Sandbed Removal Complete - Heavy Graphics

MtnDewMan · 08-23-2003, 11:06 PM

First of all, thanks to Mojoreef and Mushroom Boy for the hard work they provided today in helping me get through this experience.

As many are aware, I have had major issues with my tank for the last 6 months or more. I am convinced that my sand bed was a major contributor and therefore I removed it today. I had some casualties during the removal. The first, is my prized large colony Acropora Nana ... It as a great piece of coral, but I do not believe the move alone was the problem with it. It was deteriorating pretty much prior to the move, I think this just accelerated it and was probably a blessing that I didn't introduce anything back into the tank because of it. Also, a friend picked up a Flame Angel today from this tank and upon his return home, the fish did not survive. We think we may be able to contribute it to poor fish handling on our parts as it's gills were stuck in the net for too long. This in particular is a terrible feeling for me as it was a beautiful fish.

At any rate, I promised some pictures so here you go:

A couple of the holding tubs I used for coral and rock:

I will be slowly adding new live rock, I added some but have more to add, here it is curing in a trash can.

My tank after I removed the coral:

Coral and some fish in the holding tub:

Second coral and fish holding tub:

Live Rock from the tank in a scraping tub:

The sand removal process, not real elegeant huh?:

The sand is going away:

MtnDewMan · 08-23-2003, 11:07 PM

The rest of the post :
------------------
Mushroom Boy using a shop vac to get that last grain of sand:

No more sand, and a 1-1/2 inch bulkhead for a new spray bar is installed:

Spray bar installed, sorry for the reflection:

Simplified behind the tank plumbing:

Tank is filling up after the plumbing is in place:

Just after refilling, sorry for the reflection:

Lights just on after filling, it is still pretty murky in there:

Livestock in tank, still murky but clearing up:

This is not the final look of the tank by the way, I have more live rock to put in and as such I will be in the process of aquascaping a bit more over the next few weeks. Thought I would get you a first look now

What do you think? Again, thanks to Mojo and MB for all of their help.

------------------
MDM

***Reefland*** · 08-24-2003, 01:08 AM

Wow what a job; I know what you guys went through today seeing how I went a huge task of removing all of our Liverock and scrubbing it clean a few months back and then recently removing most of the old rock and replacing it with new.

Why did you beleive that some of your problems were related to your sand bed? I know there have been some lengthy discussions on them recently but curious about your specific reasons. There are many ways to maintain a reef aqaurium in my opinion and going with no substrate is definately one of them. I do wonder though after all the work you put in it if putting 75 gallons of new saltwater in the tank would yield the same results that you will see from removing the sand bed.

Knowing if the problems so many encounter after several years of "service" is realted to the water or something different is hard if not impossible t determine but it sure does make one think...

Looking forward to some more updates!
Scott

MtnDewMan · 08-24-2003, 01:43 AM

Mainly because there was very little activity happening in my bed. no worm population, or pods in the bed that I could tell. I also confirmed problems with the bed by taking phosphate readings approx. 1 inch below the surface. The readings were rather high, meaning the bed was not binding any phosphates. This was taken toward the front of the tank.

Based on todays look at the bed, I confirm there was little life activity in the bed. And the nasty zone of the bed (the black zone) which should be down into the bed a ways was only about 1/2 inch from the surface.

It was a big task, but I think in the long run this was the right course of action for me. As always, time will tell

**scubadude** · 08-24-2003, 09:33 AM

Hey Chuck,
Lookin good man, I know your hands are probably waterlogged

Im curious as to why your u/water spraybar is primered (im guessing its purple primer?) on the outside? Good luck, and If it makes you feel any better I know others that are going without SB's now too, im seriously thinking about it for my next setup.

***Reefland*** · 08-24-2003, 01:19 PM

How did you take the phosphate reading?

I am looking forward to watching the progress of the tank as it starts to evolve back into the beauty it was. Heck I am looking forward to start watching our tank evolve back into a reef tank instead of a FOWLR.

Regards,
Scott Z.

***zhenya*** · 08-24-2003, 02:45 PM

Chuck,

Good luck with your new begining! I'm sure you're tired as hell after this but the tank already looks good

I'm shopping for new LARGE tubs for my tank teardown and will pester you with some questions when time comes.

PS. I'm still going to set up my tank with the DSB-I'm stuborn old fool,I know

MasterBlaster · 08-24-2003, 03:48 PM

I hope I don't have any problems with my DSB!!!

