Mixing LS and CC

[shaun larlee]

I understand this is possible, but do you just put LS right over CC. I have about 3 inches of CC. Was thinking of switching to LS but should i just over lay them? Im cycling now so dont know when to switch or mix? I have 3 damsels that i would rather not kill in switching substrates.
Whats the best way...stay CC or switch to something else?

 

[geoj]

If it is not broke don’t fix it!

 

[flricordia]

Personally I wouldn't have CC. I think there is more benifit in LS. There are more critters that can live in it and it is able to support the larger animals like burrowing snails and even fish later down the road if you decide to get into them. Pistol shrimp cwould have a difficult time with CC along with a shrimp goby. Best to think it through before the tank is fully cycled and ask yourself what you might have in thte tank down the road. If you do decide to switch over you should be fine replacing maybe 25% of the CC with LS at a time over the course of a month or so. Shouldn't do any harm to anything.
There are other negs abotu having CC and maybe some of the more experianced will chime in and give some advice.

 

[shaun larlee]

thanks...im ditching CC and going LS tom. I guess ill replace it in fourths like you said. hopefully my cycle will stay on a positive slope and the damsels will be ok. You think its a good idea to somehow seperate the sand and CC or let them some what mix at the transition point

 

[geoj]

You will have to clean the LCC more. I use it for my QT and low stocked tanks that I am not going to feed. It is the cheep cheat.

 

[shaun larlee]

thanks guys LS it is...55 gal = about 80 pounds im guessing

 

[fishfreak1242]

I put CC over my LS and now I hate it and I regret ever doing it. If you want you could get like 30 pounds of LS and then the rest dead sand and it will be seeded by the LS so it might be cheaper in the end.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by fishfreak1242
http:///forum/post/2582331
I put CC over my LS and now I hate it and I regret ever doing it. If you want you could get like 30 pounds of LS and then the rest dead sand and it will be seeded by the LS so it might be cheaper in the end.
You can do even less than that. You only need the top inch or so to be live. It will seed the rest. In the 55, probably around 20lbs would work on top of plain sand.

 

[shaun larlee]

1. By plain sand do you mean "home depot" sand or LFS bag sand
2. how much sand all together do you think
Im doing this during a cycle with 3 damsels so i need to be careful or just wait. Whats you opinion?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by Shaun Larlee
http:///forum/post/2582381
1. By plain sand do you mean "home depot" sand or LFS bag sand
2. how much sand all together do you think
Im doing this during a cycle with 3 damsels so i need to be careful or just wait. Whats you opinion?
You shouldnt have cycled your tank with damsels. I find it to be cruel and meaningless. By plain sand I mean LFS bag sand. There is a calculator on saltwaterfish.com in the LR and LS section that calculates how much LS you will need with certain dimensions.

 

[shaun larlee]

In my defense before i found this wonderful website, i had started my cycle. My LFS told me how to set things up, a friend referred me here. Had i known the details in cycling with fish i would have used the LR method. On the upside the Damsels are doing great, trust me im a critter person and after reading about the things they go through i feel horrible. But things are done, my lack of research led me here.
I just tested my water and is as follows...
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 5
Nitrate-20
I think this is ok but any opinions are welcomed. Also is the switch to LS from CC doable this late in the cycle?
Fishfreak i promise you had i known it would never have been done this way. I respect your opinion and appreciate your comments...you are very right.

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by Shaun Larlee
http:///forum/post/2582440
In my defense before i found this wonderful website, i had started my cycle. My LFS told me how to set things up, a friend referred me here. Had i known the details in cycling with fish i would have used the LR method. On the upside the Damsels are doing great, trust me im a critter person and after reading about the things they go through i feel horrible. But things are done, my lack of research led me here.
I just tested my water and is as follows...
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 5
Nitrate-20
I think this is ok but any opinions are welcomed. Also is the switch to LS from CC doable this late in the cycle?
Fishfreak i promise you had i known it would never have been done this way. I respect your opinion and appreciate your comments...you are very right.
You should be able to do the switch this late in the cycle. All it will do is cause some cloudyness which will subside in 2-3 days.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Shaun Larlee
http:///forum/post/2582440
In my defense before i found this wonderful website, i had started my cycle. My LFS told me how to set things up, a friend referred me here. Had i known the details in cycling with fish i would have used the LR method. On the upside the Damsels are doing great, trust me im a critter person and after reading about the things they go through i feel horrible. But things are done, my lack of research led me here.
I just tested my water and is as follows...
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 5
Nitrate-20
I think this is ok but any opinions are welcomed. Also is the switch to LS from CC doable this late in the cycle?
Fishfreak i promise you had i known it would never have been done this way. I respect your opinion and appreciate your comments...you are very right.
Alright. Can you take the damsels back, or was that not part of the LFS deal? Take them back if you can. You will not want them later anyway. Take the CC out and set up your sand. Your are not "late" in the cycle. Don't worry about the cycle at this point. People have switched over after years of having CC, now that is a big pain!

 

[geoj]

"Also is the switch to LS from CC doable this late in the cycle?" If you have live rock then yes take all animals out and acclimate them when you put them back. Then keep testing and do water changes as needed. And keep the rock in a tank water filled bucket as you change.

 

[shaun larlee]

Ok get damsels out.
Get CC out.
Replace CC with LS.
Add LR in place of damsels.
Monitor levels for spikes, and do water changes as needed for ammonia spikes.
And with this i should be fine right?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Shaun Larlee
http:///forum/post/2582469
Ok get damsels out.
Get CC out.
Replace CC with LS.
Add LR in place of damsels.
Monitor levels for spikes, and do water changes as needed for ammonia spikes.
And with this i should be fine right?

If you take the damsels out, which is wise in a 55, and replace it with live rock then you will cycle again anyway. That is the right thing to do. Don't worry about how far you were with the cycle. If I were you, I would buy uncured, or semi-cured rock anyway. It is cheaper and it will cycle the tank for you. You will want rock anyway. Uncured is much cheaper. Watch the ammonia readings and keep it below 1ppm.

 

[shaun larlee]

thanks sounds good.
Now is there any ghost feeding needed? or will the rock take care of everything?

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by Shaun Larlee
http:///forum/post/2582491
thanks sounds good.
Now is there any ghost feeding needed? or will the rock take care of everything?
That depends on what kind of rock you buy. If you have the rock for three or more weeks without an ammonia spike then you can ghost feed it to get a small ammonia spike, then let it cycle through.

 

[9supratt4]

I'm not an expert, but I think you are going too overboard with this whole thing!!
I suggest just switching out the CC for LS now. No need to take the damsels out....I switched mine with clowns and a pseudo in there a year ago and they are still alive!! Don't worry about the cycle either. It may affect is a little, but that just means it may take a little longer to cycle.....no big deal.
Then if you decide to add Live Rock, depending on where you get it from you may not need to cure it and it may not have any die off. I have bought really nice LR from my LFS that was already cured and in their tanks, and its only a 10 minute ride from my house....so there is no need to cure it again. But again, it all depends where you get your rock from.
But for now....I would personally just worry about switching out the CC for LS. And don't worry about the fish....they should be fine!!!

 

[shaun larlee]

**UPDATE**
So today i went to my LFS and had my water tested. Everything seemed in order so i purchased 7 pounds of cured LR ($50) from a friend there. All seems well fish love the LR. And hopefully the LR will help too.
Anyone know a good place to get a good deal on a skimmer????