Substrate

[new2reefing123]

Opinions needed please.

In one of my tanks I am currently using crushed corals for the substrate. That tank is not even a year old yet, it is fully cycled though and already has fish and all sorts of inverts thriving. I would like to switch out the crushed coral and replace with sand. Nothing bad about the coral other than, coral just holds the “crud” more than my other sand tanks and it makes cleaning the crushed coral a PITA.

Here’s my thought and where I need your opinions. Currently my tank is running fallow due to ich and is at the 30 day mark(I know, a lot more time before returning the fish). Do you think that removing as much of the crushed coral as possible then adding live sand would be the smart thing to do now since it is not containing any fish? I assume I’d experience a mini cycle as a result, and some clouding due to the sand. Besides that, would doing this cause any negative reactions to my anemones and other inverts in the tank? This tank is not a reef tank, this is FOWLR

thanks in advance.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Evening,

I did just that in my tank over a year ago. I have a 180 that had gravel 10 years old. It had Dino and other issues. It was a mixed reef I let go down hill. I pulled the entire gravel bed and repacked it with Fiji pink in 1 day with no lost fish or any issues. Just lots of planning and time.

I like the Fiji but some say it is too fine. There are other sands, but I will never so any gravel or coral after using sand.