New to BB

[110galreef]

OK...so i am currently on the BB (dark side )

Last week:


This week:



Water still a little cloudy as this was day after setup.

Here are some bottom shots for the moment:




I still need to add about another 30# of LR to fill the areas around the intakes.

Anyway this is a trial to see how I like the BB. If not then I'll just add a 1/2" of arogonite to the bottom like before.

I set up a CLS driven by a Sequence Dart ~3300GPH flow. I have a spraybar behind the rock, rock on PVC pipe w/ holes cut into them, and four other loc line returns. 2 up top and two in the bottom corners.

I have about 600 gph flow through the sump w/ a ASM G3 skimmer in it and a few baffles.

What do I need to do different or whatch out for.

Thanks.

[Little Luey]

Congrats!! I think you will like it. Just think of it as snorkeling over a reef without seeing the bottom.

I like to vacum the stuff that acumulates on the bottom once a week with my WC. I really do not do anything more different from my sandbed days, other than is easier to see the crap I got to take out.

[110galreef]

What about WC regimin. Supposedly this is to be very good.

I usually do ~ 15% every 4 weeks...is this OK still?

[Wiskey]

One trick with BB tanks is you want to leave your rockwork much more open so flow can get around and between the rocks to keep stuff from seteling on them. I really wouldn't add the rest of your rock.

Another thing that sometimes gets overlooked is blasting off your rocks. Take a maxijet 1200 and blast off all your rocks really good before your weekly water change/syphoning. This will become less needed over time, but in the begining it is esential to keep nutreants from building up while the tank settles.

Don't forget to skim wet!

HTH,
Whiskey

[Wiskey]

In the begining especially I would do weekly water changes of around 5%, this will give you an opertunity to syphon. When you have less to syphon, and the tank settles in you can go back to your normal regimen, provided your skimmer is doing it's job properly.

Whiskey

[110galreef]

I usually have my hand in the tank about every few days and I stir up the rock to get trapped stuff off them. And I definitly do this before WC.....figure pull as much nasties out as I can at the time.

So when I ran a SSB ~1/2" is there any benfit of it over BB. Meaning does a sand bed that shallow provide any benefit?

[110galreef]

Originally Posted by Wiskey

In the begining especially I would do weekly water changes of around 5%, this will give you an opertunity to syphon. When you have less to syphon, and the tank settles in you can go back to your normal regimen, provided your skimmer is doing it's job properly.

Whiskey

That was another question....willthe rock shed a lot at the beggining and then slow down.

The rock wasn't cooked as I had no time prior as I tore the tank down this weekend and did the changes....Background color, CLS plumbing, Wet/Dry to Sump, PVC feet, and new skimmer.

[Wiskey]

BB has a benifit over SSB because the deatris doesn't sit in the sand and rot, the flow at the bottom of the tank picks it up and into the skimmer where it is taken out.

An SSB is capable of some dinitrifacation though, so now is the time if you find out if that G3 is worth it's salt (to turn an old saying into a bad pun). I found out my turbofloater was not.

The rock will probably shead quite heavily in the begining, mine did, especially the two rocks I couldn't cook, but as it reaches equalibreim with the water it will slow down, then stop. Blasting it off with a Powerhead helps speed up this process, so does good flow and a skimmer taking out perticulate mater.

Whiskey

[110galreef]

Well I just tested:
Nitrite-.05
Nitrate- ~7
& Phosphate-.5
PH-8.3
Ammon- slight hint barely above 0

Now the rock was in tubs for over two days so I am sure it is going to go through a little cycle.

I historically had:
~.1 for nitrite and
5-10 for nitrate, and
.25 for phosphate w/ no livestock issues.

So I'll keep an eye on them and hope stuff goes down.

[110galreef]

What would be an ideal number of cleaner for this now BB tank w/ 175# LR?

20 crabs?
50 snails?
2 brittle or serpent stars?

[gman0526]

1 gallon = 1 snail. I like a ratio of 3 to 1 between astreas and ceriths. You might add a turbo for every 20 gallons.

[motorslave]

I have only used turbos, about 15 in the 150.

R

[110galreef]

Thanks!