Removing sand from a refugium 1/21/07
<Hi Keith.>
I bought a nice 55 gallon tank with a 20 gallon refugium from someone who had a long-standing reef tank and refugium.  
<Good deal. I love used equipment almost as much as new!>
He is located about 45 minutes away.  <Good to know... ;) > He gave me a really good deal as he was got a nice 120 gallon setup. <???>
We planned it out and I went and picked it up about 2 or 3 months ago.  He kept the tank running for me as he took about two weeks while slowly adding things to his new setup.  We kept most of the water and transported the refugium as carefully as possible to try to keep the bacteria alive to help cycle the tank.
<Should not be a problem if sand was kept moist at all.>
I had 40 gallon with about 70 pounds of live rock, a Mandarin <sic> goby, liverock, aragonite <sic> sand, a cardinal, Astrea nail <[Sighing, shaking head...] Nail?>, a 10 gallon refugium underneath the tank with some Chaetomorpha.
<Sounds good so far.>
I got the new tank back to my house and got it set up as quickly as possible, but did make a mistake with salinity for a day or two and then got the salinity correct<ed,> then waited a few days and slowly started transporting the contents of my tank to the new tank.  
<What constitutes a "mistake with salinity"? A few days may turn out to be a little short on the wait for a potential re-cycle.>
I tested the water for a few days and all seemed well.  
<Mmm... ok.>
I didn't add anything else to the tank for about a month and then added 10 Astrea snails.
I added some base rock I had in the process as well which as starting to look alive again.
<That is a good thing indeed.>
Recently, I had a red slime outbreak (Cyano) and started noticing the live rock was fading.  I did some reading on your site and read about phosphates and couldn't figure out where they were coming from.   
<Food, water change...>
After reading and chatting with a few friends, I look back and realized I was probably feeding to<o> much food<,>
<Mm-hmm.>
so I cut back feeding to every other day and did a few water changes over the next month but it was still present.  So I did the following after doing some research: Added some Caulerpa to my refugium,
<Good, will compete for nutrients with BGA.>
Added light in the refugium (was a 60 watt house light I kept on all the time) with the purchase of a 12 inch 36 watt Coralife compact fluorescent.
<Likely, will be more than enough.>
Changed his power compact light he had (it was about a year old) and got a new one
<Ok.>
Added a carbon bag to the refugium getting some good flow main tank. <Hmm?>
Purchased a pair of phosphate pads where you keep one in for 24 hours then discard, and put the second one in for 48 hours then discard along with some Cyano powder you can add to the tank which has gotten rid of the Cyano before I even discarded the first pad)
<Uh-oh, sounds like a possible E.M. or similar product aimed at killing the BGA, instead of reducing the levels of it's required elements. We used to use Erythromycin in the 90's to try to get rid of Cyano and snot algaes, but it had the undesired effect of killing of your beneficial nitrifying bacteria as well as basically dispersing the Cyano in dissolved form (bad) into the water column.>
Also siphoned some sand out of the main tank, rinsed it thoroughly making almost free of anything and placed it back in the tank.  
<Not neccessary.>
Added a powerful powerhead (Rio 2100) getting some good circulation plus another standard powerhead
<Very good step in thwarting BGA.>
Here are some questions I hope you can help me out with.
<Will try...>
1. After thinking about it, I would think that I would have a ton of die-off in my sand.  
<In the form of ammonia, not usually phosphate.>
When I got the tank, he left me an inch or two of Southdown sand in the main tank and probably about 5 inches of Southdown in the refugium that he had up for years.  Can I siphon all of this sand out of the refugium, then just add about 3 inches back in the refugium with hurting the natural cycle of the tank?  Any bacteria there I should worry about?
<I would just add to the existing substrate, as I don't see a need for removal of the older, established schtuff.>
2. I recently found some ar<a>gonite sand filling about half a bucket.  I rinsed it thoroughly and added some to main tank.  A week later, I vacuumed some more sand out, rinsed it thoroughly, and added it back to the tank.  Is this ok to do every two weeks or so, or even every week?  
<Above and beyond what is required, here. Furthermore, any rinsing of established media (LS, LR etc.) should be done in tank-water.>
I love my Mandarin <mandarin>
who has been with me for 3 years, and don't want to disrupt the sand bed, but want to get rid of any die off<.>
<You are overreacting, IMO.>
I know I must have gotten that aiding the phosphates?  
<If you allow the new system to properly cycle, and confirm the cycle with testing, you should have no probs. I would expect the cycle to be quite abbreviated.>
Let's say I took out a little sand here and there each water change then adding it back after rinsing thoroughly.
<Cut that out! ;) >
3. On my current refugium, I now have the Coralife lighting, but I did leave the 60 watt bulb shining down on the 20 gallon refugium, is this ok or two <too> much light?
<Mmmm... probably, yes. Do some searching re lighting requirements for refugiums.>
Thanks again for your help and taking part the most informative/educational aquatic website I know to date.   I stay glued to the site!
<Thanks for participating!
-Graham T.>

