CC or Sand
- Thread starter alexsd
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kreach
Active Member
Most people do not like CC because it traps excess food which in turn causes a nitrate problem in the tank. Or more simply put CC=nitrate trap.
Another con to CC is that it has to be vacuumed every time you do a water change (due to reason stated above).
A DSB (deep sand bed) on the other hand, does not have to be vacuumed. With a DSB, all you need is a good cleanup crew of detritus eaters to take care of excess food.
In addition, a DSB can act as an additional source of filtration for the tank.
Currently, I have a 2-3 inch sand bed. And I'm planning on adding more live sand in order to make it 4-5 inches deep.
Another con to CC is that it has to be vacuumed every time you do a water change (due to reason stated above).
A DSB (deep sand bed) on the other hand, does not have to be vacuumed. With a DSB, all you need is a good cleanup crew of detritus eaters to take care of excess food.
In addition, a DSB can act as an additional source of filtration for the tank.
Currently, I have a 2-3 inch sand bed. And I'm planning on adding more live sand in order to make it 4-5 inches deep.
toymaniacs
New Member
What would be the best way to change from CC to Sand.
What steps would i have to do. Is it pretty much like starting all over , take out all the fish, etc and recycle the tank?
What steps would i have to do. Is it pretty much like starting all over , take out all the fish, etc and recycle the tank?
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by toymaniacs
What would be the best way to change from CC to Sand.
What steps would i have to do. Is it pretty much like starting all over , take out all the fish, etc and recycle the tank?
Yep you got that right
Did exactly that about 6 months ago. Had to remove a UG also. I would recommend you take out the livestock, remove some water, take out the CC, then add the sand. It would be a good idea to put some of the CC back in to help preserve the bacteria. Then return your livestock and water. Things should settle down in a few hours. Removeing all the water before putting in the sand, then slowly adding the water, would prevent stirring up the sand.Finally, I respectifully disagree with some of the previous posts. I went with sand because I like sand and to provide a better foothold for macro algae and plants. The nitrate problem is easly handled with algae and more a function of feeding than CC or sand. Nitrates will still be present if you over feed a sand botton in a tank with no algae.
I
irenicus
Guest
Go live sand. Best bang for your buck.
T
thomas712
Guest
Why change from CC to SSB or DSB?
Most of us will not use crushed coral because it is a large substrate that traps the fish waste and uneaten food that has to be vacuumed before it creates nitrates, which it will anyway. Crushed coral does not provide a very good biological zone, and many tanks are setup with CC from the get go through lack of knowledge or because it is the only substrate that an LFS sells and tells you that it is all you need, using a selling point of CC has buffering power. I have personally battled nitrates over 100 ppm during my days of CC and UGF doing frequent large water changes. So many of us have been there and had high nitrates, did a water change to lower them and they were back in a couple of days. CC has sharp edges, which is undesirable for inverts, like anemones walking around, pods or worms. No getting around it CC is high maintenance and can lead to poor water quality, frequent maintenance, sick livestock, algae blooms and more.
Sand on the other hand has more benefits. These include having far more surface area thereby making it able to handle a higher bio load of bacteria. It is less dangerous to your infauna and has a more natural look in the tank. If going with a DSB Deep Sand Bed you can have other benefits as well like finishing the denitrification or providing sand sifting, burrowing, or tunneling fish and critters a place to play. The denitrification process predominantly occurs in deeper substrates and in areas of stagnant flow where oxygen levels are depressed. And this is why deep sand beds are effective as a nitrogen export mechanism. As water slowly diffuses deeper, aerobic organisms strip all available oxygen for respiration. In the deep, oxygen-deprived layers, denitrifying anaerobes are given the opportunity to convert nitrogen compounds into nitrogenous gases, which escape via tiny bubble out of the aquarium. I believe this process can also work on a limited basis in shallow sand beds. My sand bed is no more than 2 inches deep in some spots.
What steps should I take to change my Crushed coral to a Sand Bed?
This is project that can take some time and effort, I therefore believe that one of the safest methods is to find temporary homes for any fish and corals until you have completed the change.
You will need one or more containers like Rubbermaid bins to house your fish and one for your live rock and corals, this will also mean having enough heaters (if in the north) and power heads to keep things warm and circulating. I would also recommend saving much of the water from the existing tank without disturbing the crushed coral substrate yet. You will also need to make some fresh saltwater as if you were doing a water change which in essence you will be.
Step 1: Remove any existing rocks, corals, fish, and other inverts to their temporary homes using the exisiting water from the tank, and save much of the water left if possible. Make sure that any existing filter material containing your bacteria bed be kept wet and circulating if possible, this will help prevent severe spikes from the change, or at least keep them to a minimum.
Step 2. Remove the crushed coral. This can be a mess depending on how your CC was maintained, there could be plenty of evil waste and fouled water here. Now here if you wish or need to you can save some of this CC to seed your sand bed by placing it in nylons and making some CC nylon balls 6 or 8 should be plenty.
Step 3. With the tank empty its time to do a complete cleaning of the inside of the tank, scrape off that old algae, check the silicone seems for any problems.
