Removing substrate

[reef’r]

I have calcium reactor media as substrate in my tank. I think it does help with my tanks alk/cal stability as essentially it’s a large calcium reactor but it holds so much detritus I’m having some hair algae problems. WWC does this in a lot of their tanks and seem to have figured it out however I’m not having the same luck so anyway I’m thinking about removing it. Is it still recommended to remove small amounts over the course of a few months or can you just pull it all at once. Anyone done either method recently?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I'd say do it slow. Pulling too much at one time can shock the system as some of your beneficial bacteria resides in your sand bed. Plus any detritus stuck in the sand bed can be released all at once if you remove it in one go and cause nutrient spikes. If doing weekly water changes, pull a little out each week during your water change.

 

[Jjmg]

I removed mine over the course of a couple of months while suctioning for water changes. I was careful not to stir the substrate with the hose while sucking out sand.
I saw no spikes and no ill effects