Crushed coral substrate   1/15/07
Hello Crew,
<Hello Lisa, JustinN with you today.>
I read someplace (I think on your site) and now I can't remember or find the article/letter.  The subject was about crushed coral substrate and how it loses it's pH benefits over time.  Is this true?
<Mmm, yes, tis true, though not only of crushed coral substrate. This is true of any such marine substrate, be it crushed coral or oolitic aragonite sand, and is also true of live rock to a lesser extent. The easily soluble portions of these will be dissolved into the water column over time, and when its depleted, pH, alkalinity and calcium levels will typically begin to deplete.>
I have had mine going on 5 years.  All the water levels are good, but as of late I am having trouble with green hair algae and cannot get rid of it.  I go in and the tank with a tooth brush and scrub the rock.  
<Is better to do this outside the tank, as all the little strands that are let loose into the aquarium have the potential to take root and become another patch of hair algae.>
I also remove the top layer of gravel and pour boiling water over it and let it dry out with the intentions of returning it to the tank (is this okay to do?).  
<Certainly>
How do I get rid of this "green hair devil" for good, and what should I do with my crushed coral?...Guess that was two questions combined.  Sorry!
<Your crushed coral is likely fine, though after 5 years, you might consider exchanging some of it for new crushed coral. Simply remove some substrate and replace with fresh, rinsed crushed coral. As far as the hair algae goes, hair algae is usually indicative of high phosphate and nitrate levels. Have a read here for some more information: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algaeconMar.htm Hope this helps you! -JustinN>
By the way, I would love to contribute a donation, but have closed all my CC accounts.  Is there a P.O. box I can mail a check to (don't worry, it isn't a rubber one)?
Thanks for your help!
Lisa
<Certainly, the mailing address for WWM is as follows:
WetWebMedia
8586 Menkar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126. Thanks for the support, Lisa!>

No tank...I'm outta here...go pound sand... landlord rel.s... reef set-up   12/28/06
Hello Crew (Mich if possible):  
<Hello Again, Mich here.>
I hope this email finds you having enjoyed a wonderful holiday season.  
<Tis good and getting better!>
I sent an email regarding an upgrade from a 55 to a 75 however my landlord (the same one that will not let me have a sump) has decided that a 55 is as large as I can go.  I will be looking to move in the near future as my life revolves around my fish.  
<Heee!  Wow!  I didn't expect the new landlord suggestion to be the one most seriously taken, but follow your bliss.  You are far from alone in respect to your priorities.>  
In the mean time I want to use the items that I already purchased and would like your advice.  I currently have a 55 with and Aqua C Remora, a Emporer 400, and 3 small power heads running my reef tank.  I also have around 3 inches of sand.  
<OK>
My plan is to add a couple more inches of sand.  I am aiming for a 4+ sand bed and here is the problem.  
<OK>
I currently have a Yellow Watchman Goby and a Pistol Shrimp.  I have looked on WWM and found that you can just slowly add well rinsed sand.  
<Yes>
Will this pose a problem for the Goby/Pistol?  
<I would trying doing it in small step, as not to get too much  sediment in the water column at any one time.>
I will also be adding 4 Maxi Jet 1200 s to  each corner of the tank and aiming them at the center.  
<Good, but wait till you have added the sand or it will be a dust storm.>
I will then remove the Emperor filter and just have the Remora.  According to WWM I think this plan will work.  Do you think this is a good idea?   
<Yes.>
Thank you so much for all that you do and have a wonderful New Year.
<Welcome! It is a collective effort.  Yes, I assuredly will have a wonderful new year and wish you the same my friend!  -Mich

Just moved   10/5/06
Hello-
Love the site.  I just moved over the weekend and I have a quick question for you; I have looked all over the site but I can't find this specifically.  I have a 75 gallon FOWLR w/ 40 lbs. of rock and about 30 pounds of sand.  I set up a 10 gallon tank with a small pump to keep my rocks alive.  My question is about the sand.  I stuffed a bag full and of sand and set it in the 10 gallon with the rock; the rest of the sand is in a 5 gallon bucket topped with approx a gallon of tank water.  I placed it in the bucket Friday night.  If I put this in my newly set up tank, can it harm my tank?  Also, I found 2 clowns in the false back of my tank where the filter/return lead to the sump after I broke down the tank;  {insert finding Nemo joke here} ...they were still alive after 8 months or so anyway, I put them in the 10 gallon tank with the rock.  How long do you think they can they survive there?  I plan on doing everything this weekend, but now I'm starting to worry.  Thanks
<<Ryan:  Anytime you disturb a sandbed in a move, you run a high risk of transferring sickness and disease to the fish (I found out the hard way when I moved a tank that had been established over 2 years).  I would put the clowns with the rock only, and leave all the sand in another container (with a heater and powerhead) until you can set up the main tank again.  When you set the main tank up, put the sand and rocks in it and run the tank for a few days.  Leave the clowns by themselves.  After the parameters stabilize, move the clowns back to the main tank.  Best of luck, Roy>>
Thanks,
Ryan

Adding live sand  - 05/29/06
Hi crew,
<Hi>
I have a 90 gallon FOWLR with crushed coral at the moment. I'm interested in housing Jawfish (Yellowhead) and wrasses (red Coris) and realize that they need a sandy substrate. My CC depth is ~1.5" now, and my plan was to add sugar-fine LS to a depth of 2.5" or 3". This results in a couple of questions.
1. Would these guys be ok in a mixed CC/LS setup and this depth, or do they need a complete sand substrate?
<The problem is that the CC does not stay at the bottom, it will rise to the top of the sand, making problems for the Jawfish especially.>
2. I've read up on your site about the LS depths recommended (1" or less for decorative purposes, 4"+ for DSB). I'm very diligent about regular water changes (~15% a week w/ vacuum) and monitoring nitrates, so I'm more concerned fish happiness than nitrate reduction.
<Jawfish make mostly vertical burrows, so 3+ inches of sand is best.>
3. Tied to question 2, are there additional drawbacks to this combination and depth I should investigate further?
<I would remove the CC, and replace with sand.  A pain but really the best long term solution.>
Thanks for all of your help and support.
Ian
<Chris>

