Replacing My Sand

[ellebelle]

When I started my tank, I got a free bag of mixed grain coral substrate. My wallet was already looking very thin with all of the other stuff I bought for the tank, so I went ahead and used it. Thus far, all of my levels are good (I check them regularly) - I think this is partially because I have a very shallow sand bed (probably less than an inch) and because I regularly stir it up a little so stuff doesn't get stuck in it. That being said, since setting up my tank I've become aware of the problems with using crushed coral as my substrate. And, because I've been holding a bunch of Eric's corals until he gets his tank set up again, I haven't been able to stir the sand up as often as I'd like.

All of that is background to why I am thinking about changing my sandbed. I know that this will be a huge pain in the a$$, but I think it might be worth the trouble. So, my question is:

1) Would this be a worthwhile thing to do, as I suspect?

and

2) How would you recommend doing it? I'm thinking about not tearing down the tank, but siphoning the sand out over the course of a week or ten days, and then adding finer sand substrate a cup or two at a time over about a month. Is there a better way?

 

[bmb527]

Is it sand or crushed coral, (C.C.) that you have in there? C.C. looks almost like white gravel, while sand looks like, well, sand. If you have ever seen the live sand that comes from many online vendors, collected from the ocean, it has many different sized grains in it. Crushed coral substrate will be heavy and will be difficult to vacuum out. If it is a "mixed" sand, it will come right up the siphon. Unless you actually have a substrate comprised of 1/8" or so white rocks, I would say to leave it alone. Hope I was able to help a little.
Bill

 

[ellebelle]

It's definitely crushed coral. It came out of a bag that said "medium grain crushed coral". It's a little heavier than sand, so I know it might not siphon out easily, but I figure if I rigged some kind of vacuum on one end of the tube, it would provide the necessary strength. I'm certainly open to any suggestions of how this could be accomplished.

 

[Josh]

I don't see the point, the tank is very young. You should only be replacing substrate every few years. Leave it untouched (don't vaccum or displace it) for 2 months and see how your microfauna population increases. The reason people change the substrate is that over years it will build up and fill with detritus, but your tank is too young and in reality the less you touch it the better.

Are you seeing specific problems with your water quality or are you just being proactive?

 

[bmb527]

I think being proactive.
I remember having CC in my first tank. More pods than a mandarine could dream of,...if mandarine's dream!
Bill

 

[ellebelle]

I am just being proactive - right now, my water quality is absolutely fine. It's been two months, and my nitrates are 0, my phosphates are very very close to zero (less than 0.2). I do have a huge pod population - my solon fairy wrasse is constantly grazing on them. I've just read in a couple of threads here, and particularly one recenty, that CC has a bad tendency to build up nitrates that can then be released into your tank. It got me thinking that maybe I should step in before something like that happens.

 

[Josh]

It is my opinion, but your tank is too young for those sort of problems. You should think about the substrate being a nitrate sponge after a year. It is good that you are thinking about it now so you can plan for replacing it, but it should not be the cause of any changes in your nutrient levels over the next 12 months. Steady water tests are very important though.

 

[Rhegaana]

Sorry don't mean to hijack but where do you get reef safe sand in NYC/LI?
Can we use Jones beach sand?

 

[DonCisco]

we get reef safe sand for our tanks..... at the fish stores, or online, NEVER from the beach. The list is loong and full of details, but local beach sand is no good. There are plenty of threads about that.
Elle I think that you might want to wait a lil to change your substrate, you seem to have reached a good balance in your water parameters, I would leave it alone. Yes CC has less surface area, so it will get saturated with nitrates faster... but we are talking at least a year.

 

[jhale]

:sgrin:'s advocate, it may be easier to take out now before the tank grows in.

do it over a period of time. with each water change take out some CC and put some reg sand in it's place. start at one end of the tank and work your way to the other side. remove the CC and place sand in before you siphon the water, you will be able to get more of the crap out that way.

