substrate ques

[toddyp]

i have been lax in taking care of my tank so i am now redoing all----in cleaning the slop that is my fish water i used a power head to blow thru the crushed coral that is the substrate and it was filthy -black and dirty yuk---almost like my fish live in the real ocean-my question is---what is the best substrate AND/OR WHAT CRITTERS DO I USE TO KEEP IT CLEAN??? (caps not intended) i want to never have to do this 'deep cleaning 'again nor do i want my nitrates to skyrocket so what is the best way to maintain a good non poopy environment---

 

[kbuser92]

Fine sand. Crushed coral and gravel trap crap like you saw. A GOOD mix of snails, shrimp and if you like, hermits, will keep it clean. Visit reefcleaners.org and see what john recommends for your tank size.

 

[mariobrothersleeve]

If you use fine sand, not sure what your stock list is, make sure you don't choose sps in your tank because it will be a cloud with the powerheads. I would use a heavier sand substrate

 

[emmett0122]

+1 to Mario a course sand is best as for me I vac my sand every time I do a water change

 

[kbuser92]

Let me rephrase. You probably shouldn't use sugar-sized grains, but definitely something fine like Aragonite so that its too fine to catch the amount of detritus that larger grains can trap. Of course, any sand bed, over time, will capture junk so I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that frequently stirring small portions of your sand bed would be beneficial.

 

[emmett0122]

my aragonite sand is sugar grain size any finer and it will be a sand storm in the tank