[jimmy]

how you all doing my names jimmy and i am new to this website. i have a 45 gallon salt water tank. and a 25 gallon tank. i was wondering what you all thought about crushed coral instead of sand. i put it in my 45 gallon tank and just wanted to know some more about it. in insight would be greatly appreciated thanks jimmy

[dfurbee]

Hi Jimmy, I just am starting also, and have CC subtrate, have been done with the cycle for about 2 weeks now. Added some snails, but am considering changing to sand. Everything I read lately, everyone is changing to sand. Have spent too much money changing things, since the lfs sold me a bunch of stuff I did not need. If you ask questions here, they usually get answered rather quickly. Best of luck in your endeavors.

[RyanG]

Welcome to RB Jimmy! Get live sand, it will prevent headaches in the future

[jimmy]

thanks for the advice

[ACE]

Live sand is best, I would recommend it to anyone!!!!!!!
ACE

[passinetti2007]

read what I said in dfurbee's thread on the same topic. i'd write it all out again but I gotta get off here and do homework.

[jimmy]

thanks
jimmy

[reefaddict]

Depends on what you are going to keep in your tank, but honestly most things like the sand. I have sand and I love it. The things I have that need sand are my sand sifting star and my Orange Spotted Sleeper Goby. I have put a very small amount of CC just to give some texture to the sandbed. My tank is 6' long and I put maybe four or five handfuls total.

[reefaddict]

Another thing to drop in there are empty snail shells for the crabs to grow into. They need shells to move into as they grow. The CC you don't want very big pieces.

[volitan_fa]

Switching to live sand is definitely the way to go

[Lucky Star]

Same here, I switched a couple months ago to live sand. Right now I have some CC, but not much as there was to start with.

[crazygator]

LIVE SAND. after all the benifits are listed there is still one more that gets over looked, all fish thrive with sand, only some will thrive with c.c. many blennies, gobbies and manderines. plus stars, crabs and many others won't sift the c.c. and may die from starvation or a blocked tummy if they do try to sift through it

[excedrin1997]

I also have crushed coral, and my star or crabs do not seem to happy with it. The star spends most of his time on the glass and the crabs on the live rock. I am noticing some browning of the CC, is this normal??

[MattieFingaz]

I started with crushed coral myself based on LFS recommendation (it was a chain store). But early on in the process and with help from folks here I decided to change. I started with 30# of CC and bought 40# of regular sand. I then bought 30# of live sand from a vendor on a very popular online auction site..(begins with an E) and have been really happy with the results. I have some texture to the substrate and my green brittle star and my 15 or so cerith and nesarrius snails and my two camel shrimp seem to be very happy as well.

As to the brown stuff, that's probably diatom...I started this thread because I was concerned as well. From what everyone has told me it's completely normal. I've been comparing it to a flu shot to my wife who is freaking out about it. When you get a flu shot you're getting a bit of the flu virus and your body needs to create antibodies to defend against it. Brown diatom is the same thing...it happens and your tank will create the necessary "antibodies" to make sure it goes away and the coraline is soon to follow. It usually thrives in water with a high silacate level so RO/DI water will help.

Please don't take my opinion as gospel as I'm reletively new myself, but I've found a lot of useful information here at RB and I am trying to give back as much as I've been helped.

If I'm out of line with my comments would the more senior members of the forum please correct me.

Good luck to you..and thanks to all that have helped me get this far.

Mattie

[jimmy]

thanks to all