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fazgood

fazgood

Not Quite Right
Saturday I am replacing my old scratched 110 gallon with a new 120 G. It has maybe 200 pounds of old semi-live rock and no substrate except for the stuff that fell/disolved off the rock. Most of this rock has been in there for about 15+ years. So here are my questions... I hope to make it to Beltz tonight to further discuss any answers.

1) Sand - I am leaning to use sand for a substrate. I would like to use a mix of play sand and chrushed coral/shells(because I am too cheap to get all chushed shells). Where can I get white play sand? I checked at Lowes and all they have is brown.

2) Rock - I am vacationing in the Fla. Keys and will bring back about 50 pounds of fresh live rock. How much of the old stuff should I keep? I am sure the phosphate levels in the water right now are through the roof.

3) Water - I will replace all of the water with RO/DI water and a fresh salt mix. Are there any additives I should go with? I plan to let things settle and re-cycle for a month or so after the new rock is added.

I am sure there are more to come...

Thanks

Joe
 
1. Crushed coral and shells are no longer recommended for use as a substrate. Shells are known to leach undesirables into the water. Crushed coral is generally too large which creates places that trap food. I saw some very white sand at a True Value hardware store last year. You might want to check a store near you.

2. Personally, I think that rock has a finite life and yours is beyond that. I would replace all of it but that is just my opinion.

3. You NEVER add anything that you are not testing for. New water should be adjusted for pH, calcium and alkalinity. No other additives should be added until they are tested for and known to be out of range.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10135156#post10135156 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capncapo
1. Crushed coral and shells are no longer recommended for use as a substrate. Shells are known to leach undesirables into the water. Crushed coral is generally too large which creates places that trap food. I saw some very white sand at a True Value hardware store last year. You might want to check a store near you.
Click to expand...
I agree with this.
 
FWIW rock doesn't go bad but can become full and clogged. Cooking the rock for 3 months can bring it back. If you do not want to mess with that let me know when you remove it and I will gladly take it off your hands. Cooking is a great but time consuming process. Do a search on cooking rock for the instructions...it does work. The basic idea is to not let the rock have any additional nutrients so that it consumes entirely what is in the rock. Frequent water changes help remove wastes. All it takes is time, a few rubbermaid cans with lids and waterchanges. Heater and powerheads keep things stable.

You could always stop in at Tampa Bay Saltwater and pick up some awesome live rock and bring that back.

I agree with no crushed coral or large sand. Silica sand is ok but is often too sharp, you want rounded sand that came from a wet environment . Pool filter sand works great too.
 
Correct, taking rock from Florida is illegal. I am purchasing from a place that will pack it so I can bring it as checked baggage. Still working out the details with the airline so I don't get stuck at airport. I contacted Sealife.net and they say they can walk me through the process. The pics of live rock they have are excellent for the price... Just hope the pic is the norm and not a one of a kind.

I found silica sand for sandblasters but I am guessing that is not the correct stuff. It said it was ground quartz. I didnt want to take a chance. I'll check out WalMart and Tru Value tonight. If not, I'll scope out some pool places tomorrow.

How deep should I make it? I wasn't planning to make it more than 1/2 to 1 inch in most areas but have a part in the middle that is deep enough for a goby or two.

I am probably going to get rod of a lot of the reallo old rock. I have some large chunks that are newer that I will keep. I can keep the rest for a quarentine tank.

Thanks for the help.

Joe
 
Sand depth is a personal preference.

Some want to use it as a biological filter. In that case you want a minimum of 4".

Others just want enough to make it look natural. In that case you need whatever you like.
 
The wisdom of the day states 1-2" and no more in the display. I have about 1-1/2 in mine and the powerheads keep the middle of the tank free from sand. lol Too much sand can be a nutrient sink and a burrowing fish can disrupt that and send the nasties into the water. I learned this the hard way. 1-2" is enough to house worms and beneficial creatures and not deep enough for denitrification or anaerobic processes.

Rock in a QT is fine if you don't medicate the QT as the rock will absorb the medication.
 
I never understood the cooking process?? Well I understand how it is done, but why not just take the rock place it out in the sun for a week and then re-cure it-that way you know everything bad/good is dead! Then you start all over curing it. It seems to be much less work than cooking it??
 
Stuff from the inside works it way out naturally, Trying to escape to find light/food. There are organisms that are perfectly happy never seeing the outside of the rock and will remain in the rock unless coaxed out.

If you immediately kill the rock there is no chance of that stuff coming out + you lose all bacteria and most algae spores.
 
This brings up a very good question. About how long does the LR last, before needing to be cooked?? 1year 5 years 7 years??? Is there a set date or does it depend on the setup??
 
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