- Location
- Garden city
Decided to remove my sand bed gonna start tomorrow remove 5 gal of water and a third of my sand what u guys think?
Removing my sand bed?
- Thread starter Mattl22
- Start date
- Location
- Miami
How long has ur tank been running
- Location
- Garden city
10 months I used 1/2 sand from anothers breakdown I rinsed it but I think it's been the reason for my on going alage problems
- Location
- Franklin Square, NY
Matt....I would have a few more gallons of fresh saltwater as well as carbon and maybe phosban ready just in case there is a spike due to the release of possible toxins from the under layers of the sandbed if you just remove the upper layers....I've gone BB a few times and I just removed it all at once then doing a 20-30% water change without any problems....just watch the parameters for a few days after..
- Location
- Garden city
That's what I'll do then gonna have to make more water figure I'll do 15 gal should be good what's the best way to remove it ? Just a plastic house with siphon?
- Location
- FREEPORT,LONG ISLAND
- Location
- Garden city
I'm getting my po4 checked by the real deal equipment this Friday .so I'll have a better idea what's going on I'm hoping to find that my rodi is high in phosphates although I get 0 tds reading
I used old rinsed by a garden hose sand to start this tank that's why I think it's the sand leaching phosphates
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I used old rinsed by a garden hose sand to start this tank that's why I think it's the sand leaching phosphates
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- Location
- Garden city
Maybe I'll hold off till I get phosphate reading on fri
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Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
- Location
- Staten Island
What I would do personally is take out EVERYTHING. Drain the tank keeping the top water which will still be fairly clean into a big rubbermaid or something w/ all your rock and corals. Then just scoop all the sand out rinse the tank out and do a major water change of 50% or so. You could do 100% change no problem also..all clean water. Most of your beneficial bacteria is in your rock. There is some in the sand and barely any in the water column the majority is def in your rock though so removing the other stuff is really no big deal. As soon as you start stirring up all that crap in the sand any water left is going to be a nitrate and phosphate hell storm and made very toxic so you definitely do not want to keep any of that water. If you have all your new water ready at temperature and do this fairly quickly you will be good to go. Also just acclimate everything back into your system floating and adding new water to the bags periodically for about 45-an hour. I do this method to acclimate everything and I have never lost a fish or coral. Good luck bro
- Location
- Westchester, N.Y
I did the same thing as tiggerman and removed the fish and coral and than cleaned everything out of my 34 gal tank added 100% new saltwater and added live rock and next day added all coral and my two clownfish. Didn't lose any of my SPS and Clam and Fish. Its been over 4 months and running a BB. I did add a product by seachem stablity. I like the results I got with BB with my SPS. I thought I was going to lose my clam. He wasn't attaching his foot to LR, But never looked bad, now I tried pulling him off two days ago. No way I was able to even move him. I thought this wasn't going to work out but it did. Maybe it had to do alot with live rock. Had then for ten years.
- Location
- Staten Island
I'm shocked..I was waiting for the parade of people telling me how stupid I am for doing such a thing. I have done this and also advised it to several people moving tanks recently and there is nothing but positive results. Trig knows his stuff..barebottom all the way. I always have and always will I do very minimal water changes and I haven't had any issues w/ my tank EVER ..well except for my son :screama: most of you know about that situation grrr.
- Location
- Far Rockaway
you can remove the sand bed a little at a time . Its best to do so when doing water changes and just siphon the sand out that way if there are any gas being released you will siphon it out with it . Gas will only release if you disturb the hole sand bed and thats if you have a DSB . Just remove a little at a time every week when doing a water change .
- Location
- Garden city
Lol I like the idea trigger def wanna go bb but that would take me all weekend!!
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Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
- Location
- Far Rockaway
You can do it like tirgger man says but there is a down side to that . Your sand bed has beneficial bacteria if you dont have enough live rock in you system you will start the nitrogen cycle again . Now if you remove it a little at a time you are building back up your beneficial bacteria with out casing problem.
- Location
- FREEPORT,LONG ISLAND
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+1, I think Matt if you are losing to much coral even taking out your sand still might not be the answer. I had the same problem with my last tank and it turned out the rock was filled with PO4 becasue i did buy it from a FOWLR system that was over feed. I think at your point maybe sell all and start from scratch. Might be cheaper and less headach
- Location
- Garden city
Can't sell rock is got sps growing all over it I'm gonna try doing 15gal a week wc instead of 5
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