Crushed coral - Live sand
- Thread starter ninker
- Start date
chipmaker
Active Member
MOre surface area for beneficial stuff as wel as its more suited to burrowoing type critters which abound in most any sw setup from worms to snails etc. Also best for sand sifting fish and critters........and it does not provide deep places that are out of reach where detriuis/ food etc can build up.
michaeltx
Moderator
crushed coral is good at buffering the water and keeping PH stable thats about the only good thing about it honestly.
the bad.
1) cc will trap everything down inside it like FW aquarium gravel does where it will decay and cause nitrate problems unless cleaned regualarly
2) Cc doesnt support micro organisms that need a duller more fluid tye of substrate to be able to populate it right.
3) sand sifting fish and other inverts have a problem sifting CC and can cause major damage in the gill area trying to.
4) its just pain to keep up with and keep clean where with sand you can get sifters and cleaners to do that work for you .
IMO
Mike
the bad.
1) cc will trap everything down inside it like FW aquarium gravel does where it will decay and cause nitrate problems unless cleaned regualarly
2) Cc doesnt support micro organisms that need a duller more fluid tye of substrate to be able to populate it right.
3) sand sifting fish and other inverts have a problem sifting CC and can cause major damage in the gill area trying to.
4) its just pain to keep up with and keep clean where with sand you can get sifters and cleaners to do that work for you .
IMO
Mike
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by MichaelTX
crushed coral is good at buffering the water and keeping PH stable thats about the only good thing about it honestly.
...Mike
And actually Mike, if memory serves me correctly, CC dissolves at a lower pH than marine aquarists are kept at. So sand is even better for buffering.
crushed coral is good at buffering the water and keeping PH stable thats about the only good thing about it honestly.
...Mike
And actually Mike, if memory serves me correctly, CC dissolves at a lower pH than marine aquarists are kept at. So sand is even better for buffering.
miamishrip
Member
i bout about one third of the sand i needed as CC before reading the pros and cons - then i added the rest with LS and mixed it all up so i have some CC scattered around but plenty of sand for sifters. i ended up liking the look alot.
lovethesea
Active Member
our tank is 100% better off since we ditched our CC. It was a mess, but we did it. Towards the end of our CC period, it was amazing to see how much "gunk" was trapped in the CC. If I went to move something and disturbed the CC, a HUGE cloud of I don't know what smoked up the tank. :scared:
lovethesea
Active Member
it is not hard.......just messy. Depending on how big your tank is and how much LR/reef stuff you have. Fortunately we only have a FOWLR. We had 3 of the 5 gallon paint buckets from Home Depot. Placed all of the LR in that. Start scooping. M E S S Y......cloudy.......did I mention messy and cloudy????
The fish were already stressing so we left them in. I placed 2 plates in the bottom on the tank and started adding the sand (already rinsed with RO water) The plates helped eliminate the dust cloud in the tank (which was a mute point by then becasue of the nastiness of the CC)
The fish were already stressing so we left them in. I placed 2 plates in the bottom on the tank and started adding the sand (already rinsed with RO water) The plates helped eliminate the dust cloud in the tank (which was a mute point by then becasue of the nastiness of the CC)
kayak385
Member
Originally Posted by lovethesea
it is not hard.......just messy. Depending on how big your tank is and how much LR/reef stuff you have. Fortunately we only have a FOWLR. We had 3 of the 5 gallon paint buckets from Home Depot. Placed all of the LR in that. Start scooping. M E S S Y......cloudy.......did I mention messy and cloudy????
The fish were already stressing so we left them in. I placed 2 plates in the bottom on the tank and started adding the sand (already rinsed with RO water) The plates helped eliminate the dust cloud in the tank (which was a mute point by then becasue of the nastiness of the CC)
So you left your lr without water on it?
You scooped the cc out of a full tank instead of transferring everything to a big bucket (50gallon drum or something)?
