Aragocrete Questions! Others too...

[True_Bohemian]

Well I'm new to Reef Central even though I have been lurking forever. So I have been finally getting things planned for a nano tank (20 gallon with a 5 gallon sump) with aragocrete to cut down cost and to try to save a reef (I'm such a hippy sometimes). With aragocrete (however you spell it) I know you have to be really REALLY patient with it since it goes through diffrent stages (cooking it, trying to get corraline to grow from seed rocks, and the whole shabang). My questions are: When the rock is done "cooking" and after I put it in the tank after all the other preperations, can I add a clean up crew while it cycles? Next Question: Will using crushed oyster shell instead of aragonite gravel do just as good? Can I add play sand instead of live sand to the tank? I'll add a bit of live sand to seed the sand. Also some seed rock. I have been reading about reef tanks for awhile and know what I need for lighting and figuring out the pump issue. My main issue is starting up the aragocrete and keeping algae at bay. I think I'll start a journal on my tank in the nano section. By the way, I know keeping nanos is discourage for newbies but I'm not mentioning budget. Mostling doing DIY things for the tank and looking for sales/tag sales.

[True_Bohemian]

Bump just to keep my post up. Hope I'm not spamming.

[True_Bohemian]

I think my questions are a bit confusing or misleading. I tend to be like that sorry. My question is: Can I add a clean up crew while my tank cycles? Or do I have to wait till the cycles has finished like with fish and other inverts?

[rustybucket145]

You don't cook aragocrete. It simply needs to sit in FRESHWATER for a month or two in order for the ph of the concrete level out. After that, throw it in your saltwater tank. You should seed with at least one piece of live rock or sand/rubble from someone elses established tank. After that you will begin to see coraline growth within a few months. Be patient! Most people will tell you to wait until after the cycle to add the cleanup crew. I personally start SLOWLY adding them as soon as any type of algae growth is noticed in the new setup. Sometimes this can be days, sometimes it may take weeks. It is also important to feed your cleanup crew during this time as the algae and fuana populaiton may not be enough to sustain them. Brocoli and seaweed sheets seem to work best for this.

[True_Bohemian]

I thought that what I meant by cooking sorry. Thanks for the information and trying very hard not to be impulsive and think things through. Should I boil the broccoli because we have alot of broccoli plants in our vegetable garden? Nevermind, I would have to buy broccoli since ours can't live that long in our fridge.

[obadii]

You asked for it... Here is a thread over in DIY. Last time I checked, it was ~40 pages (recipes, variations, pictures, etc.) It has pretty much everything you ever wanted to know, but were afraid to ask! ;-)

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=807988

I have done some tinkering myself with mixed results. I have a batch sitting in fresh water now. I hope to have it in an aquarium in five weeks or so.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes!

[True_Bohemian]

Thanks everyone! I love this website..... So many nice people and journals to get jealous of. Anyway, I hope to get my digital camera so I'll take some pictures and make my own journal.

[poedag]

the thing to do is check out garf's site and get an idea for their material list. i just made enough to fill my 40g display and it took a bit of work, but not too bad. i did it to save on $, and the added effect of not taking rock off the reef. mine soaked in freshwater for ~10 weeks and now it is in NSW for about another 2 weeks, just to avoid a PH spike. . let me know if you need more info on materials, process...etc. it took a while but i think i have a fairly good few lists to pass on to people.