[Sable]

I have a 45 gal (30w x 22h x12d?) FOWLR tank set up now, I just got a testing kit and have several issues. One issue is the abnormally high nitrate (actually off the chart) and the abundance of red algae in my tank and in the crushed coral on the bottom. My question is this:

What is the process, and is it worth it to remove the crushed coral from my tank and replace it with sand? And is a 20 lb bag of sand enough for the size of my tank?

I don't like the look of the crushed coral, but this was all that was available when I started the tank. I checked out International Marine Fish and they have Bahamas Oolite live sand (20 lb. bag for $40.00 w/ free shipping).

Any and all ideas and help / suggestions are appreciated!

~John

[jvharding]

Check this link out lots of good info! This is coming from a CC kind of guy LOL!


The following is qouted from:

How To Setup Your First Marine Tank

The best substrate you can use is a fine aragonite sand. At the local fish stores (LFS) you can find brand names such as ESV, Aragamax, and CaribSea. These are all pretty decent choices, but can be expensive. For a less expensive route, check out your nearest Home Depot. Look for Southdown Play Sand. It is a very good aragonite sand and has fine particle size. It will cost about $4 for 50lbs. as opposed to the stuff sold in the pet stores for $30 for 30lb bags! Below is a picture of two different types of sand that are calcium based for aquariums.

[Danakor]

I found a guy on eBay who sells 30 lbs Live sand for approx. $25. He was rather good and also threw in a free reefgium kit, with some algae and some snails. the best way to get the crushed coral out is get a large fish net, swipe it across the bottom take out the coral via the net and put it into a side bag. take the sand and put it into some ziploc bags close it and then submerse it into the tank reach in turn the bag sideways and let the sand out GENTLY!! I can not stress to you enough to be gentle....trust me I screwed up and just dumped mine in and 3 days later my water is still not clear.that is the best way. also you might qwant to leave abotu a pound or so of your previous substrate in so that some of your bacteria will be able to jump satrt your tank.

[Taras1]

Originally Posted by Danakor

I found a guy on eBay who sells 30 lbs Live sand for approx. $25. He was rather good and also threw in a free reefgium kit, with some algae and some snails. the best way to get the crushed coral out is get a large fish net, swipe it across the bottom take out the coral via the net and put it into a side bag. take the sand and put it into some ziploc bags close it and then submerse it into the tank reach in turn the bag sideways and let the sand out GENTLY!! I can not stress to you enough to be gentle....trust me I screwed up and just dumped mine in and 3 days later my water is still not clear.that is the best way. also you might qwant to leave abotu a pound or so of your previous substrate in so that some of your bacteria will be able to jump satrt your tank.

Hey!! Thanks for the info. I was trying to figure out the best way to switch to sand. I've got a setup 4 mos old and still have problems w/hair algae. (Chem. 0 NO3, 0 PO4; pH 8.2; Ca 385; SG 1023). Several people say that it's the crushed coral breeding NO3, which feeds the algae.