High Phosphates why?

[dnjan]

The fingers would work with the bb-sized sand, but wouldn't those size particles be too large for most other tank-appropriate sand-stirrers?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

The fingers would work with the bb-sized sand, but wouldn't those size particles be too large for most other tank-appropriate sand-stirrers?

Gravel sand???? I hate that stuff. Holds detritus allowing it to break down in the tank in lieu of catching in the filter sock or skimmer for removal. Time to start gradually replacing gravel with sand.

Note: Gravel can be awesome in the right tank, not in a maintanence one with occational attention. Bare bottom is easiest but many customers do not like it.

 

[dnjan]

I was kind of thinking the same way (replace the substrate). The bb-sized sand described earlier in the thread is just too large for typical sand-dwelling critters, and probably a bit small for those gravel-cleaning siphons. Worst of both worlds.

 

[Gazbo]

Wrasse's are great for stirring the sandbed.

Oh yeah I forgot about those guys. When I was at aquanuats her wrasse tore everything up wonder what kind she had.

 

[Gazbo]

Yes, VHO requires a specific output with much higher wattage (Very High Output).
You might want to consider selling the customer on an upgrade to affordible LED and save on electricity, heat, and the cost of changing bulbs.
Ocean by Design makes some amazing quality ones at the price of el-cheapos.
If he really wants to see a new fish, add a purple tang, but this will increase the water changing needs even more.

Yeah that's a good idea, I plan on them figuring something out for me when I am over there this weekend on my tank I am do for new bulbs at about $200 maybe have them look into something for that system as well

 

[ReefGeeker]

My Melanarus Wrasse can be seen actively stiring the sand bed throughout the day and sleeps in it everynight, they are good at pest control too!

 

[Gazbo]

Gravel sand???? I hate that stuff. Holds detritus allowing it to break down in the tank in lieu of catching in the filter sock or skimmer for removal. Time to start gradually replacing gravel with sand.

Note: Gravel can be awesome in the right tank, not in a maintanence one with occational attention. Bare bottom is easiest but many customers do not like it.

Yeah agree when we had the rock out we siphon some of the substrate while we can get to it and some of the nastiest gunk came out I've seen. but that is why I was hoping that some good critters to keep the bed stired up and thought maybe since its not real large maybe we can do that instead of a whole substrate change out. This client may not like the idea of basicaly starting over would like to keep the cost down as much as possible especially with the tank looking the way it did for so long. but again now is the time to make changes if needed while the tank is basically empty other than a few soft corals and fish

 

[Gazbo]

A little update didn't see the tank my self but talk to him today and he said the hair algae is looking as if its slowly dieing turning darker and breaking up the phosphates are down to .98 so all media was changed out carbon and phosphate media. He mention he siphon a little from the sand bed and it was really dark almost black and smelly what would be the cause of this and is it anything to worry about? When I was with him last week cleaning the rock off we siphoned a little and it was a light brown not that bad.

 

[Gazbo]

Quick Q's we where able to pick up a really large blue hippo tang about 8" on Craigslist have him in a 55gl tank with alot of live rock and we want to get him in a clients tank asap but want to make sure the water quality is ok phosphates are at about 1.2 is that safe enough for him. The clients tank is 250gl with plenty room to swim and we are doing weekly water changes and using phosphate media

 

[Herefishyfishy]

. . . He mention he siphon a little from the sand bed and it was really dark almost black and smelly what would be the cause of this and is it anything to worry about?

Hydrogen sulfide from anaerobicic activety. Fine if kept in the sand, bad if gets in the water. This is why do it gradually and carefully

 

[pandora32]

On a side not. Hydrogen sulfide, h2s, is real bad for you. When i was working in the shipyard on the navy ships, we had to wear force fed respirators and go through a class when we worked in areas that had a risk of h2s. It is deadly, it does smell like rotten eggs, you only smell it once before it "burns out" the senses in your nose, its heavier than air. I just want everybody to know this. Be careful if your working with a dsb or you smell something like rotten eggs.

 

[Gazbo]

Hydrogen sulfide from anaerobicic activety. Fine if kept in the sand, bad if gets in the water. This is why do it gradually and carefully

Yeah going slow not to hurt anything and he is only doing about 10gl water changes a week and only skimming the top layer of the sand bed not to aggressive. We have both carbon and phosphate running and changing weekly.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Yeah going slow not to hurt anything and he is only doing about 10gl water changes a week and only skimming the top layer of the sand bed not to aggressive. We have both carbon and phosphate running and changing weekly.

Best way to remove the sand, is to siphon it out one small area at a time, into a bucket. Pour off the water down the toilet rinse the sand and carefully return it or replace it by lowering in containers of it to the bottom (such as cottage cheeze containers) and pouring out. Taking off the top exposes the toxic part below and not advisable.

 

[Gazbo]

Best way to remove the sand, is to siphon it out one small area at a time, into a bucket. Pour off the water down the toilet rinse the sand and carefully return it or replace it by lowering in containers of it to the bottom (such as cottage cheeze containers) and pouring out. Taking off the top exposes the toxic part below and not advisable.

Would it be better to just leave it alone and let the natural biological process catch up and just keep doing water changes weekly. Maybe get some sand stirring critters or think its to toxic for any of them.

The previous maintenance guy was just using chem pure weekly as his fix, we have stopped using that to try and get everything back to a natural state not using chemicals to control water quality. Its going on about 6 weeks since since he took over and its getting better but want to make sure we are doing what's best for the tank and client.

 

[dnjan]

Is this sand the "big-stuff", or is it sugar-sized sand?
I don't think creatures would stir the big stuff.

And if you wait for natural biological processes to catch up with the accumulation of detritus in large sand particles, you are talking years not weeks.

 

[Gazbo]

Is this sand the "big-stuff", or is it sugar-sized sand?
I don't think creatures would stir the big stuff.

And if you wait for natural biological processes to catch up with the accumulation of detritus in large sand particles, you are talking years not weeks.

The substrate isn't fine sand but the next size like a mixture of bb size to fine wouldn't say anything is larger than bb size

 

[pandora32]

I would do like what herefishyfishy says. Its pretty obvious the sand 1-needs to be changed or 2-needs to be cleaned. Me personally, id just clean it a lil at a time and add clean new dry sand on top to get the depth i want. Just do it slowly, the livestock that has been neglected up untill you guys took over are ised to how the water is, so itll take time to acclimate them to how the water should be. Just ask the owners of these tanks if they are serious about having a full blown reef with all the prettys that come with it, or are they happy with, what sounds to me to me to be, a sespool...haha. In your own words of course.

 

[dnjan]

Yes, I'd siphon it out, area by area, replacing with new, fine sand.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Do not just take off the top and re-bury that same area.
Suck out one small area all the way down to the bottom and then refill that same area with cleaned or new sand.
Do one small area every day or two. Take your time as you are stirring up hidden toxins and strong polution into the water.
Go too fast and you will start a new cycle in the display, or worse. Nothing good ever happens fast in an aquarium

 

[Gazbo]

Well checked out the tank today looks good no increase of hair algae from when we cleaned out as much as we could. A little brown almost slime algae in some spots of the sand bed. You guys recommended cleaning or replacing the substrate if it is toxic what are the signs.
Here are some parameters
Phosphate 1.03
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Mg 1160
PH 8.3

Forgot KH and calcium test kit