Replacing a damaged acrylic tank   7/18/06
Hi Crew,
<Tom>
We have a healthy 120G reef setup for 2+ years now, much of the credit goes to the WWM database.  Around 170lbs live rock, 1-1.5" sand/rubble bed, several good size SPS (up to 12" across),
<Nice!>
a few nice LPS, xenia, 6" derasa, Lysmata shrimp, few dozen small hermits and Nassarius snails.  The fish range from about 4.5" down to 2.5", and are a purple tang, pacific blue tang, flame angel, pair of Percs, yellow watchman goby, royal Gramma, twinspot/yellow hogfish, yellow Foxface - all healthy & active.  Salifert tests indicate quality & stable water. So what's the problem?  The old tank is giving out
<?!>
so we need to move the contents & gear across the room to a replacement tank of about 130G.
Could it be done as simply as the following plan?
1. Pump about 1/2 the old tank water into the new tank.
2. Keep the old tank circulating with powerheads.
3. Put about 1" of new sand into the new tank.
4. Seed the new sand with a few pounds of the old sand and let settle for a 1/2 hour or so.
5. Move the rock and coral & arrange in the new tank.
6. Move the fish and remaining animals into the new tank.
7. Pump the remaining water into the new tank.
8 Top off the new tank with enough saltwater, probably 10-20 gallons of aerated, buffered saltwater.
9. Keep the new tank temperature stable & circulating with powerheads while we move the existing gear (sump, chiller, pumps, skimmer, lights, Ca reactor, etc.)
<Sounds good, complete... will you move the remainder of the substrate ultimately into the new system?>
We've budgeted a day for the move and the next day to work out issues, and another day for wrapping up.  Is this plan OK?  What else could we do to
minimize the stress on the animals and make this a successful event?
<Plenty of towels, buckets... a reduction in any/all other distractions>
Is the new tank likely to have any re-cycling issues?
<Likely not>
Thanks,
Tom
<Welcome. Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>

Re: Replacing a damaged acrylic tank  - 07/18/2006
Hi Bob,
<Hello Tom>
The current substrate is a mix of sand & rubble, and the plan was to use a kitchen colander to sift out rubble before putting the old sand in with the new.
<Ahh... I see>
  In the new tank we want sand only, no rubble.  Given the sifting & handling of the old substrate, do we need to be concerned about causing
enough of a substrate die-off that we should just use enough to re-seed the new tank, or would it be OK to reuse all of the old substrate, after it is sifted?
<Perfectly fine to use the finer-only bits... the bacteria will survive in good numbers if you rinse this with only the old system water. Bob Fenner>
Thanks,
Tom

New Tank, New to Salt Water 8/17/06 Mixing substrate types/sizes   8/17/06
I have a question about my first saltwater fish tank. I just set it up yesterday and I don’t really know a lot about saltwater fish tanks. <Read, read, read and read some more before adding any livestock.> I have a 29  gal fish tank with about 20 lbs of crushed coral in it. Can I also put some sand in it or will that just be stupid?
Thanks a lot  
~TREY~
<Mixing substrates is generally not a good idea.  You get worst qualities for both this way.>
<Chris>

Sand or crushed coral, maybe both? 8/8/06
Hi,
<Hello>
I have a 55 Gallon fowler tank. Not much in it right now,50 pounds live rock, 3 turbo's,6 red and blue leg hermits,3 Astraea snails and 1 clown. The tank has been set up now for about 3to4 months. My sand bed is made up of 30lbs Aragamax sugar sized sand mixed with 20lbs live sand. <How deep is it?  I'm guessing 2+ inches.> My problem is that the sand gets so dirty looking (brown algae and snail poop I think)  when I try to clean it the sand gets EVERY where by the time it settles my live rock is just covered and looks like crap. I hear good things about sand helping to control nitrates, that's why I went that way. <At the right depth it can be quite useful for nitrate reduction, 3+ inches at least.> But I was wanting to maybe go the crushed coral route. <Can be problematic, trapping detritus.>  I don't know any body that has a saltwater tank and the LFS in my area are not worth going to "they don't even sell RO water" so I thought I would ask some one who could help me out a little!! <Hopefully> Should I try the coral or stick with the sand? <I prefer sand, either under 1 inch or over 3.>  Can you mix the two and have the coral for the top layer? <Worst of both worlds, I wouldn't recommend it.>  Is the coral easier to keep clean? <Not really.>  Also one more question I did some reading just incase I did go with the coral about keeping nitrates down and I came across a DIY project called a coil denitrator that claimed after two months of cycling it will help keep nitrates down ever heard of anything like this? <Yes> Maybe worth trying? <Lots of work, mixed results at best.  Water changes and a deep sand bed are easier in my opinion.  Give this a read for more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm >
Thanks for any help
Brian
<Anytime>
<Chris>        

Redoing Substrates 9/13/06
To All:
<Hi>
I'm getting ready to redo my substrates in my 90 gal reef tank. I have had problems in the past with nitrates sometimes high but can be controlled with water changes. <Best method> Currently I have a 5 inch crushed coral bed with underwater filter powered by one 110 and a 70 aqua clear power head on each corner. along with a canister filter and skimmer). <What we call a nitrate factory.>  UG filters are not used much anymore for this reason, among others.> After reading endless amount of info on your site I just wanted your opinion on what would be the best substrates for me to use. I would like to stick with a substrates for some of the goby's and other creatures that enjoy digging. <I like using substrates in the main tank.> I was thinking of going with 3 to 4 inches of live sand. <Good, sugar fine is best.>
I have 75lbs of live rock that I use for my reef too. Should I use underwater filter or just place the sand on the bottom?? <Sand on the bottom, the UG filter will not work with sand.> And should it be mixed with crushed coral or something else?? <Nope, just sand.> This seems to be the most difficult question to come up with an answer for. There is so many ways to setup a substrates. <Many different ideas out there, I like a simple 3-4 inch thick layer of sugar fine sand.> I'm sticking with mostly soft corals since I currently don't have a metal halide light.
<Sounds good.>
Thanks,
J.R.
<Anytime>
<Chris>

