HELP??? LS vs CC substrate

sly

sly

Active Member
Yea, some people seem to maintain a cleaner substrate than others and I don't really know what is different either. I have had a CC substrate for about 6 years and have a perfectly clean tank with no algae problems. I did a water change about 2 months ago but before that I did a water change after 8 months. I try to do maybe 1 water change per year... I never vacuum my CC and only get a light haze on the front glass that needs to be cleaned off once every other day.
I have had none of the problems that others seem to have had with CC but then again, I've been at the center of many arguments concerning it and have found very few people who know how to set it up properly. I maintain a very high turnover in my tank and have zero water clouding because CC does not get blown around like sand does. I prefer CC over sand because IMO, it is lower maintenance and gives less of a chance of a tank crash if the substrate gets disturbed for some reason.

Taken 3 months ago.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
I'll chime in as a CC user and let me tell you it's plain and simple NASTY after a few months. You have to constantly vacuum it and it still looks nasty. I have that in our 55 and can't wait to break that tank down. Our 75 has reef grade LS and so will our 150. I will never ever ever touch CC for as long as I live. The difference in cost is minimal but the savings in time maintaining is ... priceless :)
 
sly

sly

Active Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2600835
I'll chime in as a CC user and let me tell you it's plain and simple NASTY after a few months. You have to constantly vacuum it and it still looks nasty. I have that in our 55 and can't wait to break that tank down. Our 75 has reef grade LS and so will our 150. I will never ever ever touch CC for as long as I live. The difference in cost is minimal but the savings in time maintaining is ... priceless :)
What do you have for a cleanup crew and how deep is your CC?
 
trish&dave

trish&dave

Member
Originally Posted by Sly
http:///forum/post/2600829
Yea, some people seem to maintain a cleaner substrate than others and I don't really know what is different either. I have had a CC substrate for about 6 years and have a perfectly clean tank with no algae problems. I did a water change about 2 months ago but before that I did a water change after 8 months. I try to do maybe 1 water change per year... I never vacuum my CC and only get a light haze on the front glass that needs to be cleaned off once every other day.
I have had none of the problems that others seem to have had with CC but then again, I've been at the center of many arguments concerning it and have found very few people who know how to set it up properly. I maintain a very high turnover in my tank and have zero water clouding because CC does not get blown around like sand does. I prefer CC over sand because IMO, it is lower maintenance and gives less of a chance of a tank crash if the substrate gets disturbed for some reason.

Taken 3 months ago.

Can you elaborate on "how to set it up properly"? I really do like the look of your CC, do you have a wider view of the tank? There have mostly been "Cons" on the subject. Just interested in the "Pros" of CC. Thansk
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Originally Posted by Sly
http:///forum/post/2600848
What do you have for a cleanup crew and how deep is your CC?
Depth maybe 1-1.5 inches
CUC: 20 diff types of hermits
had 10 Mexican Turbo's and 10 Zebra Turbo's
a large variety other snails as well
 
sly

sly

Active Member
Originally Posted by trish&dave
http:///forum/post/2600853
Can you elaborate on "how to set it up properly"? I really do like the look of your CC, do you have a wider view of the tank? There have mostly been "Cons" on the subject. Just interested in the "Pros" of CC. Thansk
Here are a few wide shots from a while back before I added a bunch of coral. There are some lime green Zoanthids and an LTA in there along with a bunch of invertebrates.



The key to CC, I believe, is keeping your substrate depth to about 1 inch. I have mangroves and chaetomorpha algae in a fuge to supplement the nitrogen cycle and lots of live rock to house bacteria which help clean the tank. I prefer these filtering methods over a deep sand bed because I am not relying on something as easily disturbed as a sand bed to keep my tank clean but am relying on rock and live plants which won't crash the tank if disturbed.
You can use more aggressive water flow patterns with denser CC and with a good cleanup crew (snails, crabs, urchins) I don't have any problem with detritus buildup on the bottom. What the clean up crew doesn't eat, the hundreds of worms will eat. I don't have any problems maintaining calcium levels and like I said, may only do yearly water changes. I do test and supplement as needed and in the 2 months since I got a bunch of new corals, I have seen many new polyps develop as they are growing and multiplying quite well...
[edit] Something that I have seen with my tank is that if I let my SG drop below 1.025 I will start to have algae problems. I keep mine at 1.026 and the tank stays clean. Not sure why... Urchins are very nice too. They are hardy and eat non stop and won't die if flipped on their back like some snails will.
Not included in the pic is the mandarin goby which has been doing well for a year, feeding on the healthy pod population.
 
sly

sly

Active Member
I'd say for the "pros" of CC: It won't crash no matter what. Helps maintain calcium levels. I think it looks better. Water stays clearer with higher flow rates. No sand storms if a powerhead shifts. Easier (for me) to maintain. Shallow depths and a loose CC base make it easier for the hermits to get to the food at the bottom as opposed to densely packed sand... which in turn means lower detritus buildup.
 
spiderwoman

spiderwoman

Active Member
Sorry, I just don't see anything good about using CC. At least for me and many others it doesn't work. Our 75 with reef grade sand looks so much nicer, can have Nassarius snails digging into the sand bed, no sandstorms with reef grade sand. I can get CC to fly all over the tank if the PH is positioned incorrectly. With CC the light weight pieces slowly move to the surface and they just look nasty. Nitrates don't get trapped in the LS as easily as it does with CC (if not vacuumed constantly).
Just my $0.02 worth
 
trish&dave

trish&dave

Member
What great feedback. I have to agree with the look of the CC. Just looks much more natural. My main concern is maintenance and so far the majority of the reply's favor LS for easier maintenance. I don't mind a little maintenance (125 gallon cichlid tank w/ 30% water changes weekly!), but I just do not want it to look dirty.
Thanks to all that provided pictures. If anyone has anymore close up shots of their CC, that would be helpful. Either a good experience or one that shows build up.
This is the BEST forum for information, THANK YOU ALL!
 
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