Tank redesign

[Chrisc0930]

I'm considering redesigning my and, like moving some of my lava rock around and laying some sand on top of my crushed coral. I have a question though, when I do a water change my LFS mentioned that I could end up sucking up some of my sand if not all. He said that when I do a change I should get a strainer with very think wholes but I have yet to find one with holes smaller than the sand. Is there anywhere in specific I should be shopping for this? Or perhaps any other suggestions? And would I be able to mix and match different colors of sand? Or just stick with one color?

 

[Gregcoyote]

I'm not a fan of sand as it can contain selenium and other things. As far as siphoning goes, if you restrict the opening it won't draw water properly. I would just siphon and then remove and clean any substrate you accidentally suck up and put it back in the tank.

 

[Chrisc0930]

Will sand end up damaging my tank or current Eco system? I'm assuming the things you told me it contains could damage my tank somehow...

 

[Gregcoyote]

No, just be careful what kind you use. There have been several threads about this in the last few weeks.
I like crushed coral, as that is what is generally found on the reef and it has buffering qualities. But some creatures like jawfish need a finer bed of substrate.

 

[Chrisc0930]

Ok! Thanx for the heads up, I'll make sure I research before buying any!

 

[Chrisc0930]

What do you know about mushrooms? I have a relatively small mushroom coral and I would like it to grow and thrive. My LFS said it would take years which I'm prepared to wait but what do you suggest for placement? Right now I have it on the bottom of my tank, it's not laying flat and it's just below one of my lava rocks which give it a little shade.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Mine grow wherever there is even a little light. They grow in high and low flow in my system. Once established, they are easy to grow.

 

[pritchard]

My mushrooms are thriving midway in the tank ! But they seem to do well almost anywhere although not all species have the same light/flow requirements ! A general rule of thumb with most corals is to start them at the bottom and gradually move them up when and if necessary !

 

[Chrisc0930]

I can't seem to tell what kind of mushroom I have. Here is a photo

 

[Gregcoyote]

I can't seem to tell what kind of mushroom I have. Here is a photo

Actinodiscus, or a blue mushroom Ricordea.
I call them "smooth" mushrooms.

 

[Chrisc0930]

Actinodiscus, or a blue mushroom Ricordea.
I call them "smooth" mushrooms.

Awesome! Thanx!

 

[Chrisc0930]

So, I ended up keeping the crushed coral and not switching to sand and I removed all but one piece of lava and replaced it with base rock. From what I have read this was a good decision, now do I just take the crushed coral I have and put some on top of my base rock to start curing? I'm also using "purple up" to help speed the process

 

[Gregcoyote]

So, I ended up keeping the crushed coral and not switching to sand and I removed all but one piece of lava and replaced it with base rock. From what I have read this was a good decision, now do I just take the crushed coral I have and put some on top of my base rock to start curing? I'm also using "purple up" to help speed the process

You can situate the crushed coral into the rock work like it might lay naturally. The bacteria will be water born and will find purchase within the porous base rock. This will happen over weeks and months as the bacteria multiplies. Since there should be no die off, I would not expect your tank to have a hard cycle. The purple up isn't a bad idea, but as said elsewhere, if it is coralline algae you are after, it is about calcium and alkalinity levels. Slow and stable is what you want your reef to be. Nothing happening fast, except coral growth and even that on its best day is pretty slow. Think carefully every time you dose the tank with anything except a good water change. Read what is in purple up. Same with B-Ionic, BSR sells the same basic supplement in a kit form. You will see that old time aquarists and public aquarium managers use targeted chemicals that can be tested for when maintaining a closed reef system. BRS is very good in making those pure chemicals available with easy to follow instructions.

 

[Chrisc0930]

Thanx for the info, I'll maintain a steady eye on what chemicals I add. I generally don't add any chemicals to the tank but I heard purple up was good for getting algae set up.