Replacing Marine Substrate - 09/11/06
Hello again, hope all is well.
<<Well enough...thanks>>
Quick question, I would like to replace my substrate with fine sand (about 2-3 inches deep), bad idea?
<<Not a bad idea...but I recommend a minimum of 4" is recommended to allow sufficient depth for nitrifying/denitrifying processes>>
Would it be best to use Carib-Sea Aragalive?
<<Not in my opinion...a waste of money.  Any "dry" sugar-size aragonite will do>>
My current substrate is a fine sand, crushed coral mixed and the main reason I want to change it is I am not happy with the look (the crushed coral always ends up on the top).
<<Okay>>
I think that if I tried to add the fine sand on top I would eventually end up with the crushed coral on top again, and would smother most existing bacteria.  Or would it be possible to siphon out a third of the current substrate at a time and replace it with the new substrate over a period of a few months?
<<This is a good approach...2-3 weeks between will likely suffice>>
By the way it's a 90 gallon tank with 20 gallon sump.  Thanks, I'm sure I'll have another question in a week; I need to stop thinking so much (obsessive compulsive disorder).
<<Ha!  No worries mate...be chatting.  EricR>>

Re: Replacing Marine Substrate - 09/12/06
Ok thanks, one last question.
<<Alright>>
By siphoning current sand I won't be letting off harmful gases in the tank will I?
<<Is a possibility...especially if your sand bed is covered with rock/water flow has been insufficient to keep detritus in suspension.  My experience with this has been that pockets of "gas" (hydrogen sulphide), while highly toxic, quickly dissipate from the water.  It will make your nose wrinkle for sure, but I've never experienced problems with livestock from disturbing small pockets of this gas.  Hobbyists remove/change/modify their substrate all the time.  Supply vigorous water movement (but no need to create a "sand storm") during the operation and you'll likely incur no problems.  EricR>>

Sandbed On The Move?  9/28/05
Hey Crew,
<Hi there! Scott F. here today!>
Apologize for the question but not seeing my problem directly.
<No need to apologize!>
Currently have a 75g mainly FOWLR (couple of mushrooms and a few polyps) with ~65 lbs LR and a 4-5” DSB. I’m sold on the DSB idea; tank has been up for 3 years and since initial cycle, nitrate and nitrites at zero.
<Good to hear!>
Moving across town in a few days to a new house where I’ll be setting up a 145g display on the main floor along with a 75g sump and 33g refugium in the basement. Problem is the new tank and sump still haven’t been delivered and realistically if I had them now, probably wouldn’t be plumbed for a couple of weeks.
<I see.>
Concern is maintaining the DSB. Was thinking, taking the 75g down, saving top 1” layer of sand, moving everything across town in tubs. Once there, fill the 75g back up with SW that’s currently at the new place aging (power heads and heater) and the LR. The sand I saved, I would place in the 33g with a HOB filter and power head to keep for seeding the DSB on the new system.
The move is going to be complicated enough as is, so wondering if it’s worth the effort in trying the keep the sand or just toss it?
<I'd hate to totally waste the established sand bed, but there might be some die off of the infauna and bacterial populations within the sandbed once it's disturbed and moved. Expect some possible "re-cycling" to occur. It's certainly worth a shot, if you are up for the effort, IMO.>
A some what related question, if I were just to have ½” sand in the display and setup a remote DSB in the sump and/or refugium what would be the minimum surface area for maintaining NNR?
<Hard to say, actually. I'd tend to use the "depth" as a gauge for denitrification capacity. I wouldn't run less than a 3"-4" sandbed in the sump if denitrification is what you are attempting to achieve.>
Finally, thanks for the site; it’s amazing the amount of info. In addition to the reading online, I’ve probably a stack of FAQ’s printed 18” high (all two pages per sheet, most double sided). Great reading when on the road or when someone else is on the computer and I need a WWM fix.
Mark
Edmonton, AB
<A great idea...You CAN take it with you! Good luck on the move! Regards, Scott F.>

Mixing Substrates - 11/20/05
Hello WWM Crew!
<<Hello Aly! EricR here>> 
I'm finally converting my 7-year-old 46 bow front FOWLR to reef (I know, what took me so long!)
<<Mmm...nuttin wrong with fish...>> 
and I've got the ill-talked about CC substrate in there right now.
<<Not all bad...much to do with grain size/depth.>>
I've been reading up on substrate for the past week here on WWM and I'm going to make the switch to a SSB.
<<I'm a DSB kinda guy...but this is fine too.>>
I'm going to take out 1/4 of the CC at a time and replace that section with the sand over the next month until all is complete.
<<Alrighty>>
So just a few questions I need a little clarification on, if you don't mind.
<<I don't>>
Sand Type- I think I'm going to go for the Aragamax sugar-sized sand mixed with a bigger grain.
<<You can do this, but not necessary. Much more simple to just pick/choose a grain size and proceed...>>
I like the look of the Bermuda Pink (2.0 - 5.5 mm) but I've seen it described as a mini CC substrate. Fiji Pink Reef Sand (0.5 - 1.5 mm), Flamingo Reef Sand (1.0 - 2.0 mm) and Grand Bahama Biome (0.1 - 2.0 mm) are also on my shortlist but I have no idea what would look or work best mixed with the sugar sized.
<<Mix or not...my choices would be the Fiji Pink or the Flamingo Reef Sand. Best combination of grain size/variation in my opinion>>
I'm running all of that info off the Carib-Sea page: http://www.carib-sea.com/pages/prod.../aragonite.html What would your preference be to mix with the sugar size?
<<As stated...but without mixing in the SS.>>
Mix Ratio- What ratio would you mix the sand? I used an online sand calculator that says my tank will need 23 lbs. to make a 1" bed. A 1 1/2" bed would come to the bottom of the black strip on my tank but I read that would be a bad depth (just in case, I would need 34 lbs. of sand for the 1 1/2" bed).
<<For the SSB I would use 1" depth or less. If you decide to mix with a sugar-fine substrate then I recommend no more than 30% of the fine stuff.>>
Rock Slide- With the transfer to sand, I'm worried about a rock slide driving straight through a 1" sand bed and cracking the bottom.
<<Of little concern...think about the folks who don't even use a substrate (bare-bottom).>>
I had read about eggcrate being a possibility from a LFS. Will that help cushion the blow if there's a rock slide?
<<It could...but the 1" substrate will do just fine.>>
I guess I've come to rely on the cushion of the CC, which sounds silly now that I think about it!
<<Hee!>>
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Aly
<<Welcome, EricR>>

