whats bad about this?

[hediki12]

o.k I just started my nano and i love it! i went with live 7lbs of live rock and some crushed coral as substrate. Now im starting to think that i shouldn't have gone with it as my substrate..... am i right?

 

[DEL]

i did the same with my 36 bow..i had to scoop all ofthe crushed coral out and put sand..sand is better because you can get a lot more types of livestock (snails, starfish, wrasse, gobies)..also it is a lot easier to clean..i let my little janitors do that work for me..

 

[MikeyZO]

Del is right in the sense that crushed coral can become a detritus trap and therefore cause a nitrate buildup in your tank. It wont be too bad as long as you stay on top of your water parameters and water changes. If this is a new setup though and is without livestock, you might be better scooping most of it out and getting live sand. I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions also.

 

[hediki12]

aww man. yea its a new set up 2 days old.... umm i already have diatom build up on it. and i have this amazing little critter(some kind of shimp) who made a burrow in it and i can see him right at the corner. all my other live stock are rock inhabitants.

 

[KathyC]

Anything that came in on the live rock would be the only living things that should be in the tank. Best to remove the crushed coral and either go bare bottom, or replace it with sand.
In the scope of things, 2 days is a short period of time and your tank will be healthier in the long run without the crushed coral.
2 days is a little early to have a diatom buildup, that usually doesn't happen until after a tank cycles, and cycling takes about 4-6-8 weeks to be finish depending on how much die off you have on your live rock.

 

[hediki12]

well its established rock and allot of hitch hikers.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Better to do it now than after the tank is finished it's cycle.

 

[MikeyZO]

Best also to make sure that amazing little shrimp you have isn't a mantis shrimp. If it is, I would suggest getting him out, as they are voracious carnivores and will feast on crabs, shrimp, snails, and even fish if it can get to them.

 

[emmanuel]

probably just an amphipod

 

[BZOFIQ]

crushed coral allows detritus to accumulate, sand will keep it above the surface.