Expert Advice Needed...

[coolguy818]

Originally Posted by BLB9
I would not vacuum a oolitic (small-grained) sand bed simply because you can't. The sand particles are small enough to be sucked up with the detritus. What you should vacuum are sand beds that have grain sizes approaching crushed coral (2-5mm).
Think about it. If a bed has grains big enough to allow detritus to seep in and pollute your tank without bacteria to process it, woulnd't this be a nitrate factory?
I have heard you need an extremely large tank to house sand sifting stars, but I have never had any expirience with these.

The sand I used was Carib-Sea Aragonite. The grains look pretty small.
And also, if you stir any sandbed, you are going to stir something up.

 

[blb9]

Sorry to drill you, but are the grains sugar sized? Also, I have not had a good experience with Carib-Sea aragonite. Try vacuuming the substrate. Do the sand particles get sucked up? Just give it a try.
I looked at your pics, and you have an awesome tank. The rockwork is sweet.

 

[sjimmyh]

Originally Posted by Coolguy818
Well to answer most of you entire post all I can say is: I posted earlier about having a fishless tank. All I have is the cleanup crew listed above and 1 CBS and a Cleaner shrimp.......... I had an ick epidemic.
Fish aren't the only nitrate producers. Live rock produces nitrates too. Dead rock does not. Hense, the term "live". Your clean up crew is its own little nitrate factory as is your shrimp. Anything that can eat and then expell wastes is producing nitrates. You say its fishless, but I am using the term as a generality for anything that you are feeding.
BTW, people don't need to help each other. We do because we like to. If you don't want it, don't post... if you only want one answer as a reply (the one you are obviously looking for) then say that too... that way others won't waste their time.