Crushed coral?

[bmckee727]

I will be starting my first S/W tank as soon as I get this biocube straitened out and have already purchased crushed coral for substrate. I have heard mixed opinions about it and was curious what you guys thought. If I clean bi-weekly can I root around in it with vacuum without worrying about stirring up too much bad stuff if it never has a chance to build up large amounts? Plus I'm planning on having a cleanup crew as well

 

[Gregcoyote]

I am a fan of crushed coral for lots of reasons. Not necessarily good for fish like jaw fish.
But most of the natural substrate on a reef is crushed coral, some of it crushed down to sand sized particles.

 

[Bray84]

Haha just ask same question, I think it's good but u shouldn't have much build up if its not to deep and don't no much on syphoning as tried when first got it and was pain in butt as more would end up in bucket but got few different kinds snail that live under it and a sand sifting goby so it's always getting moved about. I do wc once a week and use the end of hose to move some of the top stuff about and suck up the crap what comes from it. Can remember reading some where that syphoning to much is bad as got some kind of life form that helps keep it good

 

[bmckee727]

Thanks for the replies, I plan on having a pair of ocellaris clowns and maybe a bi color dotty( haven't researched alot on compatibility yet due to just trying to work out tank issues first). I plan on having live rock so I'm not too worried about not leaving a whole lot of BB in the coral. Maybe pantyhose over vac will eliminate sucking it up?

 

[Bray84]

Don't know u will have to find out. Well did have sand sifting goby but he kill him self today as jumped onto my filter and did notice he was gone till was to late but think he jumped cus flame angle and tang would chase him so must of been stressed. Don't think pantyhose would work as got suck up bit of crap so will just keep one stirring up little bits with house and suck up the waste

 

[bmckee727]

Don't know u will have to find out. Well did have sand sifting goby but he kill him self today as jumped onto my filter and did notice he was gone till was to late but think he jumped cus flame angle and tang would chase him so must of been stressed. Don't think pantyhose would work as got suck up bit of crap so will just keep one stirring up little bits with house and suck up the waste

Aaaahhhh, I hate to hear that. I'm sorry!

 

[Bray84]

Cheers just gutted as was my first fish lol

 

[Noturaveragereefer]

I have crushed coral and I just agitate the bed and get a good funnel going and clean the debris that's floating. I do weekly water changes...but I also fed my fish daily and my coral two -three times weekly with plankton and brine shrimp

 

[mr_X]

Whatever you use, the finer the grains, the less maintenance you'll have to do. Bigger grains= more detritus getting trapped and the need for vacuuming will arise.
I like calcium based substrate for it's buffering capability.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Whatever you use, the finer the grains, the less maintenance you'll have to do. Bigger grains= more detritus getting trapped and the need for vacuuming will arise.
I like calcium based substrate for it's buffering capability.

+1 the calcium carbonate it contains is a safety net if ph gets too low.

 

[ccCapt]

Aquarium Chemistry: Calcite, Aragonite, Limestone, and More — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog
"And, in the words of the chemist-aquarist-author Randy Holmes-Farley "calcium carbonate will not dissolve in the water column of normal marine aquaria". Some may dissolve within a deep sand bed where water chemistry changes from the top of the bed to the bottom, but this is unlikely to have any significant effect on overall water quality. So, I wouldn't waste a minute of my time worrying about whether or not something is made of one or the other, or of dolomite either for that matter."

 

[mr_X]

I saw a guy's tank not too long ago and his 2" aragonite sand bed actually became one giant piece of calcium. It literally melted into a brick. What caused this? I wasn't there to test his ph on a regular basis, but he had fish and inverts living in the tank...

 

[Gregcoyote]

Ph has to get pretty low before the aragonite starts to dissolve, but it does supply a natural substrate.

 

[mr_X]

Ph has to get pretty low before the aragonite starts to dissolve, but it does supply a natural substrate.

7 right?
About Randy's article and comment on calcium dissolving- what about cuttlefish bones in aquariums? Am i correct in assuming he feels the same way about this?

 

[Gregcoyote]

7 right?
About Randy's article and comment on calcium dissolving- what about cuttlefish bones in aquariums? Am i correct in assuming he feels the same way about this?

Right. But I use it because that is what I found on natural reefs, patches of finer ground mixed with coral rubble. Parrot fish add their fair share to the finer grained particles. It's hilarious watching a group of parrots pooping curtains of fine white sand.

 

[bmckee727]

I really appreciate all the feedback, but if I am not keeping corals does calcium come into play? Thanks

 

[bmckee727]

Whatever you use, the finer the grains, the less maintenance you'll have to do. Bigger grains= more detritus getting trapped and the need for vacuuming will arise.
I like calcium based substrate for it's buffering capability.

So is calcium something I should be concerned with in a FOWLR tank? I was under the impression that calcium was more for reef tanks. Forgive me this will be my first S/W. So if I sift thru it with a gravel vac every WC like a FW tank I should be ok? Should I probably keep it thin, like 3/4" or less? Thanks in advance

 

[mr_X]

No. it's nothing to be concerned with for a fowlr. As I said, the larger the particles, the more stuff will get caught between them. If you are planning on using a coarse grain, then yes, you'll need to vacuum, but a finer sand and you will not.
I would not want to vacuum my sand bed, even in a FOWLR. lots of things end up living in the sand bed that become food for your fish- I would hate to have to vacuum them out with the fish poop.

 

[Gregcoyote]

No. it's nothing to be concerned with for a fowlr. As I said, the larger the particles, the more stuff will get caught between them. If you are planning on using a coarse grain, then yes, you'll need to vacuum, but a finer sand and you will not.
I would not want to vacuum my sand bed, even in a FOWLR. lots of things end up living in the sand bed that become food for your fish- I would hate to have to vacuum them out with the fish poop.

I would have some sand sifting gobies and starfish to keep the sand stirred up. And as said, to protect the beneficial stuff living in the sand.

 

[Bray84]

Conch snails are great for mixing up the coral, got few others that mix it up too but can't remember there names. Just watch with sand sifting gobys as like to jump as have just learnt