REMOVING CRUSHED CORAL

[saywill]

I was thinking about removing my crushed coral bed. Is this a good or a bad idea? I have had a nitrate problem forever and my last guess is that it is the crushed coral that is causing it. Any tips would be appreciated

[Sadielynn]

There are a couple of ways you can do this for smaller tanks you can drain the water out and add sand then place rocks and water back in run a tandum filter to help clear it up, reacclimate the fish , then add fresh saltwater to your tank , water change done in the process , you will have a bit of diatoms but they will disappear on thier own . Do watch for a small cycle and have water at the ready for a water change should your tests indicate . For a larger tank mark off sections take that out add your sand keep going till it is changed out , do this at water change time this will help you to get the floating particles out .

[melosu58]

According to your info it`s a 55 gallon tank. I would do as SadieLynn said and do it in sections. That `s what I`ve seen others do here with good success. Maybe do it in thirds. Just get yourself some plastic hose and siphon it out as you do your PWC and replace that area with sand.

[saywill]

How much, and what type of sand should I get?

[roka64]

I did my 55 in 3 sections, about 1 section a week. This allowed my critters to move and the beneficial bacteria to keep up. I use this Aragamax Sand .
Make sure you have some extra PWC on hand. Also, rinse the sand out, otherwise you will have all kinds of silt in your tank and possibly locking up some of your equipment.

[Sadielynn]

Originally Posted by saywill

How much, and what type of sand should I get?

I would say about 50 -75 lbs (aprox 2-3 inches deep)

[melosu58]

Here is a sand bed calculator

http://www.fantasyreef.com/flash/calculator.html

[saywill]

thanks!!

[saywill]

After I remove the crushed coral, how do I add the sand without making a huge mess in the tank?

[roka64]

I used a plastic bowl. I turned off all my water movement equipment, lowered the bowl, letting the water fill up and sank it to the bottom and slowly poured it out. Others have used PVC to get the sane to the bottom.