Hey Everyone --
I've got cc in my 55 gal, and I can't seem to get the nitrates below 20-ish for very long, which I suspect is what did in my cleaner shrimp (and the corals could be looking a bit better, too). Anyway, I've read many posts here about playsand, and need to clarify a few things.
1. I've seen many mentions about play sand/ argonite/ tropical play/ old castle/ etc. Now, is "argonite" a type of sand (man-made?) or is it a name-brand?
2. I have some play sand I got from HD for my kids' sandbox last summer -- it's the Pavestone "high desert sand", and is labeled as general purpose/ playsand/ paving sand. It's very clean (definitely NOT what you use for mixing concrete). Would this suffice for the aquarium?
3. Whether I use what I have or something else, how should I make the change from the cc? Change it out all at once, or half/third at a time with water changes?
4. Maintenance: With cc, I deep clean with the siphon during water changes as much as possible. I've read that such deep cleaning is not needed with sand (just surface vacuuming). Is that correct? My problem with the cc now is that I've got areas of the tank that I cannot reach with the siphon, so if this is correct re: sand, that would be great.
5. I've also read mentions of a DSB, and that although they are good, they can tend to collect pockets of toxins, and that one must be careful to NOT disturb the sand for fear of releasing these toxins in to the tank -- is that true?
I think that's about it for now -- Thanks for any help.
Matt
I've got cc in my 55 gal, and I can't seem to get the nitrates below 20-ish for very long, which I suspect is what did in my cleaner shrimp (and the corals could be looking a bit better, too). Anyway, I've read many posts here about playsand, and need to clarify a few things.
1. I've seen many mentions about play sand/ argonite/ tropical play/ old castle/ etc. Now, is "argonite" a type of sand (man-made?) or is it a name-brand?
2. I have some play sand I got from HD for my kids' sandbox last summer -- it's the Pavestone "high desert sand", and is labeled as general purpose/ playsand/ paving sand. It's very clean (definitely NOT what you use for mixing concrete). Would this suffice for the aquarium?
3. Whether I use what I have or something else, how should I make the change from the cc? Change it out all at once, or half/third at a time with water changes?
4. Maintenance: With cc, I deep clean with the siphon during water changes as much as possible. I've read that such deep cleaning is not needed with sand (just surface vacuuming). Is that correct? My problem with the cc now is that I've got areas of the tank that I cannot reach with the siphon, so if this is correct re: sand, that would be great.
5. I've also read mentions of a DSB, and that although they are good, they can tend to collect pockets of toxins, and that one must be careful to NOT disturb the sand for fear of releasing these toxins in to the tank -- is that true?
I think that's about it for now -- Thanks for any help.
Matt