crushed coral vs. sand

[triggerman888]

Do you need a sand base for a reef tank? Also is ther any way to take crushed coral out of a tank and put sand in if there is already fish and live rock in the tank?

[triggerman888]

Is ther any way to take crushed coral out of a tank and put sand in if there is already fish and live rock in the tank?

[roka64]

Also is ther any way to take crushed coral out of a tank and put sand in if there is already fish and live rock in the tank?

Yes, I did it and so did a few others. A pain, but I think it paid off in the long run. I would suggest doing 33-50% of it at a time. This will allow the beneficial bacteria and other substrate critters time to move to the new sand. I did mine 1/3 at a time, just to be safe. I moved my LR to one side and used a plastic strainer. I also did a 30% PWC afterwards.

+++EDIT+++
You don't have to have any kind of substrate. This will depend on what you want in your tank. If you want a critter that lives in the sand, then you will need a sand substrate and so on......

[roka64]

Is it just me, or are you posting the same topics in other forums? I just want to make sure I'm not crazy, or didn't eat something funny at lunch....?

+++EDIT+++
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=84151


LOL!! Ok, I'm not crazy. I'm sure others will be along to give their experiences....

[phish7740]

i changed mine over about 2-3 weeks into the cycle...i only had damsels...

i removed all the rock, removed about 80-90% of the CC. moved the rest to the back of the tank, and dumped in my rinsed sand.

i highly recomend it..

i did it mainly because i want a wrasse, and they need sand bed to sleep in.

[vsnsofadrgn]

from what i have read, it is best to replace substarte a lil bit at a time. say, 1/4 or 1/3, while doing water changes. the key is to do it slowly so ur not harming the bacteria in the tank... its best put in using pvc (or the large part of your syphon) so there is no sand storm.

[An t-iasg]

The two threads have been merged into one thread.

[Joshsmit56001]

When I changed from Crushed coral to sand I put some of the crushed coral into a pair of new panty hose. The hose are thin enough to let the bacteria out into the new sand bed. Kind of ugly for awhile but it worked good for me.

Josh

[ckmn101]

I changen mine 1/3 at a time over a 3 week period.