Switching from gravel to sand

Not sure if this should go here, or somewhere involving the Nitrogen Cycle, but I have a few quick questions about switching substrates. I've been wanting to switch from my fancy and totally awesome PetSmart black gravel (so said because PetSmart only recently started carrying plain black gravel lol) to this really nice larger gained PetCo black sand. So I bought a bag of the sand when I went out to get a heater today.

Now the question:

I just set this tank up about 3-4 weeks ago, with seeded media. After about a week, it went through a very-tiny-little-minI cycle. Like ammonia went up for just a day, and that was it. Then I had no problems. And then yesterday I bought two small African Dwarf Frogs for the tank. I haven't touched the media since just after the minI cycle, when I added a new filter sponge on top the old one, and gave the old one a little rinse in syphoned tank water.

Would it be ok to change out the gravel provided I do an extra water change if need be, and keep an eye on things, or should a wait a week or so? I have an awesome plan in my head about how I want the tank to look, and I want to put into action!

Also, how should I go about cleaning this sand for use in the tank? All I have is a 2 1/2 gallon watering can (used for getting old water out of the tank), and one empty 1/2 gallon glass bowl and 3 gallon tank. Any ideas on how to go about this are very much welcome LOL

 

I would just use the pillowcase method for rinsing sand, seems easier than some of the other ways just because the water will go right through the pillowcase and you won't need to carefully drain anything. I used a towel because I didn't have any pillowcases, and I must say, I will never do that again. Sooo messy.

And if you're worried about going through another mini-cycle, you can find little cups or cut the bottoms off of a few soda bottles, put some of the old gravel in those, and stick them in the tank for a couple weeks. It worked well for me. And of course, do a water change every couple days, or more often if you'd like.

I hope this info helps, I'm a bit of a fish noob but this is one thing I have experience with.

 

I've changed all of my tanks to sand and have never kept any of the gravel. The majority of the bacteria is in the filter. Any time you do anything that affects the bacteria, you can help control the affects by fasting the fish for a couple days.

On a side note, there are innumerable threads on changing from gravel to sand. Don't be afraid to search

 

I've changed all of my tanks to sand and have never kept any of the gravel. The majority of the bacteria is in the filter. Any time you do anything that affects the bacteria, you can help control the affects by fasting the fish for a couple days.

On a side note, there are innumerable threads on changing from gravel to sand. Don't be afraid to search

I know there are, I was mostly asking about me adding new critters the past few days, and then wanting to change the substrate at the same time they are settling in. Don't want to screw with anything lol

I've looked a bit, but there's no info about how to do it with out buckets and stuff, that I could find. All I have is the watering can, and the empty 3 gallon tank. I might do a bit of a water change to get rid of one of these gallons of water I have, and cut the top off the jug and use that...

 

I don't think you should have an issue. what size tank? who is in there

-j

 

I don't think you should have an issue. what size tank? who is in there

-j

Its the 5 gallon that I was having heater issues with.

-1 male betta
-2 ADF
-5 baby mystery snails (not permanent residents)
-RCS

Also just got some MTS, but they aren't in yet. They're still in the bag lol

 

oh yeah! the heater problem! so what did you do?

 

You could put the new sand in the 3 gal tank and just place a hose in with the sand. Turn the hose on a just let the water clean it. When the water is clear, the sand is clean.

 

You could put the new sand in the 3 gal tank and just place a hose in with the sand. Turn the hose on a just let the water clean it. When the water is clear, the sand is clean.

I don't have a hose either. Or anywhere I can do this out side. What I ended up doing was I moved the fish out of the tank, netted the gravel into the 3 gallon to dry, and now I'm cleaning the sand by the net full. It actually could just go in the tank out of the bag, because the water comes off perfectly clean, but I'm rinsing it, anyway. Seems to be working out

 

After hearing about all the benefits of sand, I've finally decided to give it a go!
But before diving in head-first, I just have a few questions that are probably really obvious... but I'll ask them anyway!
(This is a 10 gallon cycled tank, with 3 guppies and 2 cories)

1. In your opinion, what's the best/easiest way to rinse out sand? I've seen several different ways.
2.
Is this suitable for the cories? also, would 15lbs be enough for about an inch of sand in a 10 gallon tank?
3. How would I change out the gravel without kicking up a lot of detritus in the process?
4. I like to rearrange the tank once in a while. If I shift the sand, will waste on top get trapped inside?
5. How dangerous are gas pockets? They sound very scary.
6. Ways to avoid a mini-cycle?
7. Last but not least, if I decide to add plants later on, are root tabs absolutely necessary?

