Want to get rid of my Crushed Coral

[skibum1681]

I've had crushed coral as my substrate (rookie mistake)and it's time to get rid of it. Its been in my tank for about a year. I would like to replace it with some of my live sand that i bought for my 75g build that is kind of on hold. The live sand is the kind in the plastic bag with a little bit of water in it. I have read some things about there being a high level of amonia in them bags. Can i just rince the sand in clean salt water to rince the amonia and make the cycle a mini one or is there still going to be a large cycle?

My bio load is quite high. I have a coral beauty, 2 false clowns, 3 green chormis, and a valintini puffer and i really dont want to kill my tank with a big cycle. The crushed coral i think is adding to some of my problems with red slime.

Anyway the CC has to go and be replaced with LS and i dont want to kill any one in the process.

Thanks for the help.

[Don-Coraleone]

scoop out what you can and the siphon out the rest if you dont want to disturb your rock work. and the live sand if fresh shouldnt have to be rinsed.

[aklee987]

I have crushed coral and have not had any problems with it. That being said, I'm very new to the hobby. Why is it bad?

[Toddrtrex]

I had it for about 7 years, it wasn't as bad as everyone says, but it does take more work. What worked for me was to gravel vac it with each weekly water change.


skibum1681 -- I did that about a year ago --- and replaced my live rock too --- bubble algae, yellow polyps, and GSP made me want to replace the rock. This isn't the best thread, but this is what I did with mine,

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1233581

[skibum1681]

Thanks.

I dont like the CC for a few reasons: it stains fast & is not good on the eyes, it supposidly harbors nitrates / nitrites & sand dwelling critters like gobies dont like it. (from what i've read, i'm still a newbe)

I will be switching to Fiji Pink LS for a few reasons: I dont like the CC, I have a few bags Fiji Pink, i want to see how i like it before i set my 75g up with and decide its too fine.

I think my method will be to rinse the sand in a fresh batch of salt water. I'm also going to have a few batches of salt water mixed up in case of a big amonia spike. For adding the sand to the DT i will use the funnel & hose method to keep the sand storm to a minimum.

Please keep any suggestions comming.

[skibum1681]

When i remove my CC should i do it over the course of a few weeks or can i remove it all at once?

There is about an inch of CC in my tank.

[skibum1681]

Well a couple recomendations when chainging substrate:

1. Take out your rock
2. Take out your livestock
3. Dont do it!

I have the biggest sand storm ever, and cant even see if i have it picked up yet. I have to let it settle out a while.

Not a fun project.

[drillsar]

you cant change it all at once, I would recommend to move live stock then change it and wait a couple of days, do you have another tank?

[skibum1681]

I've got most of the fish &all the rock in a tote right now. The CC is all out.

[tmz]

Hard to change a little at a time, but I think the risk of loosing too much biofiltration provided by the crushed coral is high if you take it out at the same time. Do you have room in your sump where you could put some of the crsuhed coral and then remove it cupfull by cupfull over the course of a a week or two?

[skibum1681]

I dont have a sump. Maybe i can some in some plastic cups and put them in my dt & remove them a little bit at a time.

[skibum1681]

tmz- is there a local reef club here in WNY? I get my livestock from "A Reef Creation" (by the airport)

[drillsar]

problem is you may go through a mini cycle with the new sand, until the sand is live.

[skibum1681]

The new sand is that "Arag-Alive" Fiji Pink. I am planning on going bare bottom for a week or so before adding the sand. I have read mixed responses about using that kind of sand in an est tank. Mostly of the water that is in the bag with it will potentially be high in amonia. I believe there is already bacteria in the sand though, so i dont know what to think. I am still planning on going bare bottom for a bit so i can vac up more of the dust once it settles to the bottom.

I dont have a lot of experiance so heres a question:

In theory i dont have any substrate in my tank now (other than what i cant see due to the dust storm) If i put my rock back in ( about 40lbs of 1 year old rock) what is the diff between my tank that way and an quarantene tank where you just use a seeded sponge?

I realize any time there is a change in the bio load there is a mini cycle but how bad of one could i expect?

[20jlr]

I have the same c/c and want it out I am glad you are posting your questions and experiance, please keep it updated as I will soon be following you.

