t want this new substrate turning everything out of whack. 

[Patrick_G]

I'd leave the sand as long as your plants are growing ok. It's possible to vacuum it without sucking any out of the tank, it just take a little more patience. a little more patience You might also just need a bit more flow in the parts of the tank that are getting dirty. If you have a hang on back filter you could move it so the flow washes over the dirty section or you could add a power head to direct flow over the area. 

[Sultrysamurai]

On 12/18/2022 at 3:13 PM, Patrick_G said:

I'd leave the sand as long as your plants are growing ok. It's possible to vacuum it without sucking any out of the tank, it just take a little more patience. a little more patience You might also just need a bit more flow in the parts of the tank that are getting dirty. If you have a hang on back filter you could move it so the flow washes over the dirty section or you could add a power head to direct flow over the area. 

I only have a sponge filter, every time I try to be delicate getting the algae and such off the sand while cleaning it takes out large holes. 
At the moment I have large areas of exposed plant roots due to less sand in the tank. 
I was hoping  for an easy mix in to refill the areas but doesn’t seem that easy.

maybe just add more sand and mix?

Thanks!

[Patrick_G]

On 12/18/2022 at 4:13 PM, Sultrysamurai said:

I only have a sponge filter, every time I try to be delicate getting the algae and such off the sand while cleaning it takes out large holes. 
At the moment I have large areas of exposed plant roots due to less sand in the tank. 
I was hoping  for an easy mix in to refill the areas but doesn’t seem that easy.

maybe just add more sand and mix?

Thanks!

Sponge filters are great for keeping your water free of toxins but they’re not great with the flow. You can try taking a turkey baster and try blowing the detritus into the water column, then you can siphon it out. 
 

You might want to check out pool filter sand. It's generally heavier than most aquarium sands and it might look well mixed in with your sand. It's the stuff I'm using in the tank pictured in my sig. I have a powerhead that directs flow across the exposed areas, but it eventually gets dirty and I pour some new and on top. 

[sairving]

Currently, I have brightwell Aquatics Rio Escuro aquasoil capped with sand. Rio Escuro does not leach ammonia, which is why I like to use it. Yes, I have a bit of mixing going on but it doesn't bother me too much. I use the largest grain sand from Caribsea but pool filter sand should work too.

Edited December 20, 2022 by sairving

[Schuyler]

On 12/18/2022 at 4:52 PM, Patrick_G said:

Sponge filters are great for keeping your water free of toxins but they’re not great with the flow. You can try taking a turkey baster and try blowing the detritus into the water column, then you can siphon it out. 

I use one of those long algae scrapers in one hand and the syphon in the other. I swish around with the scraper to kick up detritus and then it goes into the syphon. At least that's what I do around the plants.

If there aren't plants I just graze the surface of the sand and pinch it off if sand starts getting too high up.

I've also heard some people online say that they just replace portions of their sand occasionally to keep things looking nice, since pool sand is so cheap.

[Sultrysamurai]

On 12/19/2022 at 9:46 PM, Schuyler said:

I use one of those long algae scrapers in one hand and the syphon in the other. I swish around with the scraper to kick up detritus and then it goes into the syphon. At least that's what I do around the plants.

If there aren't plants I just graze the surface of the sand and pinch it off if sand starts getting too high up.

I've also heard some people online say that they just replace portions of their sand occasionally to keep things looking nice, since pool sand is so cheap.

I have a lot of plants haha I think that’s why it’s all cratered looking. I’m thinking of moving/ adding lava rock and eventually eliminating the sand with water changes.. sand is kind of a big hassle. Thank you for your advice!