 

[TimberTDI]

take out some CC and put some reg sand in it's place

Wouldn't it just end up being mixed up? The sand and CC that is.

Steven

 

[NYreefNoob]

cc

funny i had a post about using cc in my sump and all i got was negitivity about it. i had planned to use it to keep ph up as well. the live sand i got helps to do it, but when i switch tanks i planned to use a different sand. { i dont really like all the black i have in this sand} and was looking for opinions on this idea. so if i maintain the cc and watch nitrate levels it is ok ? not the greatest way to do it i understand, but it is feasable ? i dont want to have to chem dose to keep ph up{ should say i dont want to have to go buy more stuff to do so}

 

[ellebelle]

NYReefNoob:

A couple of things. First, I didn't use the crushed coral substrate as a means of raising my pH. You shouldn't really have to chemically raise your pH if your water is properly oxygenated, and you shouldn't have to rely on your substrate to do so. Secondly, I used the crushed coral because it was free and I happened to have it - I've realized since then that this is less than ideal in the long run and I am looking to correct the mistake. Is the crushed coral substrate working for me right now, in the short term? The answer is yes. Will it work for me in the long term? I suppose it's possible, but it's also possible that I'll run into a huge nitrate problem ten months or so down the road. To me, that is a risk that I don't really want to take. Hence my attempts and possibly correcting the problem before it becomes a problem. My advice to you would be to use sand, and make sure you have adequate water motion to keep your pH where you want it to be.

jhale: I had the same question as Timber about the sand - wouldn't doing it that way just mix up the sand and crushed coral? Also, the sand would be much finer than my CC - wouldn't the sand just filter through to the bottom?

 

[digitalreefer]

funny i had a post about using cc in my sump and all i got was negitivity about it. i had planned to use it to keep ph up as well. the live sand i got helps to do it, but when i switch tanks i planned to use a different sand. { i dont really like all the black i have in this sand} and was looking for opinions on this idea. so if i maintain the cc and watch nitrate levels it is ok ? not the greatest way to do it i understand, but it is feasable ? i dont want to have to chem dose to keep ph up{ should say i dont want to have to go buy more stuff to do so}

The point here is, she realized that she made a mistake and is asking about correcting it. You're asking if you should go ahead and make the mistake she's looking to correct. Why knowingly do something that could hurt your tank in the long run?

 

[NYreefNoob]

cc

i didnt plan to use it as the bed, i have sand now {CaribSea Indo-Pacific Black}it has agronite in it. so my ph stays where it should. but i dont like the looks of it so planned to do fiji pink maybe or something lighter. i have white playsand mixed in with it but it seems to go to the bottom. the cc will pull out with a syphon or atleast fill the chamber then pull out and empty will take a little while depending on how much you have

 

[Wes]

i like a mix of CC and sand....I would just add fine sand and mix it up...

 

[jhale]

steven and lissa,
I was thinking more of removing the sand in whole sections and filling the spots with the fine sand.
I don't think they would get that mixed, I never did this so I can't be sure.
Judging by the way my SSB acts I don't think it would happen.

 

[ellebelle]

i didnt plan to use it as the bed, i have sand now {CaribSea Indo-Pacific Black}it has agronite in it. so my ph stays where it should. but i dont like the looks of it so planned to do fiji pink maybe or something lighter. i have white playsand mixed in with it but it seems to go to the bottom.

I'd just do the fiji pink if I were you. Your white playsand probably goes to the bottom because it's finer than the other stuff.

jhale: you converted your tank from BB to SSB, right? How did you add the sand when you did that?

 

[jhale]

I left the marinaboard in place and put the sand in the tank over three days, a third at a time. I poured it on the bottom in a large yogurt container.

 

[Wes]

the way i add sand is put the sand in a large ziplock and lower it to the bottom of the tank. then rip off a corner of the bag and dump. it doesn't make much mess at all this way.