best way to change substrate

[revclyburn]

Hello

I am trying to help out a friend with his tank. His tank has had a bad case of hair algae, which I suspect is because he has crushed coral as his substrate. I think that CC is a magnet for waste and causes all kinds of trouble, IMO. So, I suggested that he switch, since nothing else is helping and he didn't want to use any chemicals. which would work too. He has some coral, and he thinks they would be harmed, so he won't do anything chemical wise

My question is what is the best way to replace his crushed coral substrate for a DBS?

rev

[L and L]

You posted this a few days ago...

Have you done anything yet?

[Cody Ray]

When I took my cc out a couple years ago I just took all of my liverock and livestock out and placed them into a container with most of the aquarium water. Then I took the dust pan and scooped the cc out into another container. Mixed up some new water and added it to the aquarium so that it was filled half way. I added the new sand to this and let it settle. Finally I replaced the liverock and then the livestock and used part of the water from the container to refill the tank. If I had the option I would have used all new water and adjusted the livestock to it. However by adding part of the old water it wasn't as big of a change for the livestock (except for that initial few minutes without some of the container water). Of course I made sure that the new water was as similar as possible to the container water.

[Blown 346]

The easiest and safest way to do this without the fear of a cycle is to do remove the substrate in quarters.

I would siphon or scoop out what you can with everything in the tank. Just go around it, once a quarter of it is gone replace with sand. Do this for 4 weeks. It is easy, it will enable the bacteris that is removed to reestablish itself in the new sand.

[L and L]

Rev, I’m a firm believer in not messing around w/ chemicals too. Let’s try the natural way.

If you want us to help you / him.... we need to know everything about his system including live aquaria, water parameters, …etc

A little background on me and my similar experience: I started into this reef hobby back in 00', I got a 100g (undrilled or not reef ready). I filled it up with a DSB(oolitic aragonite sand (0.18 - 1.2mm), live sand (~1mm) and 120 lbs of Fiji live rock. Added some yellowtail damsels (yeah.. I know … yikes). Two months into this FOLR.... I found Reef Central and saw what real "coral reef tanks" really look like. wow! at the amazing tanks in the world.

Sign me up.

I decided to break down my tank, send the tank back to the manufacturer and get it drilled for a reef. Got four 1” bulkheads and two ¾” ones (overflow weirs and closed loop) installed.

I bought two 50g rubbermaid tubs (I think that was right. Maybe 75g?) from Wal-Mart, filled it with new mixed saltwater and slowly added tank saltwater to the tubs. Seeding it with the same water parameters.

Transferred it to the Rubbermaid tubs (one was DSB and the other just LR). Gave the damsels back to my very LFS for no credit. The tubs sat in my aquarium room for 4-6 months while I researched reef tanks and DIY’d my system. Finally added it back and my reef tank was born again. hehe, I like that statement. My Reef tank was born again.

So, let’s get that spirituality thing going and help that tank. Can I get an “Amen" brothers and sisters? :D

Ok, I don’t know what kind of corals and fish he has, but I’ll treat it like my reef tank if I had a CC and wanted a DSB. I need to know the condition of the CC (full of waste, hair algae ..etc). How old is the CC? If it’s really bad, then we’ll just throw it away and buy a bunch of aragonite sand and some live sand. But, I hope we can use the CC to seed the DSB.

How thick is the CC and do you have a guess at what the diameter of the crushed coral is? I’ll guess that’s it 2-3 inches deep and a larger diameter, which should be aerobic bacteria with maybe some pockets of anaerobic bacteria.

If you want a DSB, then you want aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Oxygen and lack of oxygen bacteria respectively.

Depending on how much money your friend wants to spend to get this transfer done, we’ll go w/ the cost effective plan first and they can “upgrade” later.

Get one 50g or 75g Rubbermaid tub from Wal-Mart. It will be the “Coral LR fish tub”. I don’t know if these are “Food Grade”, but they worked for me. I made a “center brace” out of tape in two spots (just wrap it around the tub five or six times. Because the sides will bow out due to the force of saltwater.

You’ll need a heater and some powerheads for the tub and 75g. Place the heaters w/ thermometers in 2 liter plastic clear coke bottles (cut off the top) w/ water prior to the “MOVE” and get the temp setting the same temp as your 75g tank. When you add the heater to the tub, you won’t have to adjust the heater to the existing temp… it will already be adjusted.

If his saltwater is in pretty good shape, then we can use a bunch of it in the tubs… well, at least in the “coral fish lr tub”.

Siphon off a lot of the saltwater into the tubs with most of it going into the “Coral LR fish tub”. Maybe a ¾ to ¼ ratio.

Place the corals, live rock and catch the fish w/ the plastic 2 liter bottles. I don’t like nets. It can harm the fish and freak them out. How would you like to have a net thrown over you and taken underwater for a few seconds???

As you’re removing the LR from the 75g, inspect it for cool live things and place it in the tub… so that you don’t harm/kill it as you stack LR on top of each other.

Add the heater and wedge some powerheads to the side and get a circular current going.

Lighting on the tub: When I added the LR to the tub, I bought some N.O. flourscent lights and taped them to the tape braces. But, I didn’t have corals or fish in there. Just LR. Whatever his lighting is: either it needs to be over his coral tub or he needs to buy something minimal to sub in while the “MOVE” takes place.

Coral LR Fish tub tank complete.

Now let’s get that DSB installed in the 75g tank.

Add the ¼ left of saltwater that you can get to w/o siphoning the CC to another Rubbermaid tub or some 5g buckets for future use.

Get two or three more 5g buckets. Add the top layer of CC in one or two buckets. Scoop it with those 2-liter bottles. See, these things come in handy and this will be it’s third use in the MOVE.

If you want 4-6” of a fine oolitic aragonite sand…. Then add 2” of DSB dry sand to the bottom layer of CC in the 75g mix them up together. Add the rest of the DSB sand to a height of 3-5”and then add the “top layer 5g bucket” of CC and mix them together.

Add the 1/4 of saltwater future use 5g bucket to the 75g and maybe some already pre-mixed saltwater too. Put in a heater and low flow powerhead. I think I used a sediment filter to clear up the “dust storm” in my 100g tank. But, you should really try to save as much of that as you can. The fine particle surface area is insanely larger than a big particle. More surface area = more bacteria.

Your DSB is complete

The big question is “How long before I can add my LR, Fish and Corals back to the 75g tank?” Good question. Start testing the 75g for a nitrogen cycle. If it cycles then you have to wait. Seems like when I added the DSB and LR to my 100g it really didn’t cycle.

After the cycle or several days/weeks later after testing it; start mixing the 75g with the coral tub saltwater and get them having similar water properties. Test for pH, Alk, Calcium, and and Nitrate. Once you get them close or if they are already close then you can add the LR, corals and fish and top it off.

Keeping each other with the same water properties will ensure minimal stress to the live aquaria and will help quicken the move.

Good luck.


I’m sure I’ve probably left out some things or made a mistake. If anyone sees anything that I left out, speak up. I may have to do this in the future and replace my DSB (currently running 4 years)… and I’ll have my procedure already made. Bouya!

[L and L]

Or he could go to a bare bottom tank and just suck away all the CC and add a 100g refugium to the tank.... if he has room for this.

Although a gamble because you might get a nitrogen cycle.

If it doesn't cycle, this might be better. That way if there is such thing as "old tank syndrome". You can just replace the refugium every 5 years and keep the tank as is.

This would certainly be easier, but I like the look of the sand bed. and.. and it really wasn't that bad when I did the MOVE. But, I did do in two parts (breakdown and add back were spaced by 4-6 months).

Food for thought.