Changing Substrate

[jaylam]

I am considering changing my crushed coral sand bed with just normal reef sand.

Anyone done this and got any advice as to the best way to go about it?

 

[Donya]

Only things I can recommend are to turn off the pumps while doing it and to both wear gloves and use a scoop of some kind. Crushed coral seems to be a bit worse than sand as far as accumulating shed spines from bristleworms/urchins/etc. and other bits of sharp things, so it can be really nasty stuff to handle. I just used an old plastic cup to scoop it out and dumped it into buckets. If the livestock is going to be in the tank at the time, make sure you have a bunch of spare mixed salt ready, since the tank will turn into a debris storm and will need a WC to clear the gunk out immediately after the substrate is out. After that, just keep an eye on params (particularly if the old bed was thick) while everything stabilizes with the new sand bed.

 

[jaylam]

Only things I can recommend are to turn off the pumps while doing it and to both wear gloves and use a scoop of some kind. Crushed coral seems to be a bit worse than sand as far as accumulating shed spines from bristleworms/urchins/etc. and other bits of sharp things, so it can be really nasty stuff to handle. I just used an old plastic cup to scoop it out and dumped it into buckets. If the livestock is going to be in the tank at the time, make sure you have a bunch of spare mixed salt ready, since the tank will turn into a debris storm and will need a WC to clear the gunk out immediately after the substrate is out. After that, just keep an eye on params (particularly if the old bed was thick) while everything stabilizes with the new sand bed.

Thanks ok my current sandbed is about 2-3" deep and it has started to go black under the surface which after some reading seems that debris is falling down and because the O2 is not great in the gravel its going a bit nasty. So changing it all at once is prob a no no so I was just going to take some out each day and replace the same amount of sand as to what I have taken out as eventually as the sand being fined will fall to the bottom of the crushed coral anyway.

Can you think of any problems with this or do you think I could do the whole lot at once? I dont have anywhere to put the fish/corals whilst I do it so yes they will still be in the tank.

 

[Donya]

I would probably just do it all at once for simplicity. You'll get some param swings either way given the thickness, so might be better to get it done quickly to shorten the period that you'll have to do increased WCs and such. Doing it all at once will also work most efficiently to vacuum out the debris that it contains. I would also worry that doing it incrementally would end up with an annoying mix of sand and CC that is hard to separate, especially if there are any fish or inverts that will dig in it.

Another thing that might help to make sure things go quickly/smoothly is stepping up chemical filtration/binding for ammonia and nitrite. When I have had to do similar things in the past, I have used products like Amquel for a week or so until things become more managable. The chemical treatment ensures that toxic ammonia/nitrite spikes don't happen but the mini cycle can still continue. It's been a good fallback for me if I have to be out of the house all day or can't do a WC on time for whatever reason.

 

[jaylam]

I would probably just do it all at once for simplicity. You'll get some param swings either way given the thickness, so might be better to get it done quickly to shorten the period that you'll have to do increased WCs and such. Doing it all at once will also work most efficiently to vacuum out the debris that it contains. I would also worry that doing it incrementally would end up with an annoying mix of sand and CC that is hard to separate, especially if there are any fish or inverts that will dig in it.

Another thing that might help to make sure things go quickly/smoothly is stepping up chemical filtration/binding for ammonia and nitrite. When I have had to do similar things in the past, I have used products like Amquel for a week or so until things become more managable. The chemical treatment ensures that toxic ammonia/nitrite spikes don't happen but the mini cycle can still continue. It's been a good fallback for me if I have to be out of the house all day or can't do a WC on time for whatever reason.

Ok thanks, mite just do it all as suggested then and get it over and done with.
What chems would you recommend to have on standby?

 

[seffieuk]

Jay, I really think it would be worth moving your live stock out of the tank whilst you do this - all you really need is a few plastic boxes, heater and powerheads

Seffie x

 

[Donya]

Ok thanks, mite just do it all as suggested then and get it over and done with.
What chems would you recommend to have on standby?

I just use some good old activated carbon, a bottle of Amquel/Prime (I think they both deal with ammonia/nitrite, but I have been mainly an Amquel person for a long time), and also something to make sure you've got surface aggitation. The carbon + chemical binder combo should pretty much cover anything nasty that could jump out when the old bed is disturbed, since it will be primarily organics that are the issue.

If you've got a spray bar or something chopping the surface directly then no need for the extra air bubbles precaution, but if not, an air stone or sometimes even just a bit of open-ended airline tubing in one corner will do the job. The two reasons I like to keep those around during unstable periods is that ammonia/nitrite binders tend to use up a little bit of O2 out for the first hour or so after they're added, and having popping bubbles at the surface also works well to stop any films from forming out of stirred up gunk that might inhibit gas exchange.

 

[jaylam]

Ok thanks, mite just do it all as suggested then and get it over and done with.
What chems would you recommend to have on standby?

I just use some good old activated carbon, a bottle of Amquel/Prime (I think they both deal with ammonia/nitrite, but I have been mainly an Amquel person for a long time), and also something to make sure you've got surface aggitation. The carbon + chemical binder combo should pretty much cover anything nasty that could jump out when the old bed is disturbed, since it will be primarily organics that are the issue.

If you've got a spray bar or something chopping the surface directly then no need for the extra air bubbles precaution, but if not, an air stone or sometimes even just a bit of open-ended airline tubing in one corner will do the job. The two reasons I like to keep those around during unstable periods is that ammonia/nitrite binders tend to use up a little bit of O2 out for the first hour or so after they're added, and having popping bubbles at the surface also works well to stop any films from forming out of stirred up gunk that might inhibit gas exchange.

Cool thanks for all the info, I will get planning.

 

[jaylam]

Jay, I really think it would be worth moving your live stock out of the tank whilst you do this - all you really need is a few plastic boxes, heater and powerheads

Seffie x

Sorry only just see this reply, idealy I would like to do it this way as well and if im honest I think it will be the safest. I have a spare heater and a spare powerhead and even though it means a bit more work it should create less problems so I think I will get some form of container to put everything in whilst I do it.