This shouldn't be fun

[Covey]

Well I don't seem to have luck with any substrate I run. The last tank I went DSB and it turned into a brick. This tank I went BB with HDPE. I love BB but you can't put the HDPE right in top of the silcon or it will cause leaks so there is a gap around the out side of it along the bottom.

This gap happens to be exactily the same size as a Astrea snails shell. So now some how the shells have worked there way under the HDPE and are allowing detritis to pile up where I can get it. Major BB no-no.

So I have decided to try to remove the HDPE without totally tearing down the rock work.

It is going to be a PITA but I don't think it will be impossible.

 

[waverz]

IMO, HDPE can be a PITA. But nice when rinning a BB.

LOL

 

[IowaKevinK]

Are you going to put it back after you clean up or just pull it and leave it out?

 

[Covey]

Leave it out.

The debate over the look of BB vs DSB is moot because my tank is so tall and narrow there is only a few very small area of tank floor that is visable.

Anyway I was fearful of my urchins knocking my rock work off of the 18" tall rock rack and cracking the bottom but my zip tie and exopy job seems to have taking care of it.

So the HDPE gets the boot.

I am going to put the rock that doesn't have coral on it in the sump. The HDPE is two halves so then I will shift the remaining LR with coral to the other half of the tank. Then I will have to try to shimmy the HDPE out from under the rock rack and out.

Like I said it should be fun.

 

[IowaKevinK]

Oh I get it. Not fun but very do-able

 

[waverz]

I just pulled a bunch of rock without coral on it and put it in my sump. I couldnt believe how much crap was under it. I think i found the "fuel" for my algae problems.

 

[musty baby]

And for those of us that don't know what the HDPE acronym stands for, this thread is as useless as the HDPE evidently was...

 

[leeweber85]

I was thinking the same

 

[got2lb]

Just a guess : HDPE = High Density Polyethylene ? Or Starboard for us common folk!

 

[Covey]

That's it. Starboard is a name brand this was just the stuff from Menard's

 

[tibbs2]

I don't know what I can do with your current situation but I believe the DSB brick syndrome is caused by too much calcium in the tank.

Chris

 

[Covey]

Well I did it and I am glad I did. I got some pics to post tomorrow. The board came out easier than I thought and there was more detritus than I thought there was too.

My mods where keeping the top of the HDPE clean but alot of crap was under it. Hopefully the tank will get back like it was when it started. A nice low nutritent enviroment.

I was running around the living room in a pair of wet boxers, the joys of a 30" deep tank:lol: your going to get wet.

I only real problems I ran into was bumping and scraping up a few frags and the big one was my clam would let go of the HDPE. Real problem because you can't rip the clam off without injuring it and I couldn't leave that 3' piece of HDPE.

Enter the dremel tool and a dry wall side cutting bit. I pulled the HDPE out clam attached and set it on a 5G bucket. I think the clam was rethinking it's "not getting off the board" policy when I cut it its own little chunk out of the HDPE.

It got back in the tank, the fish are fine, and corals seems to be only slightly ticked at me.

 

[SnkyJake]

EEGGAADDSSS!!!!

The thought of seeing Covey running around in a pair of wet boxers???? Now I have to go wash my eyes out with soap!!:lol:

 

[IowaKevinK]

lol glad it worked out,