I've just gotten into them and, so far, no worries.

Now, I'm worried! Plus, I spent nearly 200 bucks for the LS!

Northman_with_reef · 08-24-2003, 05:14 PM

Looks Good!

How about some Updated Pics???

Also: What kind of substrate are you Using now and how did you set it up?

MtnDewMan · 08-24-2003, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scubadude

Hey Chuck,
Im curious as to why your u/water spraybar is primered (im guessing its purple primer?) on the outside?

Yep, purple primer so that it isn't shocking white to look at ... has that artificial coralline algae look to it

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefland

How did you take the phosphate reading?

I took a syringe into the sandbed about 1/2" to use for the water samaple of the phosphate kit instead of from the actual water column.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zhenya

I'm still going to set up my tank with the DSB-I'm stuborn old fool,I know

Time will tell but I am not real keen on the sand beds these days

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northman_with_reef

How about some Updated Pics???

Also: What kind of substrate are you Using now and how did you set it up?

I plan on taking a picture this evening. It is much clearer today. Still seeing signs of stress on the move process in some corals, I expect it to take some time to settle down.

I plan on using more of a coarse crushed coral about 1/2 to 1" in depth.

Thanks everyone for your support. Makes things go better when people understand the pain

**Ninong** · 08-24-2003, 10:04 PM

Chuck,

Good luck with your tank make over.

MtnDewMan · 08-24-2003, 10:35 PM

A few day after shots ...

And this one looking somewhat down into the tank ...

***Reefland*** · 08-24-2003, 11:12 PM

Chuck,

When do you plan to put the rest of your LR in the tank? Is what remians to be placed in the tank what was plagued by algae you are wanting to remove prior to re-introducing it?

I see your tang and clownfish; did your little goby make it though everything?

Know that we're all pulling for ya pal!

MtnDewMan · 08-24-2003, 11:28 PM

I am not planning on putting any more of the old rock in this tank. I have more rock I got last week in a trash can that I will keep curing in a trash can for a couple of weeks. I plan performing trash can water changes to get that rock ready for this tank. I will probably add about 25 more pounds maybe 30 to this tank before it is all said and done.

I lost a green clown goby during the move

And the midas blenny was nowhere to be seen prior to the move as well ... I didn't even find the body, so I am wondering if it jumped or got chased out of the tank prior to the move.

***Reefland*** · 08-24-2003, 11:52 PM

Isn't it amazing how when fish are lost, you can't fins any trace of them? When we lost our Flame Hawk just a while before I removed our rock to scrub it, I never found a body anywhere. I looked all around the tank and behind it and made it a point to look all through the tank while I was tearing it apart, never saw a thing.

mrok12 · 08-25-2003, 09:47 AM

I feel the pain!

I lost a few colonies when we moved my DSB to the new tank. We thought we did it carefully and all but still had a few losees and the power outage finished the job.

I set up a swimming pool to do it with it was pretty funny actually. Hope everything works out now.

jbjints · 08-25-2003, 06:15 PM

I am in the process of starting my tank up again and I am now wondering if I should remove the sand from it first, any suggestions?

***Reefland*** · 08-25-2003, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbjints

I am in the process of starting my tank up again and I am now wondering if I should remove the sand from it first, any suggestions?

This discussion is probably better suited for a new thread but...

There is a group of people who feel like their sandbed was a direct cause of various problems they have had with their tanks after 3 years or so and there is a group of people who feel like sandbeds are not a problem at all. Surprised? Shouldn't be, just another highly debated topic in the world of reefkeeping.

Chuck decided to remove his sandbed after testing for phosphates and finding an alarmingly high reading. Basically, some feel the sandbed doesn't allow for processing all of the things we need to get rid of and allow these to accumulate.

Search for sandbed removal on this board and others to find a lot of other topics about it.
Scott Z.

MtnDewMan · 08-25-2003, 10:37 PM

Yes, a much highly debated topic for sure ... I think we know where I stand on the topic right now about sand beds.

And yes, I am sure I will have more losses. I think mainly from the stress state the corals were in prior to the bed removal. I know for a fact that some were doing poorly in the tank prior and now they are still doing poorly. If I see dramatic downturns I will pull those coral. At this point I am starting anew, so consider myself a newbie again

almostdiva · 08-27-2003, 09:38 AM

Chuck,

I see you have a linkia hanging out that your harlequins have not started munchin' on yet...