[skibum1681]

I hate being the guini pig.

I would recomend setting up second tank if at all possible. Move your livestock and rock to the auxilary tank for a few days. Your fish will be much happier. Treat it like a QT, daily water changes may be required.

The sand storm has settled down today but everything is coated with dust. I am planning another water change tomorrow rinse off my rock and vac up the bottom again, after the dust settled there was a lot dust & quite a bit of CC left in the tank.

My method that i did (or things i should have done)

1. Make lots of saltwater - Between the water change, temp tank, & rinsing i used about 40gal (for a 40gal tank)

2. Set up a temp tank(s) (plastic totes would work) - make sure parameters are the same as your DT.

3. Transfer your fish, rock, livestock to the temp tanks

4. use something to scoop the CC out that has a flat edge (i used a plastic cup, what a PITA)

5. Vac the bottom & let the dust settle

6. Vac the bottom again & let the dust settle

7. Top off the DT with salt water.

8. Run your tank bare-bottom till your cycles stop (a few weeks??)

9. (this is where i'm at now) Add your rock & livestock back to the tank. Test everyday & be prepared to handle an amonia spike. You WILL see a cycle - hopefully a little one.

10. When your tank stabilizes (after a few weeks) move rock and livestock back to temp tanks

11. Add your sand (as i said earlier im using the Arag-Alive (wet) bagged sand & i will be rinsing it with clean saltwater to try to get as much of bad stuff off before it goes into my tank).

12. Let the dust settle

13. Add your rock & livestock

14. Be prepared to do emergency water changes - Your tank will cycle (hopefully a little one)

15. Done.

Not so hard huh? I'll let you decide.

As i said i'm only at step 9. The fish were very stressed out yesterday. They seem beter today, they are out swimming around like normal. Hopefully everyone makes it.

I will add some pictures this afternoon (camera battery is dead) of what it looks like 24hrs after i started.

If any one has done this before and has any other suggestions please add them.

[tmz]

Originally posted by skibum1681
tmz- is there a local reef club here in WNY? I get my livestock from "A Reef Creation" (by the airport)

A reef Creation is a great shop. Salt Water Paradise in Tonowanda is very good as well. Most local club events,such as frag swaps and reef crawl are posted on the URS site on RC. There are a few other local web sites though but I don't hink the RC rules permit me to post them here.

[tmz]

Originally posted by drillsar
problem is you may go through a mini cycle with the new sand, until the sand is live.

Wheneve I addd new sand I get some diatoms on it for a week or two not a mini cycle though. I think it takes a little while for bacterial film to develop.

[tmz]

In theory i dont have any substrate in my tank now (other than what i cant see due to the dust storm) If i put my rock back in ( about 40lbs of 1 year old rock) what is the diff between my tank that way and an quarantene tank where you just use a seeded sponge?


If that rock has been kept in water it sould still be alive with nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria and should offer much more immediate biofiltration than the relatively small sponge in your qt. However, since the substrate you removed has significantly more surface area and bacteria than the rock ,your biofilter's capacity has been reduced and monitoring for ammonia is a prudent step before adding livestock.

[skibum1681]

This is the sand i will be using.

[E.intheC]

skibum.. unfortunately, I highly doubt anything in that bag is actually still alive.. it's really just a marketing ploy... I think the sand itself will be fine, but don't count on it to add to the biofiltration any time soon. Where's your skimmer? that will help a bunch.

PS.. I don't know how far away you live, but there's a great store in Batavia that sells reef and freshwater supplies. It's huge.. Worth the drive, even if it's 45 mins or so.

[skibum1681]

I dont care about the bio-filteration right off the bat. I just dont want to have a huge cycle.

Is there some kind of play sand i can use that won't be full of dead bacteria?

[tmz]

Use the Carrib Sea stuff you have. It may still have some live bacteria and larvae in it. Dead bacteria won't hurt anything anyway. They'll just help the tank move along. Your rock if still live will accelerate any cycle you may have. The "live sand" may even help a bit.

[skibum1681]

I'm pretty sure the rock is still alive, it spent about 2 seconds out of the water.

[tmz]

You should be fine then with minimal if any cycle.I would still watch ammonia closely for a week or so.