Cleaning Sand!! Yes I'm a noob.

[ChitownRomeo]

From all my previous posts you guys are about ready to tell me to leave the hobby. Well After my Pukani Rock crashed my tank, all I have are 2 feather dusters (which are covered in hair Algae and Shrivled up), 1 emerald crab, Alot of nass and cerith snails. My GSP and Zoo colony is thriving though. Despite that my sand bed looks like _____ (Insert Curse Word Here) Since it's hardly anything in the tank, can I take the sand out and clean it and put it back and seed it with some live sand. My sand looks like CRAP!! Hair algae and diatoms all over it. Just ordered some Marco rocks and more power heads but didn't want to put the new rocks on top of all that dirty sand. What you guys think?

 

[reefguy]

I would not remove the sand. Dio and the hair is easy to remove with ya hands. Taking it out and washing it will do more harm then good I think.

Sorry about the tank crash.

 

[catran]

Dude, I'm so sorry to hear about your crash! Moving your sand around at all will possibly cause a worse crash. When you disturb anything deeper than 1/4" down, and it will release a lot of nasty stuff. If you had another tank, it might be a good idea to remove everything and clean it, but not while livestock is inside. I had a cyano issue shortly after I started my first tank and I used a 1/4" airline tubing to vacuum some nasty stuff out. Now, I have low flow in my RSM and one rock gets cyano on it, and I vacuum it off with a 1/2" tubing when I do w/c's. The smaller the tubing, the slower it will work, allowing you more control. It keeps you from sucking up a lot of sand when you slowly drag it just above the bottom.


Stay tuned for the 40b!

 

[Singlefin]

Agreed. Don't take it out. Just vacuum it out.

 

[ChitownRomeo]

Wow you guys were right. Didn't take the sand out. I was amazed at how easy this brown stuff sucks right up the siphon. My sand is ALOT better looking now. Gotta make sure I keep up on those water changes!!I should be doing 25% a week on a 55 gallon? I think that 12.5 gallons right? And I have quad 3watt Led's. How long should my lights be on a day? I turn them on at 10am and off at 8pm.

 

[PSU4ME]

12 hours is the longest I'd run the lights. I think a minimum would be 4-6 hours.

 

[Talon33]

Sorry to hear about the tank crash but just curious as to how the rock crashed the tank as i was looking into this type of rock? Did it release phosphates or something along those lines?

 

[Singlefin]

you can probably get away with a 5g bucket a week. 10%. more is always better.

 

[ChitownRomeo]

Sorry to hear about the tank crash but just curious as to how the rock crashed the tank as i was looking into this type of rock? Did it release phosphates or something along those lines?

The Bulk Reef Supply Dry Pukani rock comes out the ocean. Its NOT cleaned at all and will make your ammonia shoot sky high! It has alot of dry dead clams, sponges, crabs and other dead life. It is filthy rock It MUST be cured and soaked for at least 3 months! It's BEAUTIFUL rocks once it's cleaned. Just a headache but worth it if you have time.

 

[reefguy]

Or get MacroRocks.