Congrats on a successful teardown/rebuild. I'm sure you guys worked your collective tails off.

Out of curiosity -- your clams (at least in the latest pics!) look great. Did you notice them suffering from any of the effects that have bothered your corals? Any theories there (I didn't think phosphates were good for clams, either).

Continued success in this new "Phase II" of your tank!

Rebecca

08-23-2003, 11:06 PM	#1
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	Sandbed Removal Complete - Heavy Graphics First of all, thanks to Mojoreef and Mushroom Boy for the hard work they provided today in helping me get through this experience. As many are aware, I have had major issues with my tank for the last 6 months or more. I am convinced that my sand bed was a major contributor and therefore I removed it today. I had some casualties during the removal. The first, is my prized large colony Acropora Nana ... It as a great piece of coral, but I do not believe the move alone was the problem with it. It was deteriorating pretty much prior to the move, I think this just accelerated it and was probably a blessing that I didn't introduce anything back into the tank because of it. Also, a friend picked up a Flame Angel today from this tank and upon his return home, the fish did not survive. We think we may be able to contribute it to poor fish handling on our parts as it's gills were stuck in the net for too long. This in particular is a terrible feeling for me as it was a beautiful fish. At any rate, I promised some pictures so here you go: A couple of the holding tubs I used for coral and rock: I will be slowly adding new live rock, I added some but have more to add, here it is curing in a trash can. My tank after I removed the coral: Coral and some fish in the holding tub: Second coral and fish holding tub: Live Rock from the tank in a scraping tub: The sand removal process, not real elegeant huh?: The sand is going away: __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-23-2003, 11:07 PM	#2
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	The rest of the post : ------------------ Mushroom Boy using a shop vac to get that last grain of sand: No more sand, and a 1-1/2 inch bulkhead for a new spray bar is installed: Spray bar installed, sorry for the reflection: Simplified behind the tank plumbing: Tank is filling up after the plumbing is in place: Just after refilling, sorry for the reflection: Lights just on after filling, it is still pretty murky in there: Livestock in tank, still murky but clearing up: This is not the final look of the tank by the way, I have more live rock to put in and as such I will be in the process of aquascaping a bit more over the next few weeks. Thought I would get you a first look now What do you think? Again, thanks to Mojo and MB for all of their help. ------------------ MDM __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-24-2003, 01:43 AM	#4
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	Mainly because there was very little activity happening in my bed. no worm population, or pods in the bed that I could tell. I also confirmed problems with the bed by taking phosphate readings approx. 1 inch below the surface. The readings were rather high, meaning the bed was not binding any phosphates. This was taken toward the front of the tank. Based on todays look at the bed, I confirm there was little life activity in the bed. And the nasty zone of the bed (the black zone) which should be down into the bed a ways was only about 1/2 inch from the surface. It was a big task, but I think in the long run this was the right course of action for me. As always, time will tell __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-24-2003, 02:45 PM	#7
*zhenya* Owner Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: new jersey,usa Posts: 7,749	Chuck, Good luck with your new begining! I'm sure you're tired as hell after this but the tank already looks good I'm shopping for new LARGE tubs for my tank teardown and will pester you with some questions when time comes. PS. I'm still going to set up my tank with the DSB-I'm stuborn old fool,I know __________________ Kind regards, Gene. Last edited by zhenya; 08-24-2003 at 02:47 PM.

08-24-2003, 03:48 PM	#8
MasterBlaster guy who climbs trees Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Alexandria, LA Posts: 104	I hope I don't have any problems with my DSB!!! I've just gotten into them and, so far, no worries. Now, I'm worried! Plus, I spent nearly 200 bucks for the LS! __________________ "I do work few people understand." www.masterblasterhome.com

08-24-2003, 01:08 AM	#3
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,044	Wow what a job; I know what you guys went through today seeing how I went a huge task of removing all of our Liverock and scrubbing it clean a few months back and then recently removing most of the old rock and replacing it with new. Why did you beleive that some of your problems were related to your sand bed? I know there have been some lengthy discussions on them recently but curious about your specific reasons. There are many ways to maintain a reef aqaurium in my opinion and going with no substrate is definately one of them. I do wonder though after all the work you put in it if putting 75 gallons of new saltwater in the tank would yield the same results that you will see from removing the sand bed. Knowing if the problems so many encounter after several years of "service" is realted to the water or something different is hard if not impossible t determine but it sure does make one think... Looking forward to some more updates! Scott

08-24-2003, 09:33 AM	#5
scubadude Moderator Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wichita, Kansas Posts: 5,298	Hey Chuck, Lookin good man, I know your hands are probably waterlogged Im curious as to why your u/water spraybar is primered (im guessing its purple primer?) on the outside? Good luck, and If it makes you feel any better I know others that are going without SB's now too, im seriously thinking about it for my next setup.