Used gravel - Let's Call it "Pre-owned"!  12/03/05
I have a neighbor who failed with his 180g reef (two floods-ruined home theater in room below tank, fortunately still married though). He then tried fish only for a while, then finally converted to fresh water. He's offered to give me 160lbs aragonite gravel which was in the tank through all of the above (including FW with a Pleco and some goldfish for ~1 yr).  
He never used any meds, copper or otherwise, and says disease wasn't a problem. Would you be nervous using the aragonite in a new reef? Thanks, Neil 
<Yes Neil, wives can become very nasty when situations like that occur. To answer your question, no, I would feel comfortable using it, just rinse portions of it at a time in a bucket. James (Salty Dog)>

Stocking and Sand for a 29 Gal. - 12/17/2005
Hey guys first time question, long time reader. First up thank you for running such a great site.
<Glad that you enjoy it, though we'd probably be lost without the help from the ladies!>
Okay I have 29 gallon with a magnum H.O.T filter, 20watt NO lighting, with 24lbs of live rock and about 20lbs of aragonite live
sand. I've had the tank up for about two months now and just ordered the Orbit Lunar Lights PC (130watt), Maxijet 1200, and the Bak Pak 2. In my tank I have 2 Yellowtail Damsels, a large Green Brittle Star (about the size of a computer mouse) that hitched a ride on some liverock,
<I'd recommend removing this. Well known for ambushing fishes at night.>
a Feather Duster and 2 Peppermint Shrimp. Water checks out fine as well, I do a 5 gallon water change a week because of the lack of a skimmer.
<Good but better to have the skimmer.>
First question is I plan on getting rid of the Damsels for 2 Percula Clowns, a Flame Angel,
<The Flame Angel needs more room.>
a sixline wrasse
<May not work out either.>
and 2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, not at all the same time of course. Is this a fair load of livestock or overkill?
<Way over.>
For corals I would like to do some striped mushrooms, button polyps, and xenia, I hope my new light would be powerful enough for these.
<Should be fine but be careful mixing these in a small tank.>
My last question is I would like to add more sand to my tank to create a deeper sand bed. Can I use the same live sand about 20lbs or would that cause an ammonia spike in my tank?
<Can use the same, be careful not to bury the existing bed. You'll have to add small amounts at a time, in sections. Move a portion, add sand smooth back over.>
Thanks
<You're welcome. - Josh>

Changing substrate  - 01/09/2006
I have had my 55 gal tank set up for about 2 years.  It has a bed of coarse aragonite (.5 to 1 mm), varying from 2 to 4 inches in depth.  In reading the
info here on WWM I'm thinking that it's time to replace some of the aragonite, and it looks like "state of the art" is a DSB of sugar-fine
aragonite.<sounds like a good idea!>
So, do I need to totally remove the more granular substrate before adding the finer variety, or can I remove the top half of what I have and add the
finer substrate over the top?  What should the total bed depth be?<all of your questions can be found here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm>
I expect that even after I aggressively rinse the new aragonite there will be an introduction of fines into the tank.  Will that bother the fish (one perc, one pajama cardinal, one purple firefish), the Kenya tree, mushroom, and Crocea?<probably not>  I have a QT that I could relocate them to if need be, until the "dust settles".<the dust should not bother the fish too much but make sure it does not settle inside the clam, good luck, and read the info in the link provided! IanB>
Thanks!
Ken Baker

Substrate Change and Water Quality  1/8/06
Hi Crew,
<Hello Ernie.>
Just found your site not long ago and would like to say thanks for all the great information in your pages.
<Glad you are learning form and enjoying it.>
Wished I had found it along time ago.
<Me too.>
I just took out 3 inches of crushed coral off the top of 3 inches of .5 to 1 mm aragonite sand. I replaced the crushed coral with 3 inches of the same .5 to 1 mm aragonite sand.
<Cool.>
I kept all of my live rock submerged in rubber maid container during this process and used the same water that was in my tank originally to refill. Plus or minus ten gallons of aged water made up aerated, and ph and salt balanced. Question is will my tank recycle after this process.
<It shouldn’t go through a large cycling process again, no. However the disturbing of so much substrate and the removing or disturbing of bacterial colonies may cause some water quality issues as far as nutrients. I would continue to test the water daily for at least a week or two after the switch and do a water change if necessary.>
My fish are currently moved to another tank but it is really crowed and I would like to get them back home. Thanks a lot.
<Just test and check the stability, if everything checks out, you’re good to go.>
Ernie in Kansas
<Adam J in SoCal.>