Will the cloudiness affect the fish in more than just stress? (gills etc)
How do you rinse the sand and could you elaborate on the plate process?
it is not hard.......just messy. Depending on how big your tank is and how much LR/reef stuff you have. Fortunately we only have a FOWLR. We had 3 of the 5 gallon paint buckets from Home Depot. Placed all of the LR in that. Start scooping. M E S S Y......cloudy.......did I mention messy and cloudy????
The fish were already stressing so we left them in. I placed 2 plates in the bottom on the tank and started adding the sand (already rinsed with RO water) The plates helped eliminate the dust cloud in the tank (which was a mute point by then becasue of the nastiness of the CC)
So you left your lr without water on it?
You scooped the cc out of a full tank instead of transferring everything to a big bucket (50gallon drum or something)?
Will the cloudiness affect the fish in more than just stress? (gills etc)
How do you rinse the sand and could you elaborate on the plate process?
kayak385
Member
I would think it would be easier to take all your live rock out of the tank and place it in a drum that can hold most of the water.
Catch the fish and place them in a seperate bucket and airrator.
Syphon out the water into the bucket for the lr.
Once the water being syphoned starts to get dirty stop syphoning and start scooping out the cc.
After scooping as much as possible, syphon the dirty water into another seperate bucket.
Add sand and then start adding water slowly from the drum that holds the LR.(with the "plate" method *still not sure about this*)
After the rocks are back in place add the fish via temp acclimation.
That would be my thoughts on the process, but i'm a newbie to fish.
This process came to me from just thinking and organic chem lab of chemical extractions.
Supplies needed:
1 HUGE drum (for lr and h2o)
2 buckets (for fish and dirty water)
syphon hose
1 garbage bag (for cc)
airstone (for fish)
sand
something to scoop with
a pitcher (to fill the tank back up)
Catch the fish and place them in a seperate bucket and airrator.
Syphon out the water into the bucket for the lr.
Once the water being syphoned starts to get dirty stop syphoning and start scooping out the cc.
After scooping as much as possible, syphon the dirty water into another seperate bucket.
Add sand and then start adding water slowly from the drum that holds the LR.(with the "plate" method *still not sure about this*)
After the rocks are back in place add the fish via temp acclimation.
That would be my thoughts on the process, but i'm a newbie to fish.
This process came to me from just thinking and organic chem lab of chemical extractions.
Supplies needed:
1 HUGE drum (for lr and h2o)
2 buckets (for fish and dirty water)
syphon hose
1 garbage bag (for cc)
airstone (for fish)
sand
something to scoop with
a pitcher (to fill the tank back up)
scubaguy
Member
I went through this not long ago.
1) take half water out into a brand new rubber maid double tank size
2) place PH and your heater on tub.
3) take out LR, anemones, urchins, hermits and place in tub(I had plastic bags to place them in and trasfer to the tub)
4) continue to take out water till water level makes it easy to catch your fish.
5) then scoop out the crushed coral and place sand in that was rinsed well.
6) then take half the water out of tub and put back in the tank do 3 and 4 again.( keep all your water except for water the real dirty water at the end)
I did the LR so the fish have a place to hide and calm down while I switch out the CC. It worked well and I did not lose a thing.
1) take half water out into a brand new rubber maid double tank size
2) place PH and your heater on tub.
3) take out LR, anemones, urchins, hermits and place in tub(I had plastic bags to place them in and trasfer to the tub)
4) continue to take out water till water level makes it easy to catch your fish.
5) then scoop out the crushed coral and place sand in that was rinsed well.
