Some Sany questions...

[Flipturn88]

Sand is still an iffy dilemma in my research. There isn't that much info about the different types, so I'm still a little confused (but that's not unusual for me ). I have a couple of questions about it:

 

1.) When u are doing a water change, do you siphon/mix up the sand bed? I know you do in freshwater--at least that's what I do. I am not getting a DSB because I've read that they only work for the first year of two and then most people go through a painful process of attempting to remove them.

 

2.) If I don't get a DSB, then what type of sand should I buy? I don't have access to southdown, and I don't want the hassle of having it special ordered with tons more fees (plus, isn't it for DSB only?).

 

3.)Is this type ok: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...d=6&pCatId=7318 (I was thinkin the Fiji Pink)?

 

4.) How often do you change the water when the tank is first cycling and you only have the LR and sand (if you do at all)?

 

 

~Kayla

 

 

My little disclaimer:

Thanks again for helping me with my many questions--they may never run out. but the good news is on Wednesday I will hopefully be going to buy my tank!!!! It's a 28 gallon bowfront, and I can't wait. I still have more research to do before I get the rest of the stuff, but that is progress for me .

[harbingerofthefish]

1) I would br pressed to believe that not many-if any-siphon the sand bed. You want the bacteria that lives there to stay there. It is your biological filtration.

 

Personally I just siphon water out from the top 2-3" and siphon new water back in. I let the clean-up crew take care of the sand.

 

2) & 3) Being as it is a 28 gallon tank your setting up, 3-4" of sand can't hurt. Your not going to lose to much vertical space in a tank that size. The Fiji pink is fine I guess.

 

Since you are in Atlanta and there a lot of reefers that way, check around at several stores, or go to the Atlanta forum on reefcentral and see if any one has some southdown or the like they can give you. I;m sure there is some floating around somewhere.

 

4) I did my first water change a month in to the tanks set-up. It took like 3 weeks for my ammonia to spike up and a week later it checked lower, so I did a 25% water change.

 

WC's during the cycle can prolong the cycle. But it can also help the critters in the lLR and LS survive and flourish, thus producing more diversity.

[Flipturn88]

Thanks harbingerofthefish. I do have another question: When do you add the cleanup crew-- is it after the cycling is completely finished and everything looks normal? Thanks again.

 

~Kayla