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CrunchyToast

CrunchyToast

From the toaster to the sea.
Mar 19, 2008
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0
Washington
www.myspace.com
So, I just bought a 55 gallon tank and am looking to set it up with FOWLR. I got a lot of salt, and all the other things needed. One problem is bedding.

Pet stores here tell me crushed coral, others say sand mixed with live sand. Which is actually best?

If I use sand will I have to worry much about it getting stirred up by the fish swimming low? I don't want a constant cloudy tank.

Anything else anyone may wanna recommend to a marine beginner?
 
You might want to read the sticky post at the top of this forum about crushed coral.

I recommend you go with aragonite sand. To help seed it with life I'd suggest asking for a cup of live sand from a local reef keepers tank (one you know has a very healthy tank). If you don't know of one that you feel confident is healthy I'd just wait avoid it altogether as the rock will help seed the sand. Meaning, I'd not buy sand labeled as live and is sitting in a plastic bag on a storeshelf. The same sand without the word live on it is just as good if not better in my opinion.
 
I could'nt agree more. My live rock in my 55 has quickly seeded my sand. Trust me when I tell you changing from crushed to sand once everything is set up is an unecessary pain. The only way to maintain crushed coral is to constantly vacuum it. I had the stuff for ten years and love the ease of a deep sand bed. Not to mention the filtration benefits. Also, don't worry about the sand causing a cloudy tank. I have 10-15x flow in my tank and it's cystal clear.
 
i have aragonite sand in my tank, and i love it. it really is a wonderful substrate for the bottom. it was very cloudy when i first added it...took about a week or so to clear up. but i don't have any problem with the fish stirring it up at all, or even when i mess around in the tank. i have a powerhead that moves the sand around sometimes, but it never clouds the tank. i think it gives a really cool, natural reef-like look to the bottom of the tank...much better looking than larger substrates in my opinion.
 
I am a newbie .
My first mistake was buying CC ,because the store told me thats what everyone uses , i switched the CC to live sand sugargrade and im going to put more aragonite sand.it setteled in 3 days and im always moving my LR around and no problem with dust after that .
Wtg you will love it :)

90gl 20gl sump
56lbs LR
 
I used aragonite sand to sit up my 55 and seeded it with some sand from my 135.I never have a cloudy tank from the sand unless I stir up the sand but it settles very fast.I wouldn't use crushed cc,my first tank I sat up using only live sand and it costed,learned alot from this board and didn't make that mistake with my 55.
 
Thanks for your input everyone.

Right now, I'm testing some things with just a 10 gallon tank and I have some CC in it, as it was recommended by the fish store. I have just one Yellow Tail Damsel in there right now, and that's all that will be in this tank. I noticed that with the CC, the food will get all stuck down in there. I mean the CC is white, and the flakes are red. They stand out a lot.

I also just did my first water change (about 4 gallons of the 10) and it stirred up A LOT of debris from within the CC. I think sand is how I'll go for my 55.

So, if I put a bed of aragonite sand in the bottom, with some live rock, I should be fine?
 
I have aragonite sand and am happy - beginning to see things crawling at night which is good. How much live rock are you planning on putting in your 55?
 
CrunchyToast said:
Thanks for your input everyone.

Right now, I'm testing some things with just a 10 gallon tank and I have some CC in it, as it was recommended by the fish store. I have just one Yellow Tail Damsel in there right now, and that's all that will be in this tank. I noticed that with the CC, the food will get all stuck down in there. I mean the CC is white, and the flakes are red. They stand out a lot.

I also just did my first water change (about 4 gallons of the 10) and it stirred up A LOT of debris from within the CC. I think sand is how I'll go for my 55.

So, if I put a bed of aragonite sand in the bottom, with some live rock, I should be fine?
Click to expand...

Did the store have you test it with a fish before it was cycled? If so I am becoming even less of a fan of the person giving you advice at the store.
 
How much live rock would be recommended for a 55?

The girl at the pet store said the easiest way to cycle a tank is with damsels mainly because they're tougher than other fish and they're cheap. I started out with two, but come to find out nobody told me they are aggressive nor territorial. I now only have one for that reason. You can guess what happen to the other.

Also, since this is a small tank, i am testing the water twice a week and monitoring everything but, I do know since it is small I must watch it carefully.
 
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