super-fine + "standard" sized substrate..

[Guest Keyoke]

So, I'm in the process of setting up a new 90G tank, and I've just added the water and substrate..

 

But I must not have been paying attention, I picked up 3 bags of Agramax, figured that'd give me about an inch, inch and-a-half of coverage...

 

Problem is, is that one of those bags was that really, really fine grained stuff.. and I wasn't paying attention and dumped it into the tank.

 

Now the tank is REALLY cloudy (see pic!), and I fear that I'm going to have to drain, remove the sand and start with a new batch (ick, not to mention the cost).

 

I dug around and pulled out my old HOT Magnum canister filter, picked up a fresh polishing cartrige and have been running it almost non stop for 2 days.. it's starting to look a little better, I can start to make out the shape of the canister through the water now.. sorta... poor canister filter's only rated at like 250GPH, so I'm sure it's going to take days and days and days to clean out all that crap, provided the grit doesn't chew up the impeller.

 

I've been rinsing out the polishing cartrage about once a day. And I'm thinking I'm ok for the most part on the poor water clarity.. I hope. Once I've gotten the water nice and clear, I'll run for a few days with the standard carbon filter, then remove the canister filter entirely before adding livestock so I don't have to worry about the thing turning into a giant nitrate factory.

 

But what I do fear, is that I'm going to have trouble later on down the road. With the larger grained substrate and the small grained stuff in the same spot, am I going to have to worry about this stuff packing down, creating anerobic zones that a small burrowing animal is going to disturb releasing huge quantities of toxic crap into the water?

 

[pedalpower]

Almost all my sand is sugar grain size. You need to reduce your powerheads flow until the sand has settled. Then you can run them full power. If you see a sand storm again just add a little bit larger grain sand in that area or deflect the flow with a rock.

[Guest reverai]

Actually you may have done the best recommened way to setting up a tank by accident. One of the main experts on Reef Central more or less says he does just what you did other not in account of what happens when your pour water onto dry sand! You get a cloudy storm in your water! The smaller particulars will help create a better bio film in the sand in a few days that it would have otherwise. It will take a few days to several days to settle down depending on how much water flow is in the tank.

 

What is recomended in terms of sand and tanks is to place big garbage bags on top the sand. And a plate on top on the bags. You add the water onto the plate. Then when there is enough water in the tank you let the begs float up!

 

Well, it worked well for me! 50 pounds of Southdown and no cloud.

 

Steve

[Guest mikesroth]

If you have some live rock, add that and the cloud will disapate rather quickly.

[Lee Stearns]

steve has it right- I wouldn't bother to run the canister because it will get clogged and may even do some damage to the impellar area- When the bacteria gets started well- with some live rock and a samll piece of fresh shrimp- your sand particles will get a bio film on them and settle out. This can take from a few days to two weeks. Nothing good hapens fast in a reef aquarium. Patience in everything from research to adding things to the tank and it will slowly come around- After the first week, Get an inoculation of live sand in there to start the critter cycle-If there is no one nearer you, PM me and you can pick up a couple of cups from my sand bed.

Regards,

Lee

[Guest Keyoke]

Well, I did manage to get rid of the cloud, the cannister filter did help some i think. The water is crystal clear now, which is awful nice to see. I had two small powerheads in there (the kind that move the water flow back and forth) and both managed to get clogged with grit. I had to take them apart and clean 'em out a few times.

 

Steve, the trash bag idea is a good one. I wish I'd have known about that little trick earlier. I'm glad to know that the mix of super-fine and 'standard' grain sand isn't going to cause any problems and is infact beneficial.

 

Lee, I appreciate the offer for the sand. I'm not sure if I'm going to need it though, one of the last bags of substrate was the CaribSea Agrai-alive mix, which is supposedly comes pre-loaded with bacteria and Bacti-Vital. I'm not sure if that's going to do the trick or not. I haven't bothered to test for Nitrates nitrates and/or Amonia yet, as the sand's only been in there for about 3 days now. I've gotta go pickup some LR yet before I worry overmuch about the cycling process, but the darn stuff is expensive, and the wife's decided to cut me off for the rest of the month (darnit :()

 

I'm not planing on going uber fancy with the tank, since I expect we'll be moving back to Chicago in another year and a half or so. I'm just tired of having an empty 90 sitting in my living room. Figured I'd go light on the bio-load, and sell/give the livestock away right before I move... The prospect of sheparding the critters on a 2-day trip from DC to Chicago (with a wife and 2 small children that consume mass-quantities of liquids during trips, it takes forever to get anywhere!) doesn't excite me all that much, and it's just better for the critters if I make sure everone's got a good home before I go. I'll go with a more 'full blown' setup (fuge, sump, better skimmer, kalk/CA-reactor.. I want to be able to support a clam or two) when I get settled in Chicago into the new house, and I'm not paying an outrageous amount of money a month for rent.. (the NOVA housing market is way overvalued, IMHO!)

 

at least, that's the plan.

[michaelg]

You want some sand from Lee's tank and others as well. Even pickup a lb from the reef tank, and ask for a scoop of grundge from the bottom of the live rock vats. the bag of araglive has bacteria, but that's it. You need worms and bugs, and these will come from an established tank. This is critical to have a "healthy" sandbed and avoid clumping.

 

Michael

[Guest Keyoke]

You want some sand from Lee's tank and others as well.  Even pickup a lb from the reef tank, and ask for a scoop of grundge from the bottom of the live rock vats.  the bag of araglive has bacteria, but that's it.  You need worms and bugs, and these will come from an established tank.  This is critical to have a "healthy" sandbed and avoid clumping.

 

Michael

28074[/snapback]

 

Huh, you know your completely right. I didn't even think about the wee critters I'd need in the sand to make it all unclumpy. Guess I didn't really think about it, and figured Reddi was wrong back in 16.. uh.. 68?..70? and they'd just appear ala 'Spontaneous Generation'.. :dunce: