Live salt vs crushed coral and a few more saltwater tank questions?

Question

OK i was told when i set my tank up that crushed corals was the best way to go and here it is almost 2 months later and now i am being told that i need to remove all the coral and replace it with live sand . Now although i want the sand cuz i think it makes the tank look better i don't want to have to go through the trouble of replacing it if i dont have to . I was told that it would give me problems down the line and that it has slowed down my cycling process .what should i do??and i also want to know what type of organism grow on live rock ? i just got them and i would really like to know whats on it theres little pink worm lookin thing and little stringy plant lookin things and also these things that look like the bottom of a BIC pen that range from pink to purple in color and last there are these white cotton looking things. my tank is 75 gallons and is newly set up and i dont have any fish in it yet just the rock 3 crabs I hope this is enough info for some one to help..thx

Answer 1

You shouldn't have to change your substrate, unless it's unsuitable for the types of organisms you intend to keep (burrowers, bottom fish). You can determine how suitable it is with the chart on this link: http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/dry_aragonite.html

If you do decide to replace it, it's not necessary to use live sand. All the "live" refers to is bacteria, and you'll have this on the live rock. Eventually the bacteria from the rock will colonize the sand as well.

There's lots more that you can find on live rock, though! Some of the things I've had come in as hitchhikers in the past have included bristleworms, tube worms, spaghetti worms, Aiptasia (get rid of these!), corals, sponges, tunicates, sea urchins, sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, snails, small shrimp (3 kinds), a pistol shrimp, limpets, chitons, and formanifera. I've also gotten macroalgae (several different types). Here are a few websites that might help you identify all your critters:
http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/
http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/hitchhikers.html - click on the blue names to open a link to more photos of organisms from that group
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/reefslides/index.php
http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/

If you rock is good quality, you'll still be finding new things for a few months yet! Try going into the room with a flashlight at night sometime to see even more variety.

Answer 2

for what you have growing on the rock look at wetwebmedia.com, or any of the other istes liseted. depends on what your keeping if you should change top sand, i would say the crushed coral would be fine if you have larger, messier eaters. if your going reef, use the sand, it will make all the difference. it shouldnt be to hard of a process, one way i have heard described to add sand after the tank has been set up for a while is to put the sand in platic bags and slowly pull the bag up, well to explain a little better, move the bag a few inches, wait an hour or so pull it a little more, of course that depends on the size of the bag, a 13g trash bag may take a day, a small shopping bag maybe 10-30 minutres. the worms could be a fether duster, stringy may be spaghetti worms, cotton is prolly a sponge, but thats no for sure thing, just to give you a starting point to search.

Answer 3

I don't think the CC has slowed down your cycle.The only thing with CC is if you do not vacuum it regularly it can cause your nitrates to spike. Personally I would remove the CC and go with sand..You can't had sand sifting goby's and things like that with CC because it will cut their mouths.It is really a decision you are the only one that can make..The sand does make a better filter for your tank and less cleaning is involved.
As far as what can grow on your live rock..Just about anything..The list of hitchhikers is long.The worms could be brisstle worms..you could also get feather dusters.

Answer 4

Do sand if your doing a reef tank if you are doing a fish only tank go with crushed coral, if they knock up the sand it can impact your filter and sand is difficult to clean you'll wind up sucking the sand right out of the tank but if you like the 50/50 then go for it its all about personal preference

Answer 5

there are many thiongs that you will get with your live rock. no need to worry dont bother changeing your substrate. as for what you have in your live rock there is more there than meets the eye. you have worms of all sorts which is not a bad thing so no need to worry. the oone thing you are describing could either be a feather duster or apstasia. if it is apstasia than it must be removed by chemical or predatory meathods. here is a link of what apstasia looks like http://www.pirx.com/gallery/albums/cnidarians/aiptasia01.thumb.jpg if this is what you are talkming about try adding a peppermint shrimp they will eat them or you can inject them with kalkwasser. if it looks like this http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/90/41/22834190.jpg notice the tentacles look more feathery than its no problem. here is a link that talks about a bunch of things that will hitch hike thier way into your system via the live rock. http://www.reefpedia.com/index.php/Live_Rock
hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to email me.

Answer 6

Only change the substrate if you really want to. Sand will seep down under you undergravel filter and it will stop working. So far you tank is doing well, I wouldn't change a thing. The hitch hikers you have a common and harmless, once you add fish things will start to balace out.

Answer 7

if your CC (crushed coral) has been in your tank with live rock for 2 months, it's already live. there's no need to buy live sand or live aragonite except that they trap less dirt and poo in them than CC does. (causes nitrate problems and is an eyesore)