DREUTZ

Reefs R Madness!
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
I set up a 29 gal biocube with existing live sand that my friend had in it, more live sand, a skimmer and 50 lbs of live rock. I also added a cleaner shrimp, emerald crab, and a bunch of snails and hermits. I have zoas and a few mushrooms in there and are looking ok. No fish. That was 3 weeks ago. My nitrate levels are 160ppm but my ammonia and nitrites are 0. The guy at the aquarium store said that I'm done cycling and that my sand is leaching nitrates into the water. He recommended doing a 10 gal water change and then adding nitromax marine. If that doesn't work he said to treat with AZ-NO3. Does anyone agree with this or should I remove all sand and start over with new sand?
 

Awibrandy

Old School Reefer
Location
Far Rockaway
Rating - 100%
182   0   0
Do you have, or know anyone with a Diatom Filter? If you could get your hands on one then you could stir up the sand bed a few times while running the Diatom filter, and therefor clean your sand bed without having to take it out.

But before going crazy, what is the date on that test kit? Where in LI are you? Perhaps you can have your water tested by a buddy to see if by chance it is your test kit giving you false results.:)
I can't see inverts living in such high nitrates.:(
 

DREUTZ

Reefs R Madness!
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
Not sure what the date Is but I tested using a friends kit and the same results were found. I'm by riverhead. I don't know anyone with a diatom filter....

Could I take the sand out and stir and rinse with clean RO a bunch of times and reuse the sand?
 

Awibrandy

Old School Reefer
Location
Far Rockaway
Rating - 100%
182   0   0
Yes you should've rinsed it! And yes I would take it all out, and rinse it.
How I would rinse it: 1)Remove some tank water into a couple of buckets before you disturb the sand or rocks.
2) Put the sand in first bucket - stir it up really good - immediately pour that water out before it has a chance for the gunk to settle back down on the sand.
3) Follow step 2 a few more times with the remainder buckets until there is nothing more coming out of the sand.

Reason for using tank water is to safe the living organism in the sand. If you use straight up ro water you will kill everything in it.
Last step should be to rinse in new ro salt water.;)
Hope that helps..
 

bizarrecorals

Advanced Reefer
Location
ny
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Kent makes a good filter media called, i believe nitrogen sponge, use that for now, it dramatically reduce nitrate quickly, you can do small w/c, but try your best not to use tap water. a 29 gal. tank, you can put a tiny refugium, it'll help a lot in the long run, buying a small handful of caleupa will do wonders for your tank.
 

DREUTZ

Reefs R Madness!
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
when you say "some tank water" should the end result of this process be a 10% water change? IE taking out small amounts of water to rinse the sand and the total amount taken out would equal 10% of existing water? or should I just use whatever amount of water it takes to fully rinse the sand and it doesn't matter if it ends up being more than 10%? Will I end up replacing all water in the tank?

Also when you say "immediately pour that water out before it has a chance for the gunk to settle back down on the sand." do I keep rinsing until the water is no longer cloudy? or is there another way to tell if it has been rinsed enough?

Also the last step to rinse with new RO salt water: will I put the sand in the tank and then add the RO saltwater like a water change or will I actually rinse the sand and pour out the water like in the previous step and then add it to the tank. I know you said that the RO water will kill all living organisms in the sand.

Thank you in advance!!!!!!
 
Location
Long Island
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
What if we did this....take out all the rock / snails / crabs leaving just the sand and water in the tank. Stir up the sand vigirously and drain out 5 gallons of water at a time, repeat stir and drain process until water is pretty clear and all water is out of tank. If needed we can add more salt mixed water until it IS clear. Then add in rock and salt water. I'll hold the frags and inverts for you until it's cycled.

Sound good ?
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top