I guess that was a little more than a few questions... a lot more than a few questions. Oh well
I'll appreciate any help!

 

Hello, welcome to fishlore
Answers below:

1. In your opinion, what's the best/easiest way to rinse out sand? I've seen several different ways.

I usually just pour about 3 to 4 lbs at a time into a bucket, add water, rinse, drain, repeat until the water is no longer dark grey.

2.
Is this suitable for the cories? also, would 15lbs be enough for about an inch of sand in a 10 gallon tank?

Definitely enough. I'd start with 10lbs and see if you think that's enough. You can always add more.

3. How would I change out the gravel without kicking up a lot of detritus in the process?

I have found the best way to pick up old gravel etc is to use a dust pan believe it or not and just scoop it out!

4. I like to rearrange the tank once in a while. If I shift the sand, will waste on top get trapped inside?

Potentially. Usually you don't shift the sand a lot. The cories will probably stir up the sand enough that the waste won't stay there for long.

5. How dangerous are gas pockets? They sound very scary.

I've never had one that I know of
I would say unless you have a really deep sand bed the chance is rare. If you have plants with roots that will aerate your sand as well.
Some people like MTS Malaysian Trumpet Snails in their sand to keep it aerated also. I have them in mine but not everyone likes them.

6. Ways to avoid a mini-cycle?

Take out 1/3-1/2 at a time. You will probably see a small bump. Wait 3 to 4 days making sure you have no ammonia or nitrites before taking out more.

7. Last but not least, if I decide to add plants later on, are root tabs absolutely necessary?

Not particularly, depends on the plants. Anubias, java ferns obviously don't need them. A lot of stem plants do not either. It can't hurt to have them in a sand bed though.

I would add 3-4 more cories, they don't like to be alone and will keep your sand cleaned up.

Oh yeah, and the best way to put sand into your tank is to put it into a container, slowly submerge it down towards the bottom of the tank and then tip it out onto the bottom. I have done this fine with fish in my tank.

 

1. Buckets and a hose. Add 10-15lbs in a bucket and use a hose to add water and at the same time stir the sand around. Drain the water and repeat until the water runs clear. repeat the whole process until all the sand is washed.
2. That sand looks a little course, but it might work. If you want black sand, let me suggest Black Diamond Blasting Sand. You can get it at Tractor Supply Co, or other stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, but its a different brand. 50lb bag for $8-10. Then you got extra left over for when you want another tank(s).
3. Do a really good gravel vacuum before you change it out. It will still happen though, you just need to deal with it the best you can. If it were me, I would drain some water in a 5 gallon bucket and put the fish in there along with any live plants you may have. Then siphon out the rest of the water, remove the gravel, rinse the tank, and add your sand and set it up again. Use the water in the 5 gallon bucket to fill up the tank which would be a net result of a large water change.
4. Yes it would. If your bottom is that dirty though that this becomes a big issue, then you are likely over feeding, or not cleaning enough.
5. Never had them. If you want to avoid them altogether, you can get some MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) who will burrow through the sand mixing it around and preventing these pockets from occurring.
6. It shouldn't be much of a bump since most of your BB is in your filter. It should be able to reproduce enough within 1-2 days to make up for what is lost from the gravel. If you want to be safe you can use a product like Seachem Stability to add some BB to what you have.
7. It really depends on what plants you get. There are many that you won't need them, but a lot of plants will benefit from them. Other things to consider for plants is your lighting, and fertilizers (possibly CO2 injection as well, again depending on the plants).

Hope that helps you some.

 

I've done this several times following different advice from different people. What worked for me best:

1. Move the fish into a very clean 5 gallon bucket with dechlorinated water. If the room is cold, plug in the heater. If you are not going to take "forever" you don't need the filter or bubbler in the bucket.

2. Clean your filter, media, decorations in a bowl using old tank water. Rinse gravel in the old tank water, and remove it from the tank.

3. Get rid of the old tank water, clean the tank as best as you can. Scrape off the algae, if you have any. ( I use old credit cards). Rinse real well. Wipe with paper towels.

