First Tank, Bought used, weird growth

leon1972

Reefing newb
First off, Im sorry if this is the wrong area. Couldnt tell where this post should go.
I bought a full setup used from someone. It came with the LR, the substrate (Crushed Coral) EVERYTHING but the light and fish!!!! Sweet deal for 380 bucks. So last night there was a single white stringy thing about 1 1/2 inches on a single rock.(Think it was a digitized hydroid of some kind) I used my net to atempt to pull it off the rock. Today it is gone and there is a lot of little tiny white fuzzy stuff on SEVERAL rocks now. Cant tell if its fuzzy or if its just super tiny versions of what I saw last night.I tried taking a pic but it is too short to look like anything but fuzzy white stuff. Is there probably a whole colony of the darn things now? If so, how do i get rid of em!!!
 
Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard. The organisms you're seeing are either micro brittle stars, or sponges. Both are safe and beneficial. A picture would go a long way tho, to be certain. :) Also, I'd take that crushed coral out and replace it with sand...crushed coral can lead to high nitrates because it traps foods and other waste.
 
If just say bought a 90 gallon trash can can i reuse the water if i decide to switch to sand? it was such a PAIN for me to fill i would just LOVE ot reuse the current water!!!! lol. Any particular kind of sand or amount of sand you would recommend? Should i be running my wet/dry filter during the cycling process or no? After 3 days my amonia level is only at .25 im wondering if i should use the dead shrimp method?
 
A cleanup crew wont deal with the crushed coral problem? thats what the guy that sold it to me said. He said just make sure i get a decent cleanup crew for that. And speking of cleanup crew, when is it ok to drop em in? Im wondering if maybe my ammonia level doesnt raise in another day or two a cleanup crew would be a good alternative for cycling as well?
 
Yes, you can reuse the same water when you switch over to sand, and you could aim for about 1-2 inches of sand...and arogonite sand is what you want because of it's buffering capabilities. As long as you have ammonia, don't add any livestock. Once your ammonia and nitrites hit zero, then you can do a water change and add livestock. No need to use the shrimp method, because you already have ammonia, the shrimp is used to jump start the process.
 
Does it really matter if i go with the bio active live arogonite sand? or will it build up bacteria if i get the non bio active live? There is a HUGE price difference in the two kinds.
 
Nope, you don't need to get the live sand...just get the dry sand instead and save a few bucks. The dry sand will become live in no time.
 
I also read that i should put the liverock directly on the glass so as it wont shift from burrowers and shifting of the sand. Thing is how to do i get the sand inside the cave areas on the glass? should i just put in the sand then put it in the live rock and kinda push it down or does it REALLY not matter?
 
Sorry about all the questions guys I was going to get a lot more knowledgeable before i started. I know the basics,and i figured ill read the book i picked up while its cycling. I just couldnt pass up the deal i got on this tank. lol. One last question. its ok it theres still crushed coral it, just so long as its the large minority, right? Last question. I promise. lol
 
Ok. one last question. lol. How do I figure out how many pounds of sand i need? I have a 75 gallon bowed tank. And I have to rinse the sand first right? How Long should i rinse each ten pound bag for!!! lol.
 
Last edited:
I also read that i should put the liverock directly on the glass so as it wont shift from burrowers and shifting of the sand. Thing is how to do i get the sand inside the cave areas on the glass? should i just put in the sand then put it in the live rock and kinda push it down or does it REALLY not matter?

Yeah, it's best to put the rock in first, and the sand will find it's way into the nooks and crannies itself...but you can also just push the rocks into the sand like you mentioned, so it really doesn't matter.
 
Sorry about all the questions guys I was going to get a lot more knowledgeable before i started. I know the basics,and i figured ill read the book i picked up while its cycling. I just couldnt pass up the deal i got on this tank. lol. One last question. its ok it theres still crushed coral it, just so long as its the large minority, right? Last question. I promise. lol

It's really personal preference, but from our experience, crushed coral can/will cause issues down the road...and if you mix it with sand, the smaller sand particles will shift to the bottom of the crushed coral.
 
Ok. one last question. lol. How do I figure out how many pounds of sand i need? I have a 75 gallon bowed tank. And I have to rinse the sand first right? How Long should i rinse each ten pound bag for!!! lol.

You'll need approx. 1lbs per gallon, so at least 75lbs to give you an inch or so of sand. And you can place the sand in a bucket with a water hose, and let the water run thru the sand until the water is clear...occasionally stirring the sand with your hand.
 
Well, I have been to the petstore and all i can find that is sand and not crushed coral is the bio active live stuff. 20 bucks per ten pounds. Im staying with the crushed coral for the moment because i only have 15 months left where im at and i will not get too crazy with it till i go to my next station BECAUSE i only have 15 months left here. too expensive for the sand in my area for the amount of time i have left. so im sticking with the crushed coral here and ill use the sand at my next station. Thank you for the advice though. MUCH appreciated guys.
What level do i want to see my ammonia beuild up to at a minimum before it stats dropping? It is still at .25 and im not seeing it climb at all. I am using the Marine Life Liquid master test kit, as i was told the liquid kits are more accurate
 
This hobby will DEFINATLEY teach me patience. lol.
Do I have to quarrantine my first fish that go in since there are none in there?
 
I've managed to find dry aragonite sand at petco if you have one nearby! You can also use a hard plastic tube and funnel to add the sand, which is good for getting it into the caves, etc. If you do take out the crushed coral and replace with sand, that's a good time to put your rock on the glass and then put the sand in!

Welcome and good luck!
 
Back
Top