Cleaning CC base....

[SaltyNewbie]

I have a crushed coral base. I wish I had gone with a DSB, but I am stuck for now. My question is, should I vacuum clean the cc or just do water changes? I don't want to suck all the living worms and others out of my cc so...



and why i'm at it.... is it possible to switch to a DSB or is it not worth the effort at this point. The aquarium has been set up since May and is doing great!

 

[ricky1414]

it is totally possible to switch over to a dsb if you want. if you have alot of live rock, your tank may not recycle if you use livesand. i switched form cc to a 3 1/2-4" dsb, and i couldnt be happier. my ammonia raised to .5 for like 2-3 days, now it is back to 0.
if you do not vacuum the cc, you may get a build up of detrius there. i am not sure if it will suck up the good guys if you do.
what size tank do you have? what type of filtration, etc?

 

[danmhippo]

IF, IF you really want to switchover, Now is the best time instead of waiting till your tank matures some months down the road.

If I were you, I would cycle new sands in a separate bucket first. After the new sugar fine sand is cycled, then I will prepare to do the switchover.

1. remove all livestock, most of the water and LR out of the tank into several buckets or garbage cans(this is an excellent time to power blast detritus off the rock now)
2. scoop up all CC into a bucket with all the worms and such.
3. general clean the tank and dump the remaining muck mud water
4. dump in the newly cycled sand, setup the rock works, and refill.

5. take a few nylon stockings and bag up the CC you just scooped, lay the CC bags on top of the sandbed for the next couple of days. All worms, bugs, pods, and various other sand dwelling animals will immigrate to the new sans faster than you think.

6. remove the bags after 3-4 days and wait for new life to sprung up out of your new white sand.

7. The DSB won't fully mature after a few months. So continue monitoring your nitrite and nitrate level.

 

[hdtran]

On my 29 gallon FOw "Live Pebbles" tank, my base is crushed coral, puka shells, and miscellaneous stuff (no air-driven clam and diver, despite the kids' requests).

When I clean it, I vacuum the base. Not the whole base, but maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the base area at each water change.

I still have lots of (amphi/cope)pods that come out at night.

The tank water was at <5 ppm nitrate for about 3 years, until the last few months, when the nitrate level has risen to between 5 and 10 ppm.

I'm in the process of setting up a new 120 gallon reef setup (or as my wife would put it, LROwF)

 

[SaltyNewbie]

what size tank do you have? what type of filtration, etc?[/quote]

29 gal, fluval 204, prizm skimmer, coralife 50/50 lighting. 25 lbs LR.




Thanks for the responses. I still can't make up my mind if I want to switch or not. In about 7 months I will be moving 45 min away and I am wondering if I should just try the switch then....?