4. Add rinsed sand.

5. Put a plate or a large bowl and very slowly and gently, so you don't disturb the sand, start adding cupfuls of dechlorinated water at correct temperature. If you pour the water fast and disturb the sand - you will have to wait till the sand settles down.

6. Add the fish and the water from the bucket, start the filter, heater, bubbler if you are using one, add decorations, etc. you are done. Enjoy!

Good luck.

Warning: it takes longer than you think, so when you start, make sure you don't have an appointment you can't miss.

 

Thank you, this helped a lot

@CindiL About the cories, I was considering adding a few more but I wasn't sure if it would overstock me. I checked with aqadvisor with what I already have, and it says I'm at ~90%.

2. That sand looks a little course, but it might work.

Do you think it would hurt the barbels of the cories?

 

Do you think it would hurt the barbels of the cories?

Its hard to say yes or no because I don't know how far zoom in the picture is. All sand is rough or course (not round), but it depends on the grain size of that sand. It might be just fine for them. I don't know how to tell you if it will work or what to look for on the product, so my apologies. Maybe if someone else used this sand they could tell you. Maybe you should try searching for the sand product on here or on google, or read reviews on the product to see if it was good with cories.

 

Do you think it would hurt the barbels of the cories?

I've heard the petco sand is good

 

Petco sand is great. I've kept 2 albino cory babies in my 5 gallon fluval on this stuff and they are doing great (got them by accident in a shipment of kuhlI loaches and are too small to put in my big tank and too small to give to the fish store.)

This stuff is also very clean. You will need to do very little rinsing (I'd even wager you could put it straight into the tank but would probably want to run some water over it first). I have black diamond sand in my larger tank and it requires much more rinsing. Both are great sands but if you can afford it, the petco sand is easier to deal with and settles much quicker. It's also a more consistent black than the diamond sand is. I'm a fan of both though for different reasons.

As far as keeping from having a minI cycle, I did a large substrate change in my big tank a few weeks back and followed a guide much like Jomolager described earlier. To keep my levels in check, I poured a bottle of TSS+ in 24 hours after all of the substrate change was completed. I saw no spikes of ammonia or nitrite. The key is to keep all of your filter media and decorations/plants wet during the process.

 

I've heard the petco sand is good

Petco sand is great.

Thanks guys! That's all I needed to know

 

Thank you, this helped a lot
About the cories, I was considering adding a few more but I wasn't sure if it would overstock me. I checked with aqadvisor with what I already have, and it says I'm at ~90%.

Where does it put you if you add one more? If you're doing 50% water changes weekly and your nitrates aren't rising terribly you would probably be fine.

Edit Oh I see you have a 10 gallon tank. You probably couldn't have a full 6 in there so I still think maybe one more.

 

Where does it put you if you add one more? If you're doing 50% water changes weekly and your nitrates aren't rising terribly you would probably be fine.

Edit Oh I see you have a 10 gallon tank. You probably couldn't have a full 6 in there so I still think maybe one more.

If I add one more it says I'm at 102%. Should I still go for it?

 

I am becoming a firmer and firmer believer in bare bottom tanks, exception being Golden Dojo and Cory tanks that must have sand. I have PETCO sand in some of them.

As @tyguy correctly points out, PETCO sand is very clean, nevertheless, I would not put it in a tank without rinsing. When not rinsed, a thin layer of sand particles rises to the top and is very difficult to remove. Those sand particles can destroy impeller on a sensitive filter like Fluval.

Good luck.

 

If I add one more it says I'm at 102%. Should I still go for it?

Maybe not unless you're planning on re-homing some of those guppy fry? You might want to consider getting rid of all the females (or males) and just keeping one sex. You can always add more if you upgrade to a 20 gallon long in the future.

And it also does depend on your water change schedule and how diligent you are about it, also the types of plants and how many you have can make a difference so I guess I can't answer that for you. Hold off for now.

 

I'm doing the same tomorrow. This will be a very hard work.

 

I'm doing the same tomorrow. This will be a very hard work.

Its actually not too bad if you use the dust pan method. Also do your water change after you remove half of the gravel to get the debris which I can almost guarantee you'll have under that gravel. I really recommend not removing it all in one day. I have seen too many people have cycle bumps. Nitrifying bacteria will grow on all surfaces it can attach to and if you have decent water flow in your tank it will be more than happy to grow on top of the substrate.