08-24-2003, 01:19 PM	#6
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,044	How did you take the phosphate reading? I am looking forward to watching the progress of the tank as it starts to evolve back into the beauty it was. Heck I am looking forward to start watching our tank evolve back into a reef tank instead of a FOWLR. Regards, Scott Z.

08-24-2003, 05:14 PM	#9
Northman_with_reef Stonehammer Productions ™ Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Norway(Scandinavia) Posts: 461	Looks Good! How about some Updated Pics??? Also: What kind of substrate are you Using now and how did you set it up? __________________ They said aquariums would be relaxing......(yeah right) Saltvannsforum My LFS

08-24-2003, 10:04 PM	#11
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 20,220	Chuck, Good luck with your tank make over. __________________ Ninong

08-24-2003, 10:35 PM	#12
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	A few day after shots ... And this one looking somewhat down into the tank ... __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-24-2003, 11:12 PM	#13
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,044	Chuck, When do you plan to put the rest of your LR in the tank? Is what remians to be placed in the tank what was plagued by algae you are wanting to remove prior to re-introducing it? I see your tang and clownfish; did your little goby make it though everything? Know that we're all pulling for ya pal! __________________ Scott Z. 75 Gallon Reef Log Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

08-24-2003, 11:28 PM	#14
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	I am not planning on putting any more of the old rock in this tank. I have more rock I got last week in a trash can that I will keep curing in a trash can for a couple of weeks. I plan performing trash can water changes to get that rock ready for this tank. I will probably add about 25 more pounds maybe 30 to this tank before it is all said and done. I lost a green clown goby during the move And the midas blenny was nowhere to be seen prior to the move as well ... I didn't even find the body, so I am wondering if it jumped or got chased out of the tank prior to the move. __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-24-2003, 11:52 PM	#15
*Reefland* Owner Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Bardstown, KY Posts: 13,044	Isn't it amazing how when fish are lost, you can't fins any trace of them? When we lost our Flame Hawk just a while before I removed our rock to scrub it, I never found a body anywhere. I looked all around the tank and behind it and made it a point to look all through the tank while I was tearing it apart, never saw a thing. __________________ Scott Z. 75 Gallon Reef Log Powered by Reefland's Personal Online Aquarium Log

08-25-2003, 09:47 AM	#16
mrok12 Mayor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Van Buren, MI Posts: 1,052	I feel the pain! I lost a few colonies when we moved my DSB to the new tank. We thought we did it carefully and all but still had a few losees and the power outage finished the job. I set up a swimming pool to do it with it was pretty funny actually. Hope everything works out now. __________________ Who knew it was so addicting?

08-25-2003, 06:15 PM	#17
jbjints Just Moved In Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: New York Posts: 44	I am in the process of starting my tank up again and I am now wondering if I should remove the sand from it first, any suggestions?

08-25-2003, 10:37 PM	#19
MtnDewMan Mayor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Mukilteo, WA Posts: 748	Yes, a much highly debated topic for sure ... I think we know where I stand on the topic right now about sand beds. And yes, I am sure I will have more losses. I think mainly from the stress state the corals were in prior to the bed removal. I know for a fact that some were doing poorly in the tank prior and now they are still doing poorly. If I see dramatic downturns I will pull those coral. At this point I am starting anew, so consider myself a newbie again __________________ MDM My Reef Tank Reef Frontiers

08-27-2003, 09:38 AM	#20
almostdiva Mayor Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 963	Chuck, I see you have a linkia hanging out that your harlequins have not started munchin' on yet... Congrats on a successful teardown/rebuild. I'm sure you guys worked your collective tails off. Out of curiosity -- your clams (at least in the latest pics!) look great. Did you notice them suffering from any of the effects that have bothered your corals? Any theories there (I didn't think phosphates were good for clams, either). Continued success in this new "Phase II" of your tank! Rebecca

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode