crushed coral

[NYreefNoob]

ok was wondering if anyone has tried this to keep ph up and level. using crushed agronite in their refugium. asking cause i have done this on my 29g high tank with it in the hob ref and ph has stayed at 8.2 and considering doing same thing in my sump once completed. curious to see if anyone else has done this. i dont want to chemically have to keep ph up

 

[GQ22]

I think there are better ways of keeping your PH up (like dosing two part, kalk, etc...) Crushed coral traps deitrus, and will lead to high nitrates, etc....


Also ive never seen a flourishing bed of pods/bristle worms in a bed of crushed coral. Think sand with a few pieces of liverocks works better.

 

[NYreefNoob]

agronite

i planned to run the crushed coral in a bin that will pull out to clean off occasionally as well as using l\r and sand in ref and some macro algea. just trying to stay away from adding chemicals

 

[GQ22]

those are necessary "chemicals". as you go on, you will find that you will need to dose calcium and alk. About half the board uses thw part part solution i mentioned. They are more of a neccesity. Kalkwasser, or two part solution or get a calcium reactor.

Trust me, ive added crushed coral and what a mistake. Still dealing with it.

 

[ReeferGoneMad]

Chemicals?

2 part should be the only thing to add to ur tank. Always and forever. Calcium carbonate is needed for coral skelital growth. And sodium bicarbonate is needed to buff the water and allows reef animals to synthesis trace elements into their systems. So I don't see y not dose 2 part.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Crushed coral = BAD!!

2 part and magnesium are needed I also add strontium and molyboleum and a touch of iodine.

 

[House of Laughter]

Rick,

If you use sand and good live rock you should be fine as long as your evaporation rate, tank circulation and fresh air circulation are good - these are factors that effect PH -also, salt choice effects it as well/

Crushed coral, not matter where you place it is a ticking time bomb - not to mention why ADD something to your reef that you'll have to maintain - they are complicated enough to maintain withough adding something that could be obtained otherwise - my opinion, true, but I like keeping the reef simple so I can focus on the work that's necessary, water changes etc.

Try, a sump (I know you are) and internal circulation stronger than a minijet for upping your PH.

Hope that helps,

House

i planned to run the crushed coral in a bin that will pull out to clean off occasionally as well as using l\r and sand in ref and some macro algea. just trying to stay away from adding chemicals

 

[jasno999]

Well I have a 10 gallon tank and I put half crushed coral and half live sand in the bottom of the tank. I agree that crap builds up in the gravle but I have lots of little bristle worms moving around in it and I am sure pods and other creatures are in there as well.

I do ad calcium but never realyl do anyhting for PH. Actually I have not checked my PH level in quite a long time. I don't have any issues and thigns are growing well. So crushed coral is not horriable- I htink it definitly helps maintain my PH. jsut don't use it as the only substrate. Mix it with sand and rubble rock.

 

[Deanos]

Out of curiousity, jasno999, what are your nitrate levels and how long has the crushed coral been in your tank? Also, if you haven't checked your pH in a long time, what makes you think the crushed coral is maintaining your pH?

 

[NYreefNoob]

if this was meant to me from deanos. my nitrates are 0 and i have been usinf it for 3 months since set-up approx 10lb's of it, and my ph is and has been at 8.2 this is the same stuff i use in my fw african set up that requires a high ph level

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Out of curiousity, jasno999, what are your nitrate levels and how long has the crushed coral been in your tank? Also, if you haven't checked your pH in a long time, what makes you think the crushed coral is maintaining your pH?

Rick it wasn't meant for you.

 

[NYreefNoob]

coral

lol i seen afterwards it was to a reply above his

 

[jasno999]

Deanos - I have had it in there for about a year and a half. Like I said I have not checked my levels in a while and should one of these days. What I do know is that the tank is goign great. Coral is growing and multiplying like crazy. Everyhting is healthy and looking good. If my PH was way off this would not be the case....

So my main point was that using some crushed coral in a tank is not nessassaraly a bad thing.

 

[NYreefNoob]

coral

if you filter it in a system i figured it would work good, it would be light ph bio balls :smile: and you just clean it in water change water, just a thought. heck i am always wanting to tinker anyways

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Just don't use it bottom line is it will turn into a nitrate factory in your tank. Oh and Bioballs = bad in a reef tank too (nitrate factory). Your biological filtration will come from your live rock and your refugium and your sandbed, Skimming is also important.

 

[jasno999]

Just don't use it bottom line is it will turn into a nitrate factory in your tank. Oh and Bioballs = bad in a reef tank too (nitrate factory). Your biological filtration will come from your live rock and your refugium and your sandbed, Skimming is also important.

Again I agree it can be bad especially if you do nto mix it with sand and use crushed coral as your only substrate. However it is a jump to state that using it is bad and that it will turn into a nitrate factory.

If you want to use some go ahead and do it. Jsut make sure you mix it with sand and I would shoot for 2/3 sand and 1/3 crushed coral. It can work and does work in many people's tanks.

 

[NYreefNoob]

Crushed Coral

I Wasnt Decided To Use It Or Not, I Am Using It In My Ref In My 29g Now And Havent Had Any Problems Yet, And I Have It In A Lift Out Strainer That I Was Rinsing It Out In Old Water

 

[nanoreefer22]

I still can't exactly grasp why you guys NEED crushed coral to keep your pH up.

Doesn't that say something about your tanks buffering capabililties? I'm pretty sure you DON'T need it to keep you pH up as it should really stay up on it's on, IF everything is on par with the water parameters. Sure it'll drop some at night and rise some in the day, but thats just how it happens. Simply lighting your refugium on a reverse cycle can help stop the drop.

Just wonder, but why do you guys feel this is the way to keep your pH up? Why do you need this to even get your pH there in the first place?

-Kris(Not sure if that made sense but ehh)

 

[NYreefNoob]

Coral

Not Saying I Am Going To Use It, But This Is What I Have Used In My Fw African Tank And It Keeps My Ph At 8.2 And I Know Sw Is Different But Was More Wondering If Anyone Has Tried Or Is Using This

 

[loismustdie]

There is no way you can compare FW and SW. Crushed coral will not buffer pH. Your pH has to be lower than 6.5 for the crushed coral to dissolve and make any difference. By then, it's too late. This little set up you're talking about will also increase your maintenance time. FORGET IT. SSB with good aragonite sand.
Jasno999 isn't testing his water quality. As I said before, if you don't test, then theoretically, your water tests whatever you choose the results to be.
Once again, you avoid the advice of experienced members of the site and you look to verify your wrong answers with someone who doesn't even really know his parameters.
Rick, I'm trying as hard as I can to avoid posting on your threads, but you're killing me. I love the hobby and there is nothing more that I want than for people to succeed. The questions you are asking show how little prepared you are to keep a SW tank.
Deanos has been in the hobby for years. He's well read and if you ask a ?, he'll find you a link. He's also got a beautiful reef. Do you know what he got this year for Christmas? A set of reef books. You want to make the best investment you can in SW, BUY SOME BOOKS!!! Simple reading will stop you from posting stupid questions. Every thread started by you could have been answered in the first 100 pages of Volume 1 of The Reef Aquarium.