 

I am becoming a firmer and firmer believer in bare bottom tanks, exception being Golden Dojo and Cory tanks that must have sand.

What's better about bare bottom tanks?

Maybe not unless you're planning on re-homing some of those guppy fry? You might want to consider getting rid of all the females (or males) and just keeping one sex. You can always add more if you upgrade to a 20 gallon long in the future.

I do quite like my guppies though, and I do have some people that will take them if I have too many fry. Between the hungry adults and juveniles, not many fry survive anymore.

I'll consider adding another cory, but probably once everything settles back down. The pair I have have been doing alright for now.

 

Its actually not too bad if you use the dust pan method. Also do your water change after you remove half of the gravel to get the debris which I can almost guarantee you'll have under that gravel. I really recommend not removing it all in one day. I have seen too many people have cycle bumps. Nitrifying bacteria will grow on all surfaces it can attach to and if you have decent water flow in your tank it will be more than happy to grow on top of the substrate.

How about I remove 90% of the water then get the gravel then add sand then water? So not many debris come flying.

 

How about I remove 90% of the water then get the gravel then add sand then water? So not many debris come flying.

I think the problem with that is you will still have to vacuum. When you remove the gravel, a lot of detritus is still going to fly up.

Unless you plan to vacuum first, remove gravel, vacuum again, then add sand and water?

 

I think the problem with that is you will still have to vacuum. When you remove the gravel, a lot of detritus is still going to fly up.

Unless you plan to vacuum first, remove gravel, vacuum again, then add sand and water?

Dang, true... It's not 100% detritus removal.

 

What's better about bare bottom tanks?

"Better" is not the word I would use. I have different reasons for preferring barebottom in different tanks.

When I first started and before MTS took over I was very particular about aquascaping, every pebble, let alone stone was moved this way and that way and moved again. My tanks were beautiful. My tanks not only won't win any aquascaping awards nowadays, they most probably would not be accepted into a competition. But my fish are happier and healthier.

My Goldies tank was the first to go barebottom, every time I see poop I use a dedicated net to remove it. OP is concerned about detritus build up, this is my way of eradicating this issue.

The next to go was gravel in male Betta tanks. Now I don't have to worry about Betta being constipated. I see his poop every morning and remove it too. Without gravel or sand I don't have to worry about harmful gas build up, that OP is concerned about. I don't get minI cycles mentioned by OP, either.

Like OP, I like to rearrange my tanks all the time. It is much easier in barebottom tanks, no concerns about detritus messing up the water or poisonous gases build up.

I have lots of plants in most of my tanks. Either floating or planted in containers. Yes, OP, I use tabs in addition to liquid ferts. Having plants in containers is perfect for my barebottom Angel tanks. On those rare occasions that aggression seems to escalate I restore peace by moving the potted plants around.

 

Dang, true... It's not 100% detritus removal.

Well, based on what the members here have said, here is what I plan to do. Maybe it'll help you as well:

1. Remove fish
2. Remove gravel with dustpan
3. Remove 100% of the water
4. Clean out tank
5. Add sand (make sure it's rinsed)
6. Fill up the tank with water
7. Add fish
8. Add TSS to prevent mini-cycle

I plan to make a 100% water change anyway, so removing the gravel first shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you're not going to do that, maybe you should vacuum deeply before taking out the gravel, to minimize stuff in the water?

 

This would be my suggested plan of attack for a 10 gallon


1) Turn off filters and Pump 3 to 4 gallons of water into a bucket out of the tank. Place fish in

2) Pump the rest of the water into another clean container, and place all decorations/plants into that container. Filter media needs to stay wet so either leave it in the filter (if there is water in there) or put it in with the decorations/plants container after cleaning it.

3) Take out gravel (I used a big fish net to scoop it out but dust pan works great too)

4) Clean junk left over. Wipe down tank.

5) Pump about 2 or 3 gallons of water back into the tank from the plant/decorations container. Now if this water looks dirty or maybe the filter media has discolored the water, I would consider just putting fresh tap water in (dechlorinated of course). Just make sure it's pretty close to the water temp you want your tank to be. (Make sure to keep plants and decorations and filter media wet at all times)

6) Put rinsed sand in. Putting it in a cup and submerging it under the water with your hand over the top of the cup is a great way to keep the sand from unsettling. THis way you can pour the sand where you want it.

