Basic info

[jinenon]

Heres some pics of the better half of my tank. I appreciate the input on the undergravel filter. I kind of knew i needed to pull that out before i go any further. As far as the sand bed, I had read that you have to change the sand every 6 mnths if you use that as a substrate. Thats why i was afraid of attempting that.

Yes i do have the foam insert with the activated carbon in the OTB filter. I havent noticed a high nitrate as of yet but i have only had that filter for about 2-3 months and i clean that foam regularly. But, if you suggest, i will remove that.


I noticed that you said that crushed coral "isn't the best" substrate instead of "dude, that needs to go" : ) After looking at my pics, could i get by with pulling half of it plus the undergravel filter out? I kind of like the look of the puca shells mixed with the dolomite but it seems to get tons of algea really fast. Does sand do that too or is sand easier to keep clear of the brown and green algea.

I'll leave it at that for now, Thanks again for your help!!! Jesse

[FragOutpost]

Most people that you ask will say "Dude, pull out the crushed coral".
If you do decide to keep the large particle substrate the just be sure to vacuum the detrious just like you would vacuum the gravel in a freshwater tank. Large particle substrate allows fish food and fish poo to get trapped and decay.

If you choose to go with a sand bed then you should get a minimum of 5 years before you have to change it, most likely longer. Changing the sandbed every 6 months would disrupt the anaerobic bacterial colonies which is the main reason for having a deep sand bed. I would say that you need at least 3-6 months before your sand bed becomes mature, biologically speaking.

Algae will still grow on a sand bed especially diatoms during the first 6 months. After that with regular maintenance including water changes to reduce nutrient buildup and adequate flow your sand bed should be algae free for the most part.

[jinenon]

Any comments regarding the pics? lol i want your honest opinion heh : )

[FragOutpost]

It appears like you have some green cyanobacteria. Your best defense is to scrub each rock with a toothbrush and siphon your substrate. Then start an aggressive water change routine to get the nutrients under control as well as removing the foam filter. There is not much in the line of herbivores that will eat that stuff so manual removal is your best bet plus nutrient reduction. Are you using RO/DI water? And add more flow!

[FragOutpost]

What temp is the tank usually at?

[Teeka01]

Welcome to Frag Outpost!

[jinenon]

I keep the tank right at 78