55 gal reef tank in Bahamas   1/10/06
Hi,
<Hello>
I have been reading your site and realize I must be extremely lucky. I live on the water in the Bahamas and catch all my critters in the back yard in knee deep water.
<How nice>
I have a 55 gal tank with sand and rock that we picked up. It has been up and going for around 1 1/2 years. I have a bunch of crabs,
urchins, brittlestars, a sand sifting sea star, some shrimp , anemones and some fish ( snapper, parrotfish, wrasses, beau Gregorys).
I change the water , from the back yard, every couple weeks. Usually around 1/3 to half of it. I feed them Prime Reef and some fresh fish chunks.
<Sounds good>
Everyone seems to be happy. I am sorry I cant use the technical terms I just got online here and am learning a lot  but I have just been winging it.
<As long as you're understood... the medium is the message>
My question is should I add or change some of the sand on the bottom? Or just leave it alone.
<I would change some out at this junction every half year or so... perhaps a quarter to two-fifths>
Thank you so much .Michelle
<And you for writing, sharing. Bob Fenner>

LS and white sand mix 01-11-06
Hi WWM,
<AngeloM3>
Just about to start the cycling for my 55gal tank.  I have 40lbs of LS and 20lbs of white sand, with about 30lbs of dead LR going in for the cycling.
After its done the cycle I will add about 20lbs of Cured LR.  
<Do not wait for the cycle to end to add your live rock or your will start another cycle.>
I do plan on getting 2 Lawnmower Blennies and various inverts (plus about 4 fish and 1 anemone).
Couple of questions about cycling and the sand layers........... Since I'll have the blennies and inverts that will be sifting the sand, how
should I layer the sand?  White sand on the bottom with LS on top? Or visa versa?  
<It doesn't matter as it will not stay in layers.>
Also a grate was included with my tank that covers the entire bottom of my tank (but is removable) what is this for and do I need it?  
<Get rid of it. It will hinder your deep sandbed critter from doing their job.>
During the cycling period.... how often and what percentage of water should I be changing? <<Depends on measured water quality... RMF>>
<None. Good luck and make sure to use this cycling time to research your future animals. Travis>
Thanks for your help
-AngeloM3

Re: Changing substrate   1/17/06
Thanks for the link to Anthony's article.
The only question not answered there is whether I need to remove all my coarse aragonite before adding the fine aragonite or can I remove part of it
and add the fine on top of the coarse?<you probably should remove the coarse aragonite because the fine aragonite
will seep through and wind up at the bottom. good luck, IanB>
Thanks
Ken

Cyano/control, adding sand and an Anthias   2/2/06
Hi crew!  I love your site and visit it daily... just to make sure there is nothing I have missed.  Keep up the great work!  I am currently in the need
of some advice, however.  Tank specs as follows:
50 gallon, 20H x 18W x 48L
65lbs live rock
4 x 65 watt PC (two actinics, two 10K daylight)
Ammonia/nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10ppm
PH - 8.3 at night
SPG - 1.025
Calcium - 410
Alk - 4 MEQ (should this be higher?)
<Mmm, no. This is right about right: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/chemistry.htm>
This tank is a mini reef that has been up and running for 3 years.  Mostly soft corals...leathers, mushrooms, zoos, button polyps, xenia, star polyps,
and a couple of impulse LPS...one hammer and one open brain.  The livestock is well and healthy...with most of the inhabitants doubling within the past
year.  The tank had been fine for the first 2 years it was set up...went through the initial diatom bloom that went away as the tank settled....and I
never saw any other algal blooms....until now.  lol I have what looks to be hair algae, but it comes off in clumps and feels
slimy.  I'm still confused as to what kind it is, and I've searched pics posted on here and still cannot ID it.  The guy at the LFS told me it was
probably due to high phosphates from my tap water.  So I bought a tap water filter  (all really I can afford at the moment) and some Ultra life Slime
remover (ever heard of this?).
<... yes, and not advised>
I added the slime remover for a day, performed a 10gal water change in which I proceeded to scrub the algae off MOST of the live rock.  I thought I had gotten it all, things were well in the world.  However a few weeks ago....I upgraded my lighting to what is stated above.  It used to be only 2 65 watt 50/50 PCs.  And now the algae is back with a vengeance!!
<Yes... just "recycled" the nutrients...>
I'm assuming that I'm still getting phosphates in my water, and the light fueled another bloom?
<In part, likely>
I currently have no space for a sump or refugium, and run a hang on back Aqua C Remora and a millennium filter in which the media has been replaced with Chemi pure and PolyFilter.
I do 5 gallon weekly changes...and I really have no qualms over brushing the algae off the rock again.  I kind of enjoy killing off the buggers.  I have
also read that live rock loses it's buffering capacity and some of it should be replaced periodically?  
<Yes... posted on WWM>
I've had the same live rock for 3 years....would this be a smart move for me?
<Yes>
I'm also thinking of adding more sand to my display, but have read conflicting ways on how to do it.  I've read that you should do half first, and once that establishes, the other half.
<One approach... again, posted>
  I read somewhere else that you should not cover the existing layer of sand.  Since I would have to do it with my livestock STILL in the tank....would this be feasible, or just leave the 1inch I currently have alone?
<I would add more... either slowly "sprinkling" on top of the existing, mixing in, or scooting old to the side, adding new there>
Well...I'm not done yet!!  I have my heart set on a Starburst Anthias. Current fish stock includes, 2 black clowns who are so busy trying to decide
who will be the male/female that they take no interest in anyone else in the tank.  One canary wrasse who is wrapped up in its own reflection, one
bicolor blenny who on occasion munches on the aforementioned algae, and one rusty angel who is king or queen of the tank.  There lies my concern.  This
fish hasn't bullied any of the other tank mates....but it is pretty boisterous come feeding time.  I was thinking I could add the Anthias with
about 3 Chromis to act as dither fish, in case the angel decides he wants to reign supreme.  I haven't added any fish in a year....so I'm a tad concerned
before I spend $40 on this Anthias.  ::sigh:: But the angel is my favorite.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
<Will likely mix, though hide in this setting>
I also have my heart set on a clam...and from what I've read, the lowest light requiring species is the T. squamosa.
Would I be able to maintain one with my current light set up, once the algae problem has been resolved?  
<Likely, yes>
That's another reason why I wanted to add more sand, I read they prefer the sandy bottom of the tank.  Also...would I need to supply phytoplankton?
<... I would>
Again I hear conflicting info....yes they need it, no the light is all they need.  Any help you could provide would be greatly
appreciated.  Sorry this has been so long and excruciating....I look forward to your reply.
Thanks, Karina
<Take your time... and enjoy the process/es... Bob Fenner>

Sand bed question  - 2/11/2006
I have a 135ga. tank (been set up for fish only with crushed coral ten years) that I am converting it from FOWLR to a Reef tank. I am removing the
under gravel "slowly" and planning on leaving about 1" of (from my FOWLR setup) cleaned crushed coral (to save money & keep from removing it all)
and add about 2" to 3" fo live sand to top. I will have a good size wet/ dry/ protein skimmer/ UV/ canister filter/ power heads for very good water
flow. Do you see any major problem with having about 1" of crushed coral mixed with 2" to 3" of live sand. <No.>
Will I need to clean it regularly (monthly as I have in the past)? <A good quality live sand should contain worms, microcrustaceans, etc.  These guys are suppose to do the work keeping the sand churned and gobbling away at the detritus.  Sand sifting stars help a great deal in this process. I don't believe I would want to use a UV with a sand bed, will kill beneficial critters along with the bad guys.>
Do you think I should definitely remove all crushed coral and have at least
three inches of live sand? <Choice is yours.  I'd prefer all sand if I was doing this.>
Would I need to clean at all? <As above and do search our site for more info on this subject.  James (Salty Dog)>
Kent B. Murrell

Adding/Changing Reef Substrate - 02/09/06
Hello crew.
<<Howdy!>>
Great site, so much info.
<<Glad you like it.>>
I have a 125 gallon reef which is doing well thanks in a large part to WWM.
<<Excellent!>>
I have taken your advice and added a 30 gallon refugium with a 6 inch DSB and a very large portion of Chaetomorpha algae.
<<Ahh...good (better) times ahead!>>
Also added an Aqua C skimmer and a closed loop manifold increasing my flow by about 700 gallons per hour.  Also have removed all bio balls from the wet/dry.
<<You've been busy...>>
Needless to say my system has never looked better and my nitrates have fallen to < 2.5 PPM (Salifert).
<<I would try to keep it (nitrate) at about this concentration.  Many of your corals will benefit from a bit of nitrate availability.>>
My thoughts are leaning towards possibly changing  or adding to the substrate in the main display.
<<Ok>>
I have about 3 to 4 inches of crushed coral and sand mixture at this time.  That was before WWM and via the advice of my LFS.  I would like to add fine sand to the main display.  Is it Ok to add to the existing mix or do I need to remove it and start over?
This would not be the easiest thing to do.
<<Adding to existing will be fine...is what I would do.>>
I was thinking of vacuuming the crushed coral very thoroughly in small areas prior to adding the sand.  This would be done in stages and not all at once.  Does this sound possible?
<<Sure>>
Sand looks so much better and I understand is much easier to maintain.  Looking to add a couple of inches as stated.
<<The fine grained sand will work its way to the bottom and need "topping up" eventually.>>
Thanks for your advice.  You site is awesome
<<Thank you for contributing.  Regards, EricR>>

Substrate questions 2/18/06
Two quick questions. My current substrate is fairly course (CaribSea Aragonite 5-10mm, 1" to 1.5" in depth) and I would like to replace it with a fine sand (Seaflor Aragonite reef sand, 1" to 1.5"), how would I go about this?
<If the bed is fairly new and not supporting much life, I would just add the fine substrate and let it fill in the spaces in the coarse.  If it is older and has a lot of life but not a lot of detritus, I would do the same, but slowly enough (1/4" per day) to allow the life to rise to the surface.  If it is older and has a lot of detritus and not much life, I would vacuum it aggressively and then fill in with fine.  Removal of the old substrate is not really necessary in my opinion.>
Second, do you recommend letting your rock rest on the substrate or being suspended above it? Thanks
<I am a big fan of placing pillar in the substrate (I use 3" PVC rings cut to a length slightly longer than the depth of the bed).  It improves water movement, reduces dead spaces, allows critters to roam more freely and provides more surface area for biological activity.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Substrate question part 2 2/20/06
Won't the fine sand eventually fall to the bottom? My substrate is about 2.5 months old.
<Yup, it will.  That is exactly the idea.  As it settles to the bottom, keep adding it until it covers the existing substrate.  Once all of the spaces are filled with fine sand, you will have a deep fine sand bed that happens to have a lot of larger particles in it.  It will function fine and will require much less sand to create the desired depth.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

Substrate Question part 3 3/7/06
How deep would you go? Would 3" - 4" be sufficient?
<<Sorry for the slow reply!  Yes.  3-4" is ideal for deep fine sand beds.  AdamC.>>

Substrate Question part 4 3/9/07
Would it matter that half the bed would be very course sand - 5-10mm ?
<<Doesn't matter at all.  In fact, I prefer some larger grained material in a DSB to help prevent it from blowing around as much.  It also benefits burrowing critters by preventing cave-ins.  Best Regards.  AdamC.>