7) Put all decorations and plants and filter media back in.

8) Acclimate fish slowly while allowing the sand to settle (if you have petco sand it won't take long). And put the fish in.

9) Turn filter on (However you want to make sure not to turn it on if you still have a large amount of sand floating around. If you have a ton of sand at the top, consider doing a small water change just to get the sand off the top and topping it with fresh tap water)

Make sure throughout the process that every 10-20 minutes you disturb the surface fo the water wherever the fish are. This will oxygenate the water. Another option is to keep an air stone in whatever container they are.

Optional: After 24 hours pour a bottle of TSS+ in to keep any potential nitrite or ammonia spikes to a minumum

Ths is the strategy I used for my 36 gallon tank a few weeks back. 0 death's. It took me about 6 hours but most of that was rinsing the blasting sand and waiting for it to settle enough to put the fish in. It shouldn't take you anywhere NEAR that long in a 10 gallon with petco sand.

 

This would be my suggested plan of attack for a 10 gallon


1) Turn off filters and Pump 3 to 4 gallons of water into a bucket out of the tank. Place fish in

2) Pump the rest of the water into another clean container, and place all decorations/plants into that container. Filter media needs to stay wet so either leave it in the filter (if there is water in there) or put it in with the decorations/plants container after cleaning it.

3) Take out gravel (I used a big fish net to scoop it out but dust pan works great too)

4) Clean junk left over. Wipe down tank.

5) Pump about 2 or 3 gallons of water back into the tank from the plant/decorations container. Now if this water looks dirty or maybe the filter media has discolored the water, I would consider just putting fresh tap water in (dechlorinated of course). Just make sure it's pretty close to the water temp you want your tank to be. (Make sure to keep plants and decorations and filter media wet at all times)

6) Put rinsed sand in. Putting it in a cup and submerging it under the water with your hand over the top of the cup is a great way to keep the sand from unsettling. THis way you can pour the sand where you want it.

7) Put all decorations and plants and filter media back in.

8) Acclimate fish slowly while allowing the sand to settle (if you have petco sand it won't take long). And put the fish in.

9) Turn filter on (However you want to make sure not to turn it on if you still have a large amount of sand floating around. If you have a ton of sand at the top, consider doing a small water change just to get the sand off the top and topping it with fresh tap water)

Make sure throughout the process that every 10-20 minutes you disturb the surface fo the water wherever the fish are. This will oxygenate the water. Another option is to keep an air stone in whatever container they are.

Optional: After 24 hours pour a bottle of TSS+ in to keep any potential nitrite or ammonia spikes to a minumum

Ths is the strategy I used for my 36 gallon tank a few weeks back. 0 death's. It took me about 6 hours but most of that was rinsing the blasting sand and waiting for it to settle enough to put the fish in. It shouldn't take you anywhere NEAR that long in a 10 gallon with petco sand.

Awesome

 

I've had bare bottom, gravel, sand, marbles....you name it!

I think a bare bottom :;bb (couldn't resist ha ha) has its place but is not as nice for the fish as it is for us Fish are by nature foragers and my removing any sand or substrate you are removing a large part of their "natural" habitat. That said, if you have lots of java ferns or anubias and marimo on drift wood real or fake they will have a lot to pick at. I usually let the plain old green algae grow on the back walls of my tank too so they have something to eat and pick at there.

When I had goldies I did go bare bottom and was very happy with that as they are HUGE poop machines. If I ever have them again I would do the same thing.
I leave my fry tank and/or QT tank bare so I can put it away very easily whenever I want to.

 

This would be my suggested plan of attack for a 10 gallon


1) Turn off filters and Pump 3 to 4 gallons of water into a bucket out of the tank. Place fish in

2) Pump the rest of the water into another clean container, and place all decorations/plants into that container. Filter media needs to stay wet so either leave it in the filter (if there is water in there) or put it in with the decorations/plants container after cleaning it.

3) Take out gravel (I used a big fish net to scoop it out but dust pan works great too)

4) Clean junk left over. Wipe down tank.

5) Pump about 2 or 3 gallons of water back into the tank from the plant/decorations container. Now if this water looks dirty or maybe the filter media has discolored the water, I would consider just putting fresh tap water in (dechlorinated of course). Just make sure it's pretty close to the water temp you want your tank to be. (Make sure to keep plants and decorations and filter media wet at all times)

6) Put rinsed sand in. Putting it in a cup and submerging it under the water with your hand over the top of the cup is a great way to keep the sand from unsettling. THis way you can pour the sand where you want it.

