Mixing sand and argonite

[Gina]

I am moving my 5 gallon nano inhabitants to a 10 gal and I was wondering, is iti possible to mix the LS with some good quality argonite? This will save me some money so I can buy a proper filter and powerheads. Thanks.

 

[reefman23]

Most LS should be aragonite-based, so it should be no problem mixing the two. I would put the new sand in the new tank first, then put the LS from the 5 gal on top of the new stuf. The LS will quickly seed the new sand. You may see a small cycle after you disturb the existing sand bed, so keep an eye out for that.

Jesse

 

[Gina]

So what should I do with my fish/shirmp/crab? Will they be able to survive a little cycle? I also have LR that will be moved.
Sorry to ask so many questions but I don't want to kill these guys. :???:

 

[reefman23]

Personally, I have moved a 2 year old sand bed into a larger tank along with the inhabitants and it didnt seem to affect anything. However, if you have some sort of power filter, run it with lots of carbon to remove as much stuff as you can just before putting your inverts into the new tank. You will want to allow time for the temps of the two tanks to even out anyways, so this will allow you some time to run the filter.

Honestly, if your sand is less than 1" or so, you shouldnt have any problems. After you take everything out of the 5 gal, leave a couple gallons of water and the sand and just stir it and stir it. Do this for a minute or two and then remove the sand leaving the dirty water behind.

If you want to be SUPER cautious, you can use all new sand in the new 10, and just seed it with a cup or two of the old sand.

HTH,

Jesse

 

[Gina]

Thanks Jesse.