substrate replacement

sethfloydjr · 08/29/2008, 04:59 PM

I have a tank that is roughly 6 mos old and it doing really well. I have crushed coral and have been having a hard time with brown algae blooms that coat the subtrate in a thick mass. I have a few nassarius snails which turn over the sand when they decided to come out every few days, but they arent doing the job I was hoping for. So I got a goby and apparently the crushed coral was too much for him and he literally choked and died. Trying to do the heimlich maneuver of those things is tough.
So I started thinking that maybe if I switched to a finer sand and then got another goby and a few other critters that will turn over the sand more that, that would help.
My issue is how should I go about this OR should I even do it?
I only have a few damsels and a yellow tang so nothing that is super sensitive to disruption.
Should I just put the sand right on top of the crushed coral, mix it in, or try to replace it and do a swap? If I just put it on top that will give me about a 4-5 inch substrate IN my tank.

Any ideas or suggestions?

sps1-2-b · 08/29/2008, 05:42 PM

You can't put the fine grain on top of the crushed coral because over time it will settle to the bottom and the c. coral will be on top again. IMO crushed coral is harder to keep the detritus out due to the many bigger open spaces. I would remove the cc but do it in halves. You don't want to replace 100% at one time. I would use CaribSea Special Grade substrate.

LUVSPS · 08/29/2008, 06:37 PM

I second the CaribSea sand. I love it.

sethfloydjr · 08/29/2008, 09:18 PM

cool...good info
thanks guys

sethfloydjr · 08/29/2008, 09:21 PM

i wonder if that is also why my snails rarely come out....they are digging down and eating all the crap that has made its way down under the CC...makes sense in my mind

Chihuahua6 · 08/29/2008, 09:56 PM

IMO crushed coral or coarse gravel/sand should be used as a very shallow layer, less than 1". I vacuum mine as well otherwise it's a detritus trap as you have discovered with no real function (like a DSB.)

I would remove it in small sections due to the tremendous amount of detritus that will be stirred up. Get some large diameter tubing and siphon it out a little at a time.

When it comes to sand beds I believe that you should either use a very shallow sand bed and keep it clean or use a functional DSB which is fine substrate at a minimum of 3". Periodically add new detrivitors from a kit or fresh live rock to keep the DSB functioning.

08/29/2008, 04:59 PM	#1
sethfloydjr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Newnan, GA Posts: 18	substrate replacement I have a tank that is roughly 6 mos old and it doing really well. I have crushed coral and have been having a hard time with brown algae blooms that coat the subtrate in a thick mass. I have a few nassarius snails which turn over the sand when they decided to come out every few days, but they arent doing the job I was hoping for. So I got a goby and apparently the crushed coral was too much for him and he literally choked and died. Trying to do the heimlich maneuver of those things is tough. So I started thinking that maybe if I switched to a finer sand and then got another goby and a few other critters that will turn over the sand more that, that would help. My issue is how should I go about this OR should I even do it? I only have a few damsels and a yellow tang so nothing that is super sensitive to disruption. Should I just put the sand right on top of the crushed coral, mix it in, or try to replace it and do a swap? If I just put it on top that will give me about a 4-5 inch substrate IN my tank. Any ideas or suggestions?

08/29/2008, 06:37 PM	#3
LUVSPS Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Washington state Posts: 583	I second the CaribSea sand. I love it. __________________ "The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people is suffering from a mental illness. Look at your 3 best friends. If they're ok, then it's you." — Rita Mae Brown Current Tank Info: 120g SPS reef in the works. 2 400w MH in Lumenarc reflectors. 2 Vortechs. Warner Marine S-200 skimmer. Lifereef sump/refuge. TLF Phosban reactor. 110lbs dried Eco rocks.

08/29/2008, 09:56 PM	#6
Chihuahua6 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Hempstead, NY Posts: 2,124	IMO crushed coral or coarse gravel/sand should be used as a very shallow layer, less than 1". I vacuum mine as well otherwise it's a detritus trap as you have discovered with no real function (like a DSB.) I would remove it in small sections due to the tremendous amount of detritus that will be stirred up. Get some large diameter tubing and siphon it out a little at a time. When it comes to sand beds I believe that you should either use a very shallow sand bed and keep it clean or use a functional DSB which is fine substrate at a minimum of 3". Periodically add new detrivitors from a kit or fresh live rock to keep the DSB functioning. __________________ Leah Amanda Current Tank Info: First salt tank 1985, current tank 150 g acrylic

08/29/2008, 05:42 PM	#2
sps1-2-b Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 1,248	You can't put the fine grain on top of the crushed coral because over time it will settle to the bottom and the c. coral will be on top again. IMO crushed coral is harder to keep the detritus out due to the many bigger open spaces. I would remove the cc but do it in halves. You don't want to replace 100% at one time. I would use CaribSea Special Grade substrate.

08/29/2008, 09:18 PM	#4
sethfloydjr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Newnan, GA Posts: 18	cool...good info thanks guys

08/29/2008, 09:21 PM	#5
sethfloydjr Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Newnan, GA Posts: 18	i wonder if that is also why my snails rarely come out....they are digging down and eating all the crap that has made its way down under the CC...makes sense in my mind