- Location
- Staten Island ny
I have crushed coral in tank and I really regret it and wish to switch to sand , how can I make this conversion as quickly as possible and as harmless as possible to my livestock??? Help me figure this one out guys!
Switching out my substrate... All advisors please chime in!
- Thread starter saltwaterinbrooklyn
- Start date
- Location
- Kings Park, NY
Gravel vac it out carefully with the return going back to the tank maybe?
- Location
- Staten Island ny
Hey skene, would removing all at once cause a cycle? Have you done this b4 ? I really want this sand man!!!
I just asked the same question in reefs for beginners lol
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-beginners/114992-replace-crushed-coral.html
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-beginners/114992-replace-crushed-coral.html
- Location
- Staten Island ny
Oh sorry yogi lol maybe we can both benefit from this thread
I took mine out little by little by syphoning it out. Then when it was bare bottom i put everything in buckets and put in the new sand bed. Did alittle everything week when i did my water change. I didnt experence much of a cycle and didnt lose any fish or coral. However, it took be about a month to remove everything.
- Location
- Queens, NY
I just did it all in 1 shot. Removed everything into containers saved as much water as I could removed sand added sand using the empty bag trick to minimize a dust cloud then put everything back and also added extra nitrifying bacteria to help with the cycle which was hardly noticeable except for the diatoms on the new sand.
Gradually remove and replace the substrate.
Doing this all at once is going to stress your inhabitants and removing them to a temporary location will add more stress.
You can remove a quarter of your substrate and replace with sand each time you do a water change.
Doing this all at once is going to stress your inhabitants and removing them to a temporary location will add more stress.
You can remove a quarter of your substrate and replace with sand each time you do a water change.
- Location
- Queens, NY
Hey bro just tell me when you want to do this I'll help u out. It will be quick and painless....lol
- Location
- Brooklyn
Well, an idea I had:
The new sand, put it in the sump, or make a new temporary sump. Slowly add the new sand to it over the next few weeks. Then it will be 'alive' and you can do a 1 to 1 VAC and fill type thing.
The new sand, put it in the sump, or make a new temporary sump. Slowly add the new sand to it over the next few weeks. Then it will be 'alive' and you can do a 1 to 1 VAC and fill type thing.
- Location
- 11756
You have 1 of 2 options.
First one, take out the crushed coral over a number of days/weeks then replace it with sand.
Second option, move everything to a rubbermaid, drain the tank, remove the old substrate, put the new substrate in and put the stuff back in.
I've gone with route two in the past, and you will see some stress related to the moving things about. But once you're tank is in good shape to begin with, you'll be alright.
First one, take out the crushed coral over a number of days/weeks then replace it with sand.
Second option, move everything to a rubbermaid, drain the tank, remove the old substrate, put the new substrate in and put the stuff back in.
I've gone with route two in the past, and you will see some stress related to the moving things about. But once you're tank is in good shape to begin with, you'll be alright.
- Location
- Queens, NY
It's better just to replace all at once. IMO when u have a preexisting sand bed and u disturb it to remove a lil at a time u run the risk of setting off a "stink" bomb(hydrogen sulfide). Which can not be good to anything in your tank and cause more stress than just removing and replacing with new sand.
One advantage of doing it slowly is that your sand will become live from the old stuff that is still there. It is true that your rock will also help seed it but there is a lot of life at the bottom that is not in your rock and some will migrate over to the new sand.
- Location
- Queens, NY
All the good life is on his rocks. Crush coral is to coarse to have any good micro fauna and critters living in it like a sugar fine DSB. But it does like to hold detritus and decomposing matter that is going to be disturbed if done slowly.
- Location
- 11756
How long has the crushed coral been in the tank?
How deep is the sandbed going to be?
bisiab and imbarrie, how will the new sand get seeded by the old crushed coral if they are never in the tank at the same time? If you're suggesting he put in a little sand each time he removes some crushed coral, the process will never end (the two will mix together). Just want to make sure I understand what you're suggesting
How deep is the sandbed going to be?
bisiab and imbarrie, how will the new sand get seeded by the old crushed coral if they are never in the tank at the same time? If you're suggesting he put in a little sand each time he removes some crushed coral, the process will never end (the two will mix together). Just want to make sure I understand what you're suggesting
I agree with the last sentence and it means you have to do it as carefull as possible. But to say all the good life is in the rocks or that crushed coral doesn't have any good stuff, my tank says you are wrong.
And you don't need DSB for micro fauna and critters. Less than 2 inches is fine. The conversion of nitrites to nitrates that is accomplished by a DSB is a totaly different process.
One of the suggestions was to do a little at a time and as stated, yes it takes a while and there is some mixing, but it does get done. Definitly easier to get it over in one shot plus you don't have to worry about the gunk your raise each time you take a batch out.
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