Bye bye Sand!

[Thales]

On Sunday I pulled my sand bed. Well, not just me - thanks Jim and JoeMack! Yay. It was pretty icky, but not black and smelly. But the real reason I am glad its gone is all of the space that I get back!

The new set up looks a little shy, but I have recently lost a bunch of coral (and have some bleached that look like they will come back) in a recent DSB event. This was the second time I had such an event.

Oh - there will be a black background on the tank so ignore the visible plumbing.

I also changed the plumbing quite a bit. Basically I pulled everything that wasn't the return AMK 3000 (powerheads, OM squirt, mag 12 running one of the two 1 inch Sea Swirls) and replaced it with a Sequence 5800 running a 3/4 inch, 5 loc lined valved manifold on each side of the tank. My idea is to get the water moving around the tank in a circular motion - which is also why the aquascaping is so 'airy'. I don't have the Sequence yet, and the manifolds are being run by an extra AMK 3000.

What I really dig is the depth front to back is awesome, but I don't really think it shows up in the picture.

:D

With:
http://home.alamedanet.net/~atomicglass/richie/wholetankjanuary.jpg
Without:
http://home.alamedanet.net/~atomicglass/richie/bbtank.jpg

[sfsuphysics]

So are you ditching the OM Squirt? if so willing to sell it?? :)

btw I don't know what plumbing you're talking about in the picture.. I assume in person you can see it better because I can't see a thing.

[mobert]

Looks nice. Can you explain a little more how your new circulation is going to be?
Thanks,

[Bamm Bamm]

Rich nice looks tank can you tell us the parameters of the system, lighting filtration etc. Nice setup

[Maximus]

You did the right thing:) BB forever!

[capescuba]

Looks like your tang is missing it :D

http://www.capescuba.com/images/lost-sand.gif

[raddogz]

If I stare at it long enough I can see the heater anyway...maybe a powerhead.

Good choice Rich.

[sfsuphysics]

Ahh after reading Eileen's comment, and still not seeing any mechanical things ;), I just realized the major difference between Rich's tank and mine, he's got a LOT more rock, or atleast the illusion of more rock. I have two main rock formations in my tank and then a lot of open area, which is where the sand is needed as it gives that impression of two distinct reef areas... that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

[bookfish]

Actually it's not nearly as much as it looks (though still too much for my tastes. lol)
There are some really big pieces and a bunch of smaller pieces.
I'd guess it's about no more than 150-175 lbs. total.-Jim

[Rich_Fray]

How did you get the sand out without screwing up your chemistry?

[entice59]

with or without sand, your tank looks nice!

[Rich_Fray]

Your first pic is awsome. Why does it appear in the 2nd pics that all your corals are shrunk? Pics taken different times of day (not opened up yet in 2nd pic?)

Just curious. It's a noticeable difference.

[Thales]

Thanks!

The first pic was about a year ago. Two sand bed related RTN events have indeed shrunk my coral!

We got the sand out by removing everything from the tank, putting it in buckets with clean tank water, then scooping the sand out. Then we shop vac'd the rest of the sand out. Then we added 150 gallons of new saltwater, leaving about 100 gallons in the sump, put the rock back in and then the coral back in.

Mobert - I'll take some pics of the plumbing in the next few days. I think they will make it more clear than writing.

[JoeMack]

Doesn't it look so much bigger?

The shop vac rocked at the very end. Nothing left.

[Rich_Fray]

Originally posted by Lefty
Thanks!

The first pic was about a year ago. Two sand bed related RTN events have indeed shrunk my coral!

We got the sand out by removing everything from the tank, putting it in buckets with clean tank water, then scooping the sand out. Then we shop vac'd the rest of the sand out. Then we added 150 gallons of new saltwater, leaving about 100 gallons in the sump, put the rock back in and then the coral back in.

Mobert - I'll take some pics of the plumbing in the next few days. I think they will make it more clear than writing.

hmmm.... wouldn't you be losing too much of your biological process by doing that? I mean I know a tank can run BB, but they are usually started that way. It seems like if your LR and sand are sharing the load, then removing the sand suddenly would at least cause a small cycle until the LR bacteria population grows to compensate for lack of nitrifying processes lost during sand bed removal.

[Thales]

The live rock is more than enough for denitrificition.

[Bamm Bamm]

Rich_Fray
You are correct usually when you remove the sand bed it does sort of start a small mini cycle.. if you do a few water changes over the first few weeks though you won't have to worry about it.. Not really a whole cycle you usually just get a small ammonia spike..