Got my sump/refugiums done/some questions.

I finaly got my sump all done. I still have a couple little problems to be worked out. The first one is just a baffle that came loose and the other is that I put a valve that controls the water in the wronge spot so my refugiums did not get any water. I fixed that one my just putting a very small power head with a hose(50gph). My refugiums I got 20lbs of live sand and some chaeto(both shipped to my door for 30 bucks). My question is that I will be changing out my sand from silica based sand that has been in the tank for 7 months(now live) real "marine" sand. I am worried that my nitrates are going to spike. The other thing I was thinking about is it just seems like a waste to let 120lbs of live sand just dry out and die. Any ideas on what I should do with it?

 

I would just leave what you got in there. Why are you switching?

 

Personally, I would get rid of it and use an Aragonite substrate as it offers more buffering capacity as well as a time-released calcium and strontium etc. into your water column. Never been a fan of silica sand!

 

The sand that I am wanting to switch to is Aragonite. I am switching beacause I want to be able to have a sand sifting goby and second it will look better.