Southdown Sandstorm Advice

ScottT1980

ScottT1980

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, my prop tank is finally setup and plumbed. It is just a cloudy mess at the moment. I ran it alone for a few days to see if my modified, skilter would do the trick in removing some of the sand. Alas, not much success. So, I took my show tank offline from my refugium, and I now have the prop tank running through the refugium to see if my modified berlin might do a better job with my southdown milkshak. As of yet (6 hours), the skimmer doesn't seem to be doing much...

So, my question is, do you think it would be alright to hook my show tank back up to the fuge and have everything running as I intend? In other words, is the sandstorm going to affect my corals? I know I need bacteria to "weight" the stuff down, and hooking it into the show tank might help out, but I don't want to hurt my corals...

TIA

Take er easy
Scott T.
 
pyxis

pyxis

Member
scott, i once tried southdown, and i had a sand storm for 3 weeks. under a skimmer. good luck and ill keep close to this thread
 
W

wildcat

Member
Mine never went away. I had to resort to a diatom filter for a full day before it started to clear. Three diatom charges and three days later, finally clear. Everything in the tank was covered with silt. YUCK. Would guess the corals would not be happy. Don't do it.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

Well-Known Member
I set my 90 up almost 2 yrs ago with 200 lbs. of Southdown, and the sand storm only lasted aoput 2 days, then it was gone...Can you pich some sand from either the main tank or refugium to help get the bacteria going? Definitely IMO, better to just allow it to settle by itself, than to plumb it in to the main tank...
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
Scott, did you get your southdown from the Home Depot in Cary? That's where I get mine :) It's about $7 per bag!

Contrary to popular opinions, I always rinse my new sand a couple of times. It's still VERY cloudy when I add it, but it settles in less than a day.
 
ScottT1980

ScottT1980

Well-Known Member
Yup, got it right down the road. Hindsight tells me I really should have rinsed it. I might try to find a diatom filter or just hope that bacteria will colonize it fairly quickly.

I suppose my show tank will just be skimmerless for a couple of days...

Take er easy
Scott T.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
or..if everything is going to be plumbed together,,,you could run the prop tank BB. that way it stays clean and sand wont bother the lil guys.
 
ScottT1980

ScottT1980

Well-Known Member
I thought about the BB prop tank, but then realized that I like my SB critters (I know, strange isn't it).

THankfully, I had a new Gen-X pump come in yesterday (thanks to Inreef!!!) and it has turned my Berlin Classic into on heck of a skimmer. Had everything running today, very cloudy water. Came home this evening, water is clear and my milkshake is now draining from the skimmer...

Upgrades are good! Frags soon...

Take er easy
Scott T.
 
E

electric130

New Member
did you rinse the sand before you used it? when we setup my father in law's tank, we used 80lbs of aragonite and 150lbs of southdown. i rinsed all the sand, one bag at a time for about 30 minutes with a garden hose and constantly stirring it up. the new tank was cloudy for less than a day. it really paid off. some people say you're losing good stuff if you rinse it, but i disagree. to me, it's worth preventing the initial as well as on going sandstorms by rinsing IMO.
 
M

Montanareefer

Has been struck by the ban stick
Well it does help clear the water sooner by rinsing it but either way it will eventually clear up with your skimmer or whatever filter you use. :)
 
NaH2O

NaH2O

Contributing Member
Mike - too funny....although that is something to think about....maybe the sand should be called Eastcoastdown because that seems to be the only location to get it.

Scott - checking up to see how it's going? IMO, rinsing southdown isn't a good idea. All those fine particles make a wonderful surface area for bacteria to colonize. Once that colonization takes place, the dust will settle.
 
ScottT1980

ScottT1980

Well-Known Member
Well, unfortunately (or fortunatly), I am currently in Curts' neck of the woods (St. Louis) for a conference. However, I have not recieved a call from home giving me any news (no news is good news right?) so I am assuming all is well. The skimmer did pull out most of the gunk within a day after the upgrade.

Will have a better update at the end of the week when I am back in the real world of NC.

Take er easy
Scott T.
 
ScottT1980

ScottT1980

Well-Known Member
Sandstorm gone although I have had a bit of a cyano outbreak since I have been gone. Haven't had to deal with that stuff in months and months, perhaps because I added a couple of fish to the prop tank before leaving and they are bumping up the nutrient load a bit...

All sand cleared up within a day and remains clear...no complaints

Take er easy
SCott T.
 
L

Ladipyg

Member
Would there be an advantage of mixing the Southdown with some crushed coral and adding a few bags of Agra-alive to the mix? I'm setting up a new 75 gallon with a 30 gallon sump. The sump is currently my nano tank and I will be moving things little by little after the tank cycles. I am going to try the Moe method of cycling without fish using ammonia...anyone out there ever done that? Since this is a new tank I don't have to be in a big hurry. I am looking at lighting...leaning towards a dual 400 MH with 4 96w PC's. Does that sound about right for a reef tank? Right now my 30 with 10 gallon sump has the following:

1 BTA
1 Toadstool leather
1 small colony green zoos
1 hammer coral - splitting now
1 red brain coral
numerous colonies of mushrooms, red, green, watermelon and purple.
1 montipora cap- orange- frag
1 acoropora- frag
1 rock anenome
1 psuedochromis
1 3 stripe clown

I know it sounds like a large bio load, but it's been up and running over 2 years with no problems...I use a H/O with reef carbon, Red Sea prizm protien skimmer, and run a 10 gallon refugium with halimedia, calupuera (4-types) and brillo algae. It has tons of pods and mysis shrimp, tiny stars and some kind of little jellyfish looking things also glass shrimp, breeding. I have to take cuttings at least once a week, 2 65w pc's - reverse. schedule. Water changes every week, 25%. Everything is growing like crazy, hence the need for the larger tank....Just wondering if this sounds do-able to you...thanks....
 
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