Garf Grunge

[HogWinslow]

Has anyone used this stuff? Is it as good as the website claims? It sounds as if you can take dead sand and rock, and this stuff and it will give you everything needed. As well as start Coraline Algae and other critters.

 

HogWinslow

[MKramer]

I use it and like it.... In my opinion, it's about the only thing GARF is good for. If you're trying to seed dead sadn or rock, though, you'll need it in much higher quantities than the recommended 10:1 ratio, especially in such a small tank. There just isn't enoguh food in the sandbed for the microfauna to survive off of.

 

Keep in mind this is a chronic problem with small tanks, and over time, your sandbed will "eat itself to death," no matter how much initial life you put in it. This is what I find the sludge useful for. I buy a 10:1 ratio every 3 months to recharge my sandbed.

[freakaccident]

PA sells the same stuff. I use it and like it.

[HogWinslow]

I never heard of it "eating it self to death". You mean it will eat all the food and starve? Will this grunge give me a good start on coraline algae. That's what I'm mainly looking for. A tank that has lots of different color's of coaline algae, a couple of fish fow movement and when everything staightens out maybe a few easy to keep corals. I plan on a 10 gallon tank with 2, 13 watt 10,000k/actenic bulbs. Weekly water changes. Live rock and sand. Hang on the back filter and a power head for current. From time to time I may put in a phosphate pad because we live in Florida and phosphate and silicate is in everything. Do you think this stuff will help me out?

 

HogWinslow

[MKramer]

Well, it's hard to accurately associated cause and effect with this kind of stuff, but in my opinion, their grunge does lead to a variety of coralines starting in your tank. When I first started using it, my rocks got coated in a deep purple, with occasional patches of light green, faded red, and deep dark red.

 

But it didn't stay that way. Within a month, everything was the deep purple, with just a few tiny patches of the light green and dark red. Now the only place I find the red is on parts of the rock that receive almost no light, and the green is compeltely gone.

 

My suspiscion is that the purple strain is extremely "aggressive," for lack of a ebtter word, and was in competition with the other strains, and clearly was more efficient in its domination. The only spots where the purple doesn't spread is where there is no light, which is why the last few strongholds of the red are in those locations.

 

So in the end, I wouldn't keep my hopes up for a variety of colors. However, the purple stuff that took over after I started using the grunge is beautiful. Much thicker and deeper in color than previously seen in my tanks.

 

As for eating itself to death, you interpretted correctly. It takes a certain sized population and space to become successfully reproductive. Nanos have a big problem with the space, and their sandbed fauna will almost always deplete themselves overtime, no matter how big the original population. But by "overstocking" the sandbed, you can give it enough food to live for a reasonable amount of time. Understocking it leads to quick depletion.

[HogWinslow]

Freak

 

What's PA. I never heard of that.

[coralreefengr]

You can also get "live sand activator" and coralline starters at IPSF.com. I've used both and they're fine.

[GurnB]

Originally posted by HogWinslow

Freak

 

What's PA.  I never heard of that.

 

I assume he means Premium Aquatics in Indianapolis (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/)

 

Of course he could mean that state next to Ohio!

[jdsabin1]

Originally posted by MKramer

Keep in mind this is a chronic problem with small tanks, and over time, your sandbed will "eat itself to death," no matter how much initial life you put in it.  This is what I find the sludge useful for.  I buy a 10:1 ratio every 3 months to recharge my sandbed.

This comment is interesting to me. How long have you had your nano-tank? I have not read about this occurence yet. Are you saying that in three months I should be adding some type of 'live sand activator' to keep this stuff going? How does that affect nitrates, etc when you add that to an already established nano-reef (if at all)?

 

I would really like to get more input on this as it seems to be a subject that would dramatically affect all nano-reefers eventually.

 

What do others think about this topic?

 

Thanks,

 

-Jeff

[MKramer]

This is a point made many times over by Dr. Ron on ReefCentral when discussing DSB in nanos. A search for "DSB nano" over there would probably turn up a lot of it.

 

(Come on Dave, you know you want to bite on their "Dr. Ron said so" bit.)

 

I am of course no expert in the field or even in aquaria. However, I have observed the disappearance of sandbed fauna over time in every small tank I've own or maintained for others.

 

The measures I'd taken are suitable to me and my observations. The quantity and frequency are by no means a magic number or even an advised method. It's the one I've settled on that seems to make an incredible difference in my tanks' sandbed and micro-fauna populations.

 

Many experienced reefers advise sandbed "recharging" for large tanks as well, but on a much longer period.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

I have observed a decrease in the life in my sandbed over time, I've had my tank for over a year. I wondered if it was just me but Matt's statements make sense and kind of confirm my own suspicions.

 

You may want to do a search for "GARF grunge" on this site- people have posted the pros and cons before.

Tasha

[drdrew]

what does the grunge look like when you get it? is it rubble? is it mud? how do you add it?

 

i ordered some stuff from PA once and it was rubble and i don't like how it looks now on top of my sandbed as the fine sand settled below it....