Live Rock and Substrate

[Piggy]

I have the live sand in my tank. Do I need to clean out the substrate? If so how often? Plus how do you prevent the sand from suctioning out? I do have some snails that go down in the substrate. Also can you move your live rock once it's in your tank or is it best to leave it where it already is?

 

[Bifferwine]

I wouldn't bother cleaning out the substrate. You can move the rock if you want to, lots of people change it around to improve the aquascaping. Keep in mind that if you so, you may release a lot of gunk that is trapped underneath and it in and can risk starting a mini-cycle.

 

[SSalty]

What I do when I move my rock around is make sure I do a water change right after I am done. I also do a water change after I clean off any algae in my tank. This will help dispose of any waste that gets kicked up during the move.

Try to leave your sand bed alone, important bacteria lives in the sand and bad by stiring it around can kill of some of this bacteria, therefore producing ammonia.

 

[hibye]

buy lots of starfish

 

[yote]

I agree with Biff and Salty.
Its better to buy snails and conchs that will stir your sand.

 

[reeffreak]

I agree withe the rest of the crew,no need to stir the bed.If you do,only stir the very top layer.Say the first half inch.I done this on rare occasion,not to clean it but to feed coral fauna in the sand bed.

 

[Doc]

hmmmm, why is it that I seem to do everything different from all of you and yet I haven't killed everything in my tank? (hate refugiums, have big angels in my reef tank, do smaller water changes more frequently, feed 4 time a day, and now....vacuuming the damn sand bed!!!)

I actually siphon my sand each week I do a water change and have done that since day one. I get to the bottom of the tank and suck up a lot of yellowish crap that I assume is old food, fish poop and other such garbage. I guess I adhere to the idea that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Unless you think I am weird and my tank is some alien anomaly?

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[yote]

Doc
I wouldnt say that your weird,or that your awesome tank is alien.

Your just unique.:mrgreen:

 

[Doc]

unique huh, Yote...My mom used to call fat, ugly people "unique". You calling me fat??????


J/K, you crack me up Yote.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

I still don't get why, if vacuuming my sand bed is so bad, my tank isn't dead.

 

[yote]

The only reason I dont vac my sand bed is because its full of worms and bugs.

And if you really want to go weird,I like to look at the bottom of my tank(under the sand).Theres probably 100+ worms in it that I'm pretty sure are working to help keep the tank clean.

 

[Doc]

I can't say I have ever tried to look underneath my tank. Actually, I don't think I could fit my fat head under my tank to see into it. Tell me Yote, does that happen after 5 or 6 beers...lol :Buds:

 

[yote]

Usually happens when the wife kicks me out of the bed Doc.

But 7 or 8 good cold budweisers dont hurt anything:beerchug:

 

[Doc]

Hope you don't get kicked out of bed so much that it is a regular viewing. 7 or 8 Buds, huh? Light-weight....

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[DesoShade]

bleh. worms and bugs in the sand? :-/

 

[Bifferwine]

Yep. If you look carefully (usually at night) you'll find tons of creepy crawlies in your tank. They are good guys.

 

[HAWKS12thMAN]

i think of the creepy crawlers as a cleaning crew for my tank and food for my fish

 

[fishbait]

i carefully siphon the top layer of my sand during water changes. i just swish the siphon tube around about 1/2 an inch above the sand to pic up anything that's laying on top. i don't actually push the siphon into the sand.
i have tons of little worms in my sand too. you can see the worm trails through the sand allong the sides of the glass.