7) Put all decorations and plants and filter media back in.

8) Acclimate fish slowly while allowing the sand to settle (if you have petco sand it won't take long). And put the fish in.

9) Turn filter on (However you want to make sure not to turn it on if you still have a large amount of sand floating around. If you have a ton of sand at the top, consider doing a small water change just to get the sand off the top and topping it with fresh tap water)

Make sure throughout the process that every 10-20 minutes you disturb the surface fo the water wherever the fish are. This will oxygenate the water. Another option is to keep an air stone in whatever container they are.

Optional: After 24 hours pour a bottle of TSS+ in to keep any potential nitrite or ammonia spikes to a minumum

Ths is the strategy I used for my 36 gallon tank a few weeks back. 0 death's. It took me about 6 hours but most of that was rinsing the blasting sand and waiting for it to settle enough to put the fish in. It shouldn't take you anywhere NEAR that long in a 10 gallon with petco sand.

Sounds great!

"Better" is not the word I would use. I have different reasons for preferring barebottom in different tanks.

When I first started and before MTS took over I was very particular about aquascaping, every pebble, let alone stone was moved this way and that way and moved again. My tanks were beautiful. My tanks not only won't win any aquascaping awards nowadays, they most probably would not be accepted into a competition. But my fish are happier and healthier.

My Goldies tank was the first to go barebottom, every time I see poop I use a dedicated net to remove it. OP is concerned about detritus build up, this is my way of eradicating this issue.

The next to go was gravel in male Betta tanks. Now I don't have to worry about Betta being constipated. I see his poop every morning and remove it too. Without gravel or sand I don't have to worry about harmful gas build up, that OP is concerned about. I don't get minI cycles mentioned by OP, either.

Like OP, I like to rearrange my tanks all the time. It is much easier in barebottom tanks, no concerns about detritus messing up the water or poisonous gases build up.

I have lots of plants in most of my tanks. Either floating or planted in containers. Yes, OP, I use tabs in addition to liquid ferts. Having plants in containers is perfect for my barebottom Angel tanks. On those rare occasions that aggression seems to escalate I restore peace by moving the potted plants around.

Wow, that's a really interesting solution. I'm not sure if I would ever get over the look of barebottom tanks though.
I'm curious, does the lack of substrate affect fish behavior?

 

I've had bare bottom, gravel, sand, marbles....you name it!

I think a bare bottom :;bb (couldn't resist ha ha) has its place but is not as nice for the fish as it is for us Fish are by nature foragers and my removing any sand or substrate you are removing a large part of their "natural" habitat. That said, if you have lots of java ferns or anubias and marimo on drift wood real or fake they will have a lot to pick at. I usually let the plain old green algae grow on the back walls of my tank too so they have something to eat and pick at there.

When I had goldies I did go bare bottom and was very happy with that as they are HUGE poop machines. If I ever have them again I would do the same thing.
I leave my fry tank and/or QT tank bare so I can put it away very easily whenever I want to.

Funny emoji. . We have high nitrates in tap water, that requires extra care.

Having barebottom tanks helps. Moreover, Angels and male Bettas are not particularly into foraging. They nibble on plants. I don't think they care about green algae. Goldies do and get some. Corys and golden Dojo have to have sand. They have it. Lots of it.

When we finally move I am going to go Walstad, and see how that would work for my fish. As I've been saying, at this point of my fishkeeping journey fish health is more important to me than the tank looks.

 

Barebottom kinda does illuminate the light causing insecurity to the fish. Especially those who are not use to very bright light.

 

Barebottom kinda does illuminate the light causing insecurity to the fish. Especially those who are not use to very bright light.

You do have a point, but not in my tanks. I don't use too strong lights and I have lots of floating plants. My fish are thriving. They are healthy and active.

 

Lots of good advice so far. I would just add that rinsing the sand should be the very first item on your checklist. It takes longer than you think.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone, I think the thread has derailed a bit from the original question but I've learned lots of new stuff

 

Lots of good advice so far. I would just add that rinsing the sand should be the very first item on your checklist. It takes longer than you think.

Yes and If you're bad at it you might loose a lot of sand too.