WWM Question on Substrates part 5 6/18/06
The levels were checked against a calcium monitor.
<<Sorry for the slow reply.  I have been away from my inbox for a couple of weeks.  Hmmm... I always prefer to do this the other way around.  Monitors must be carefully and frequently calibrated.  Using your test kit on a reference sample (known concentration) can verify that your kit and technique are good.>>
My alkalinity is around 5.
<<5 what??  5 mEq/ml is a bit high.  5 dKH is quite low.>>
What do you mean about keeping calcium in balance with alkalinity?
<<Ideally, both Calcium and Alkalinity should be in their ideal ranges.  For Calcium, this is roughly 380-400 mg/L and for Alkalinity, it is roughly 9-11 dKH (3-4 mEq/ml).  If both are high or both are low (in balance), it is better than if one is out of range and the other is OK (out of balance).  When Ca and Alk are out of balance, both parameters become harder to manage.
Hope this helps!  Best Regards,  AdamC.>>

Maintenance/Operation/Substrate removal  2/18/06
I was reading some recent info on aquarium substrates that has started to make a whole lot more sense than what I have believed to be true.  There
seems to be an undercurrent of hobbyists that are making the radical switch to bare bottom tanks and for a very good reason.  It has been explained to
me that a DSB can be an unpredictable detritus trap that over time can hinder water quality and can eventually become unstable and release various
chemicals into the water.  I have never really liked the look of my 2-3 inch aragonite and shell gravel bed that I have in my 75 gal FOWLR.  I have been
taking more and more out over the course of the past 2 months.  I have about 75lbs of live rock that have been in the system for over a year now and the
system is filtered with a wet dry and protein skimmer combo.  The other night I took out the bulk of it (Well pretty much all of the substrate) and
replaced it with a thin layer (Less then a half inch) of sand.  I have a Maculosus angel, yellow tang, flame hawk, Xmas wrasse, PJ cardinal and bl
yel tail damsel that have been doing very well.  I wanted to improve the water quality by removing the built up detritus from the past 5 years of
use.  Will the Live rock be enough to support the beneficial bacteria that breaks down ammonia or will my tank spike and re-cycle killing all of my
fish?  I know this is after the fact but I thought that I had this all worked out. <Mark, no worries.  You should have enough bacteria on the rock and inside your wet/dry to handle the situation.  James (Salty Dog)>

Changing/Renewing A Sand Bed - 02/14/06
Dear Mr. Fenner & Staff,
<<Staffer EricR here>>
I have a 90 gallon reef tank that has been up and running for about 2 1/2 years.  My question is I would like to change some of my existing sand bed.  The sand is starting to look dull and doesn't seem to reflect light like it once did when it was new.
<<Depending on the grain size of your substrate, perhaps a Bullet Goby/Genus - Amblygobius or a Diamond Goby/Genus - Valenciennea would prove useful.>>
The tank has been stable for the last year with very little problems and I fear that changing out the sand might upset the apple cart.
<<Perhaps rather than replacing the sand you could add a new layer (1/2" or less) atop the existing.  If your current bed is aragonite it has likely "shrunk" from dissolution anyway.>>
Do you think it would be a more gentle transition if I were to change out my sand with live sand (1/2" Aragonite sand bed ) or would dry sand work just as well?
<<Dry sand would be fine, though adding "live" sand will provide a "boost" to your sand bed biota.>>
Thanks for all your help.  I start everyday with reading the Q & A portion of your web site and have learned so much!
<<Thank you for your contribution as well.  Regards, EricR >>

Redoing the substrate in a reef aquarium   3/15/06
Hi Bob,
I have a 40 gallon reef tank which has been going for about a year.  Everything seems to be fine.  I recently had a service come to look at it to make sure the tank looks OK.  They suggested I take out the gravel which the original people set me up with and put in sand.  This makes sense, but before doing anything radical, I like to get second opinions. I have tons of lace rock which is covered with coralline & other algaes as well as some live rock I have gradually introduced.  I don't want to harm any of my little creatures [ a star fish, sea urchin, a serpent star, a cucumber, snails & 2 fishes, as well as the corals], but I do want them to have the best environment.  Any major problems with this?
<Mmm, can definitely be... best to "culture" the new substrate... remove the sessile invertebrates, perhaps dismantle the tank to remove the old>
  The pros seem well read & knowledgeable & they would be doing the turn-over.  Thanks, LC
<This change-out can be smooth if one does a bit of planning... do rinse the new material, culture it with some of your "old water"... for a few weeks, months, before switching. Bob Fenner>

"Crushing" Crushed Coral - 03/27/06
Hello,
<<Howdy>>
I have a 55 gallon tank with 1 1/2 inch crushed coral substrate bed.  I'm in the process of getting a 75 gallon upgrade, I'm over the crushed coral look/cleaning and would like to have a DSB, which I have in my other 2 tanks that looks great and is easier to clean.  Can I smash up the crushed coral into tiny pieces place this in my tank then place 1 or 2 20lb. bag of live sand on top of the smashed up crushed coral, or will the crushed coral turn into dust when I smash it?
<<Hmm, you can try...seems like more trouble than its worth though.>>
I'm just trying to save some money where I can.
<<Then just mix/cover the crushed coral with the sand.>>
Thanks.
<<Regards, EricR>>

Sand bed and live rock    3/27/06
Hi Crew,
<<Hi Jeff, this is Lisa.>>
I need advice on setting up my reef.  I've just put in a 3 inch layer of Carib Sea Aragonite select.  First, the bag says it never needs changing, but The Book, Conscientious Marin