Step 4. My preference here is to place a layer of eggcrate down on the bottom of the tank making sure that it is still an inch or two away from the sides of the glass. This way the egg crate will help to prevent any reefalanche that may happen. Some will build a pvc stand to place the rocks on so that the sand bed will not cover several inches of expensive live rock. Others will use cheap base rock and place the live rock on top of that.
Step 5. With the egg crate, pvc stand, or bare bottom tank in place. Place a layer of sand down, about 1 inch. Then start to aquasacpe using your rocks that you will place on the bottom of the sand bed, twist the rock in a little to help stabilize it. Then pour the rest of the sand in.
Step 6. Slowly add your water, the speed at which you do this may depend on if you have some corals in the first pieces of live rock that you placed in your tank, but for the most part the slower the better, this may help to reduce cloudiness.
will cause a nitrate spike, as waste is stirred up.
You may also experience another cycle...to what extent is unknown. It could be a mini cycle, it could be more dramatic.
Hope that helps you out
Thomas
Most of us will not use crushed coral because it is a large substrate that traps the fish waste and uneaten food that has to be vacuumed before it creates nitrates, which it will anyway. Crushed coral does not provide a very good biological zone, and many tanks are setup with CC from the get go through lack of knowledge or because it is the only substrate that an LFS sells and tells you that it is all you need, using a selling point of CC has buffering power. I have personally battled nitrates over 100 ppm during my days of CC and UGF doing frequent large water changes. So many of us have been there and had high nitrates, did a water change to lower them and they were back in a couple of days. CC has sharp edges, which is undesirable for inverts, like anemones walking around, pods or worms. No getting around it CC is high maintenance and can lead to poor water quality, frequent maintenance, sick livestock, algae blooms and more.
Sand on the other hand has more benefits. These include having far more surface area thereby making it able to handle a higher bio load of bacteria. It is less dangerous to your infauna and has a more natural look in the tank. If going with a DSB Deep Sand Bed you can have other benefits as well like finishing the denitrification or providing sand sifting, burrowing, or tunneling fish and critters a place to play. The denitrification process predominantly occurs in deeper substrates and in areas of stagnant flow where oxygen levels are depressed. And this is why deep sand beds are effective as a nitrogen export mechanism. As water slowly diffuses deeper, aerobic organisms strip all available oxygen for respiration. In the deep, oxygen-deprived layers, denitrifying anaerobes are given the opportunity to convert nitrogen compounds into nitrogenous gases, which escape via tiny bubble out of the aquarium. I believe this process can also work on a limited basis in shallow sand beds. My sand bed is no more than 2 inches deep in some spots.
What steps should I take to change my Crushed coral to a Sand Bed?
This is project that can take some time and effort, I therefore believe that one of the safest methods is to find temporary homes for any fish and corals until you have completed the change.
You will need one or more containers like Rubbermaid bins to house your fish and one for your live rock and corals, this will also mean having enough heaters (if in the north) and power heads to keep things warm and circulating. I would also recommend saving much of the water from the existing tank without disturbing the crushed coral substrate yet. You will also need to make some fresh saltwater as if you were doing a water change which in essence you will be.
Step 1: Remove any existing rocks, corals, fish, and other inverts to their temporary homes using the exisiting water from the tank, and save much of the water left if possible. Make sure that any existing filter material containing your bacteria bed be kept wet and circulating if possible, this will help prevent severe spikes from the change, or at least keep them to a minimum.
Step 2. Remove the crushed coral. This can be a mess depending on how your CC was maintained, there could be plenty of evil waste and fouled water here. Now here if you wish or need to you can save some of this CC to seed your sand bed by placing it in nylons and making some CC nylon balls 6 or 8 should be plenty.
Step 3. With the tank empty its time to do a complete cleaning of the inside of the tank, scrape off that old algae, check the silicone seems for any problems.
Step 4. My preference here is to place a layer of eggcrate down on the bottom of the tank making sure that it is still an inch or two away from the sides of the glass. This way the egg crate will help to prevent any reefalanche that may happen. Some will build a pvc stand to place the rocks on so that the sand bed will not cover several inches of expensive live rock. Others will use cheap base rock and place the live rock on top of that.
Step 5. With the egg crate, pvc stand, or bare bottom tank in place. Place a layer of sand down, about 1 inch. Then start to aquasacpe using your rocks that you will place on the bottom of the sand bed, twist the rock in a little to help stabilize it. Then pour the rest of the sand in.
Step 6. Slowly add your water, the speed at which you do this may depend on if you have some corals in the first pieces of live rock that you placed in your tank, but for the most part the slower the better, this may help to reduce cloudiness.
will cause a nitrate spike, as waste is stirred up.
You may also experience another cycle...to what extent is unknown. It could be a mini cycle, it could be more dramatic.
Hope that helps you out
Thomas
nyxll
New Member
If you are not going to add pvc structure to support your liverock, after you rinse & put the sand in the bottom of your empty tank completely cover it with a sheet of plastic weighted down. Then fill the tank back up with water & take out the sheet of plastic. This will save hours of waiting for your tank to clear back up.
Greg
Greg
T
thomas712
Guest
Yea you could add the sand but the cc will impede the benifits of the sand and then you will still have to vaccum the cc on top of the sand, if you wind up with anerobic areas of the sand then you don't want to desturb them by vaccuming the cc. its sort of a catch 22. Best recommondation is one or the other, sand being the preferd
Thomas
Thomas