Sand Storm

[Ne0eN]

So I got 3 buckets half-full of live southdown over the weekend. (Thanks Krish!) and I'm in the middle of swapping out my old 1/2" layer of CC with 3" of the new stuff in my 60g reef. I let the sand settle without circulation for about 8 hrs, and then I started up the return pump. I know that it could take quite a few days till things settle down, but at which point is it safe to put the fish back in?

 

What worries me the most is that pH jumped from 8.15 to 10.70 after inserting the new sand. I haven

[unninair]

Mine took about 1 week to clear up.... (I did a lousy job washing it before putting it in the tank)

 

Unni

[Ne0eN]

This one came out of an established reef, so washing it would have destroyed the beneficial organisms. But then again, strirring it up probably killed most of it anyway. I suppose the best way would have been to drain the tank and add water back slowly - over a trash bag. But due to my poor planning I didnt have any containers to accomodate 60 gal of water. Plus at 3am my brain wasnt exactly working. Well, it's a lesson...

[Lee Stearns]

I am not sure what is happening with the jump in PH- I would not use a canister filetr- It could easily burn out with the fine silt- I just upgraded my Quiet tank from a 29 G to a 54 G corner tank this weekend- I added I bag of tropical play sand and then placed the live sand approximately 2' bed from the 29 that had been running for a year and a half on top- there was a sand storm that lasted about 24 hours, and then when i blew off all the rock surfaces I ended up with another storm that ceared by morning (10 hrs). If the sand is live it should setttle at about the above rate. Just be sure to acclimate everythi9ng before putting back in the tank. 10 is pretty high on the pH scale so I would figure that out before dumping stuff back in.

Good luck.

[Ne0eN]

I just thought of something, the probe maybe all gunked up with all the crap that's been floating around. I'll check when I get back home. Thanks!

 

I am not sure what is happening with the jump in PH- I would not use a canister filetr- It could easily burn out with the fine silt- I just upgraded my Quiet tank from a 29 G to a 54 G corner tank this weekend- I added I bag of tropical play sand and then placed the live sand approximately 2' bed from the 29 that had been running for a year and a half on top- there was a sand storm that lasted about 24 hours, and then when i blew off all the rock surfaces I ended up with another storm that ceared by morning (10 hrs). If the sand is live it should setttle at about the above rate. Just be sure to acclimate everythi9ng before putting back in the tank. 10 is pretty high on the pH scale so I would figure that out before dumping stuff back in.

Good luck.

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[Ne0eN]

Realistically speaking, how long can I keep my fish in the 10g - assuming correct temp, plenty of LR, nice water circulation provided by Eheim filter? I could do mini 1 gal water changes to keep things healthy...

[Lee Stearns]

Man they shipped in far worse conditions- As long as they are not fighting and have a couple of hidey places- They should do fine for a few days. I was going to say double check your readings on the PH- Most often it is not reading right when it looks out of the orinary. On the 10 G with the fish- this is one of the very few times I would check my amonia. I would also be very carefull it amount of waterchanges in it- 1 gallon is a lot in a 10 gallon tank-

[Ne0eN]

Yeah, I think my probe is giving me a bad reading. I tried calibrating fluids and it was reading 3 points higher. Time to find my pHep stick.

 

Sand storm is looking better. There appears to be a layer of slime on top of the sand bed. Possible die-off? Since my fish don't seem to show any signs of stress, (hand fed them couple of Formula 1/2 pellets - they are eating fine) I may cure the LS for a couple of days before I start repopulating my tank.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

-Rob

Man they shipped in far worse conditions- As long as they are not fighting and have a couple of hidey places- They should do fine for a few days. I was going to say double check your readings on the PH- Most often it is not reading right when it looks out of the orinary. On the 10 G with the fish- this is one of the very few times I would check my amonia. I would also be very carefull it amount of waterchanges in it- 1 gallon is a lot in a 10 gallon tank-

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[Ne0eN]

Finally finished with the tank remodeling. Water has cleared up enough that I was able to put the LR and fish back in. Still a bit milky, but hopefully it will clear up in a day or two. I did a 20% water change and will probably do another 20% change this weekend.

 

-Rob

 

[Lee Stearns]

I think the water changes slows the process down- It is the bacteria in the water column that attaches to the fine particles suspended that finally settles the tank storm.