Floating sand! help!

[TheCureForSin]

Well, first off, I'm new to the board, my name's Nick and I've always kept freshwater tanks with my father since I can remember, now I'm determined to get a reef tank set up!

Ok, so here's the problem; I just started getting ready to set up my tank (75 gallon), using black marine sand as my substrate, now I filled the tank with the sand then filled it with water obviously. Now there's sand floating alllllll over the place and the base sand is full of air bubbles.

So that being the case, I went and drained about 95% of the water I had in there to maybe start over as fresh as I can.

Anyone have any ideas???

[kathainbowen]

Black marine sand is most likely a silicate sand. Silicate sand has the benefit of sharper colors, but it doesn't do anything for buffering. Silicate sand can float about a bit after adding it. Just try to stir things up by swatting about on the surface. It should knock the sand down, no longer held up by the surface tension of the water.

But, if I were you.... I'd dump the silicate sand all together.

Yes, black sand is pretty, but it doesn't really do anything beneficial for your tank. That, and silicate sands seem to just collect debris and detritus on the surface of the sand, in big piles of gross.

[TheCureForSin]

honestly, I'm just using it for the color. I mean, if it's going to get dirty easily, I have no problem cleaning a little more than usual or getting a decent cleanup crew, gives me something to do. I figure after I get it filled again, add the salt, and run it for a bit, I can swat the heck out of any floating sand or the base sand to get rid of all the air bubbles. I guess it's a good thing my utilities are included, tonight will be going on 150 gallons of water into that tank lol

I was just worried because I'm using sand in one of my freshwater tanks and I've never had any issues with it floating, but then again it's a heavier type of sand. There's just something about watching fish dig in the sand that catches my attention.

[Joshua1023]

Your not alone. I thought about black sand when I first started my tank, but I chickened out.

Truly I think that most problems people state about silicate sand are hear say, rumors, and myths. The only real problem I've heard of using silica sand is that it will scratch your glass easier than other sands if it is caught in a mag float or something of the sort.

As far as the floating sand, I'd take a powerhead and position it 6 inches below the water and point the output towards the surface to create as much agitation as possible.

Best of luck

Josh

[kathainbowen]

Oh, it doesn't make cleaning too difficult. All you have to do is syphon carefully to top layer, or start a syphon through just a 3/8-1/2 inch tube, sucking the debris directly off the top of the sand. It requires a soft and easy touch when it comes to cleaning, and just takes longer than a normal syphoning.

As per the previously mentioned buffering issue, as long as you have a good buffer, it's not really something to worry about. Just keep an eye on your pH and a steady supply of buffer on hand to remedy any potential issues.

And, by the by, silicate sands DO float on freshwater. We had two s/w tanks at work with black sand (so that's how I know debris shows on top of it!) and 3 f/w with blue sand. It definitely floats sometimes when it manages to sit on the water's "skin."

[TheCureForSin]

Thanks for all the info! I guess I wasted tons of time emptying the tank, my bad. Definitely appreciate any info!