Remove Crushed Coral?

[ironwill723]

Well I have had my current tank (36g bow) set up in one form or another for about a year and a half. About 4 months ago I did a remodel and drilled the back and re-plumbed the sump into the basement while at the same time adding a fuge with chaeto and 20 lbs of more live rock in the fuge. I saved all the display live rock and crushed coral substrate from the tank, cleaning the rock off in saltwater and vacuuming the CC as well during the tear down. All in all I have about 50-60 lbs of live rock combined in the display and fuge along with about 45-50g of water capacity between the 36g display and the 20 gallon fuge/sump. Since the remodel, the tank has been doing great. All levels read 0 and pH has been stable. I have an assortment of soft corals (thanks to everyone here!) and a tomato clown, a dwarf angel, a six-line wrasse, and 5 blue hermits. The tank never really had a noticeable re-cycle after the remodel although I did get a small diatom bloom. My question now is I have been reading here and elsewhere that I should have sand or smaller substrate so as not to have nitrate problems down the road. I am very hesitant to mess with the tank at this point. I do not have much CC in the tank (about 1") but if I try to remove it I do not want to mess up my chemistry and I do not want to stress my fish especially. Also, if I do remove CC my rock work which I am very happy with will probably topple over since some of the rocks are held in place by the CC. So what should I do. I have read my options are:
1. Tear tank apart, put everything in buckets, scoop out CC and replace with sand, and hope for a small spike in chemistry.
1a. Scoop out CC, put in nylon pantyhose pouches and bury in new sand bed.
2. Slowly change over from CC to sand over weeks. Scooping some CC out and replacing. This method I do not know how I would do since they would mix together and be hard to get all of the CC out and the new sand in spots under rocks.
3. On WetWebMedia the one expert sees no problem with putting a small layer of sand (1") over existing CC bed. I was thinking this would be the best option as I could do a good vacuuming of CC to get rid of garbage before putting sand over top.
4. Or WWM's other suggestion was to get a large hose 3/4'-1' ID to siphon out CC and replace with sand while leaving rock work and livestock in tank.
5. Do nothing and hope for the best with CC.

Below is the link to the CC that i have in my tank

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+10741+7322&pcatid=7322

I have debated in my head for a few weeks what option is most appropriate. Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[cloakerpoked]

Unless it was much deeper, I don't think that a CC substrate should either contribute to, or help deal with nitrate problems. Deep Sand Beds do work with nitrate problems. The reason I know this is because if you look in them, you can see the nitrogen and oxygen bubbles that are a by-product of the anaerobic bacteria breaking down your NO3 into N2 and O2. Using the Berlin method (which most everyone does, whether or not they realize it), the best way to export nitrates from your tank is to
1.) use a protein skimmer.
2.) do consistent water changes.

I would wonder what you test your nitrates at currently, as that would have a large impact on me personally. Until I tested them, I might have a contingency plan in place, and check them more frequently than I do now (once every month or so) but I don't think I'd actually act on it unless I was beginning to experience something abnormal from my water params. That's just my 2 pennies.

 

[cloakerpoked]

ah...cheato in a refugium is another way...not Berlin method, but effective also just the same. (LR is a part of the Berlin method.) Either way, I think that with or without substrate help, you probably do enough to control your nitrates without needing a DSB to help (and it's been debated to no real conclusion whether they work for the long haul or become toxic and deadly to the stability of the tank).

 

[miatawnt2b]

IMO, the crushed coral shouldn't pose much of a problem. Do you have a skimmer? Another awesome way to lower nitrate/phosphate is Vodka and or Vinegar/sugar dosing combined with heavy skimming.

-J

 

[ironwill723]

I have an Aqua C Urchin skimmer in my sump and my nitrates have consistently read zero in the tank. Bioload wise I think I am in decent shape and I have always fed lightly. My worry is that over time debris will build up and the CUC won't be able to turn over the substrate like they would if I had a sand bed. Even if I did add a layer of sand to the CC I don't think my total bed would be more than about 3" deep.

 

[cloakerpoked]

I'd leave it alone. You may even be able to siphon it the way you would a gravel freshwater tank with the large adapter, but honestly, I don't see the need. That's just my opinion though.

 

[ironwill723]

hmmm...still thinking about it.