Did I mess up?

[bach]

I read this thread before going to the fs, went with cc. At the advice of the lfsg who seems cool. He brought up ls but beening a first timer I was hesitent at anything including the word live until I establish my tank and let it cycle. Should I mix ls with the cc I already have? I was going to go back and buy lr, but if a mix would better? Very new to this hobby but any help is appreciated!

 

[fishieness]

dont bother to mix. sand would have been a lot better than CC cause food particals and waste wont get trapped in the sand. but dont bother to add LS to cc because all the live sand will just go to the bottom anyways because it is so much finer than crushed coral. if you woudl like to add sand (and i suggest you do so esspecialy if you are doing a reef), then take all the cc out and add in ls.

 

[james983]

Do yourself a favor and switch now. If you don't, you will wish you did. At least now tank is new and the change over wont set you back.

 

[misfit]

Ditto, James nailed it!

 

[ecoman]

i made the same mistake and quickly swiched over to sand.. im gonna try my hand in making some rocks using the crushed coral sustrate i removed....

 

[susieq]

I just finished switching. It was a real mess. I switched slowly. Here is a picture midway through.

:scared:

 

[susieq]

I just finished switching. It was a real mess. I switched slowly. Here is a picture midway through.
:scared:

 

[jdragunas]

i agree you should change to sand, but that doesn't answer your question... You can seed your CC with live sand, as little as just a cup full. The LS contains the bacteria you're trying to grow, so introducing it to your tank could reduce your cycle time. The LS will work it's way to the bottom, so you'll only see the CC after a week or so, but it will help with the cycle

 

[gasman4433]

Not trying to but in but what about some cc mixed in the sand?I got a bunch of that from a guy and it seems to be smooth on the bottem of tank.I dont think it will hold food and other stuff.Any help would be good.

 

[jdragunas]

the CC will still work it's way to the top, and depending on how much CC is mixed in, you may still be able to see the sand once it's alls said and done.

 

[gasman4433]

O.K. as it comes to the top.I will just slowly remove it.

 

[jdragunas]

sounds like a good plan. I personally don't mind the look of a few crushed shells on my sand, but if the entire top layer is CC, that's not a good thing.