6) then take half the water out of tub and put back in the tank do 3 and 4 again.( keep all your water except for water the real dirty water at the end)
I did the LR so the fish have a place to hide and calm down while I switch out the CC. It worked well and I did not lose a thing.
wilioli
Member
I've got a 10 gallon with crushed coral. Its finished/still in its cycling process -- week 3.. There's 12 pounds of live rock and a recent addition of 4 hermit crabs. I want to transfer water from the tank into a rubbermaid, put the live rock in it and the crabs, take out the crushed coral, replace iwth live sand, and then put everything back in. will this stress/harm the crabs? I know they're supposed to be 'tough', i just dont want to make any unnecessary strain/stress for them. thanks in advance
wilioli
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320647
Now is the time to do it. I would suggest purchasing dry aragonite, rinsing it well and using it for your substrate
thanks for the prompt reply. dry aragonite? why not live sand? just curious -- a lot of people speak highly about it -- dont' have to wash it, 'premixed' with all the essentials and bagged in salt water...? and what about any effect on the crabs?
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320647
Now is the time to do it. I would suggest purchasing dry aragonite, rinsing it well and using it for your substrate
thanks for the prompt reply. dry aragonite? why not live sand? just curious -- a lot of people speak highly about it -- dont' have to wash it, 'premixed' with all the essentials and bagged in salt water...? and what about any effect on the crabs?
spanko
Active Member
Bagged live sand is going to put a lot of dead material into your tank possibly causing an ammonia spike. Seems you are well into your initial cycling here and IMO the live sand is not going to benefit you much, and is going to be costlier also. Downside to the crabs would be an ammonia spike if it did happen.
Again JMO
Again JMO
bang guy
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilioli http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320648
thanks for the prompt reply. dry aragonite? why not live sand? just curious -- a lot of people speak highly about it -- dont' have to wash it, 'premixed' with all the essentials and bagged in salt water...? and what about any effect on the crabs?
The "shelf" version of bagged live sand is just as good as dry live sand and it's convenient, just don't confuse it for real live sand. The difference is price. A 20 pound bag has about 15 pounds of sand for $20 and a 30 pound bag of dry sand has 30 pounds of sand for $25.
Originally Posted by Wilioli http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320648
thanks for the prompt reply. dry aragonite? why not live sand? just curious -- a lot of people speak highly about it -- dont' have to wash it, 'premixed' with all the essentials and bagged in salt water...? and what about any effect on the crabs?
The "shelf" version of bagged live sand is just as good as dry live sand and it's convenient, just don't confuse it for real live sand. The difference is price. A 20 pound bag has about 15 pounds of sand for $20 and a 30 pound bag of dry sand has 30 pounds of sand for $25.
wilioli
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320650
Bagged live sand is going to put a lot of dead material into your tank possibly causing an ammonia spike. Seems you are well into your initial cycling here and IMO the live sand is not going to benefit you much, and is going to be costlier also. Downside to the crabs would be an ammonia spike if it did happen.
Again JMO
done and done, thank you
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320650
Bagged live sand is going to put a lot of dead material into your tank possibly causing an ammonia spike. Seems you are well into your initial cycling here and IMO the live sand is not going to benefit you much, and is going to be costlier also. Downside to the crabs would be an ammonia spike if it did happen.
Again JMO
done and done, thank you
wilioli
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320652
The "shelf" version of bagged live sand is just as good as dry live sand and it's convenient, just don't confuse it for real live sand. The difference is price. A 20 pound bag has about 15 pounds of sand for $20 and a 30 pound bag of dry sand has 30 pounds of sand for $25.
wow, ok thanks... ill keep that in mind when i get my 40 gallon.. for now i just bought two small 5 pound dry sand bags... that say i dont have to wash it.. lol
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/247751/crushed-coral-live-sand#post_3320652
The "shelf" version of bagged live sand is just as good as dry live sand and it's convenient, just don't confuse it for real live sand. The difference is price. A 20 pound bag has about 15 pounds of sand for $20 and a 30 pound bag of dry sand has 30 pounds of sand for $25.
wow, ok thanks... ill keep that in mind when i get my 40 gallon.. for now i just bought two small 5 pound dry sand bags... that say i dont have to wash it.. lol