gravel to sand?.....help

hey guys just a lil query on changing my tank from gravel to sand in a salt water tank
1. i have an undergravel filter should i get rid of it?
2. does my tank actually require the airstones that run the undergravel filter i only have a canaster filter and a skimmer so i thought having some extra air in the tank wouldnt hurt ... unsure about that 1:-/


the reasaon i still have gravel in my tank is because i origonally had a tropical tank <fresh water> and converted over to salt water and no 1 said anything about having sand in the bottem being benificial untill a week or so ago and now im kinda worried that my tank is missing some stuff it may be needing:-/

thanx in advance for any help

 

If you siphon gravel regularly and do frequent waterchanges, you can use gravel in a saltwater tank as well. It's just more work.

I prefer to not have undergravel filters in saltwater tanks. They can be used if you run them as Reverse Undergravel Filters but I really don't see the need. If you have an efficient skimmer, you likely don't need the airstones. Watch your pH level and that will tell you whether you need them. Most people actually prefer to aim a powerhead at the surface of the water rather than using airstones because airstones cause so much salt creep (when the tiny bubbles pop).

 

IMO. Get rid of the undergravel and go sand or crushed coral.The canister is fine but you might need to add some powerheads.Try for at least 10 times your tank volume in water movement per hour.Having no dead spots with current isa big plus.Hope this helps.There are a lot more knowledgeable members out there so don't be scared to ask questions even if the sound stupid.

 

yeah noticed alot of salt creep gettin around ... drives me nuts:-/

the protien skimer i have is jebo thing ... also drives me nuts i had to drill a hole in it at the top cos the rubber seal doesnt seal and water goes everywhere the lil hole doesnt effect the performace of the skimmer just saves my floor boards from rotting 8)

id really like to remove the undergravel filter especially if its costing me more hard labour i cant really clean it cos of the live rock i got.. its pretty well covering about half the tanks floor, i guess over all im lookin for a pretty natural looking tank with out the "great look" of pvc pipes everywhere when they dont need to be and the gravel doesnt look all that natural under the rock ill have to look into the cost of some sand i spose

cheers8)

yeah ive got 2 power heads in the tank 1 runs my skimmer and the other is in there to create a lil movement on the surface <im told this is correct thing to do> how every i know my canister filter is rated to run a 2 foot tank and well mine is 3 im pretty sure im turning over my water 10 times an hour allthough the water presure comin out from the canister aint very strong bit of a trickle really

 

Sounds like a plan.:thumb_up:

 

crap now i need more money

 

Don't we all?

 

Here's another idea

HI,
I have a undergravel in my 55 I removed all the gravel wrapped the undergravel filter in nylon screen and then buried it under some above average play sand from home depot (gasp), I then bought a bag of the argonite extra fine sand and poured it on top,
I highly reccomend you rinse that sand well or you will have a cloudy tank for a long while.
I then added saltwater and a couple pounds of live sand from the LPS that came from their oldest tanks. I also put a large pile of rock along the back of the tank, it was clean and not cycled base rock it started to green up rather quickly its now purple.
I then added a couple hermits and let it run.
I then installed a home made reforgium/sump using a 20 gal tank this has a good coralife skimmer on one end also put some cut pvc in the sump covered it with some nylon screen and added more of that home depot sand. 3-4 inches.

I put a small coral life light on it and added some cheto to a plastic shoe box 2 bucks at the dollar store in the sump,
I then slowly fed the the blue leg hermits some flake food and ADDED a few of those greeN chromIT fish.
I check the water every few days for KH /spec grav. and Nh3 shot up rather quickly but seemed to fall off just as quick.
I asked my local lps for a dozen of those bristtle worms and put them in the tank and the sump.
The most expensive item was the coralife skimmer I ordered it online for around 80 bucks it really helps the water quality.
if its really skimming alot you may be over feeding.
This is a bargin basement conversion from fresh to salt but it seems very stable and easy to keep.
I have a few softcorals and featherdustiers. I also upgraded the light to a high out put flourecent/acentic .
You need to invest in a skimmer and disk the gravel, if you keep the undergravel cover it and make part of the dsb no pumps on the undergravel let it go anerobic.
Saltwater is easy if you have enough sand and a skimmer, to polish the water. and I only measure KH,MG, CA, Phos, .
With the DSB I haven't had any nitrates or problems there
And the skimmer is over kill but many things are in solution and can be removed rather quickly by skimming. I don't believe any system can have to much back up filtration, I ve added a couple canisters and back packs that i had it keeps the water crystal clear, but needs weekly rinsing.

Doug
here's a better description, most people either like it or hate. It seems to work pretty good though.
Jaubert Live Sand Filtration

 

update on the gravel

its all going gravel and the undergravel filter when i get some spare cash its all gone and ill prolly put corel sand in
my only question is oxygen, do i actually need a air pump running to supply oxygen keeping in mind i have a canister filter the only other way i can introduce oxygen is threw the skimmer isnt it?

- jamie

 

Oxygen enters via the surface.Hence disturbing the surface creates more area.No need for an air stone.Someone else will be able to explain it better than me.