Making the switch from crushed coral to a DSB. Going to need some pointers!

[hallzy]

Ok, here's my situation; I have a 65 gallon reef tank set up that currently has a CC substrate (well its actually gravel right from the atlantic ocean that I boiled, but pretty much functions the same as CC, collecting alot of gunk and serving no real purpose other than looks). After reading into it, I've decided I want to get the benefits that come with having a DSB.
Current livestock in my tank are: numerous soft and LPS coral, a few brittles, hermits and snails, cleaner shrimp, bar goby, yellow watchman, engineer goby, firefish, and melanurus wrasse. I also have a 29g FOWLR upstairs with only a clown and black and gold damsel.
Now im not exactly sure the best way to go about making this switch. For starters, I've read that regular playsand can be used along with a bag or so of actual live sand in order to save ALOT of money on very expensive bags of LS. This is the route I would like to take. So I guess to start this process, what needs to be done with the playsand in order to prepare it for the aquarium?
Next thing, is my tank going to go thru a cycle? Most articles I've read so far say its hit and miss on how large of a cycle actually occurs, but I have too much coral invested to take this risk. I was thinking about just moving the 2 fish from my 29 into the 65 for a period of time, and then utilizing my 29g for the cycle process, and then transferring the sand to the 65 after the cycle is complete. Seeing as tho the 65 will need ALOT more sand than the 29, I may have to do this in a couple different sessions, but its worth not risking losing everything, and im not on a timeframe to get this project done. Is this process a good idea? Will it work the way that I think it will? Is there a better/easier approach?
Thank you SOOOOO much in advance for any input! Im sure I will have plenty more questions the farther along I get in this process, but I think this will cover getting the process rolling!

 

[reefkprz]

the amount of "cycle" you get generally depends on a few factors. if you use live sand that has some die off in it you will get some sort of cycle, if you use 100% dead sand thats clean you probably wont get a noticable cycle. because there is no die off to initiate a cycle, but it will still take weeks to months for your sand bed to "cycle"
I hate the term "cycle" it doesnt work, I think its broken. and people misunderstand and mis-use it. the nitrogen cycle never ends in a tank it balances. people say "my cycle is over" NO its not its balanced.... sorry random vent.
what I am saying is if your using clean dead sand you probably wont see spikes of ammonia and nitrite because your rock which is cured will do all your filtering while your sand bed catches up, as long as you feed lightly and are not overstocked. you may see rising nitrate levels untill your sand bed matures enough to create the anoxic environments required for the denitrification to begin. BUT if your rock and other filtration can't handle the load, as in, if the CC is doing a lot of the ammonia and nitrite breakdown then you may still see spikes. it really is hit or miss with how much spiking will occur.
if you use live sand that has some die off you may see some spiking or may not if your rock and other filtration is up to the task of managing the amount of die-off present. you could see anywhere from almost no spikes to very high spikes depending on viability and quality of the sand.
there is no way to accurately guess how much you will experience, my advice is watch your tank closely *(test a lot) and have water ready for changes at all times to protect your livestock.

 

[hallzy]

So my best bet is to just use all "dead" sand then? That works for me! Is there any certain kind that is better to use? I also read something about taking some of the used CC and putting it into stockings, tying them closed, and sitting them on the new sand bed, taking 1 out every couple days. Is this a good idea to do?

 

[reefkprz]

yup the cc will help seed the sand with bacteria works best with contact (the bacteria spreads faster that way so lay the nylon or media bag right on the sand.

 

[acrylic51]

Quote:
Originally Posted by reefkprZ http:///t/390233/making-the-switch-from-crushed-coral-to-a-dsb-going-to-need-some-pointers#post_3454470
the amount of "cycle" you get generally depends on a few factors. if you use live sand that has some die off in it you will get some sort of cycle, if you use 100% dead sand thats clean you probably wont get a noticable cycle. because there is no die off to initiate a cycle, but it will still take weeks to months for your sand bed to "cycle"
I hate the term "cycle" it doesnt work, I think its broken. and people misunderstand and mis-use it. the nitrogen cycle never ends in a tank it balances. people say "my cycle is over" NO its not its balanced.... sorry random vent.
what I am saying is if your using clean dead sand you probably wont see spikes of ammonia and nitrite because your rock which is cured will do all your filtering while your sand bed catches up, as long as you feed lightly and are not overstocked. you may see rising nitrate levels untill your sand bed matures enough to create the anoxic environments required for the denitrification to begin. BUT if your rock and other filtration can't handle the load, as in, if the CC is doing a lot of the ammonia and nitrite breakdown then you may still see spikes. it really is hit or miss with how much spiking will occur.
if you use live sand that has some die off you may see some spiking or may not if your rock and other filtration is up to the task of managing the amount of die-off present. you could see anywhere from almost no spikes to very high spikes depending on viability and quality of the sand.
there is no way to accurately guess how much you will experience, my advice is watch your tank closely *(test a lot) and have water ready for changes at all times to protect your livestock.

 

[hallzy]

What kind of sand should be used? The majority of what ive find seeing during research is Southdown and yardright, play sands from places like lowes or home depot. And also, is there a process to "clean" it before use?