Pool filter sand

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a 90g display 125g sump, I have pool filter sand in the main tank and have diatoms all the time on glass and in low current area of the tank. I do 30g W/C every week, my alk is 8dkh-cal-430 mag-1150 PH-7.8-8.0 Is this sand causing the diatom problems?

ANSWER: Hello Don,

sorry for the delay, it's been a week from hell.  almost done with my 'forced remodel'... (flood related... no from the fish tank though)

anyways, Im not sure but, i believe your pool sand might be 'silica sand'  and if so, it probably is not helping your diatom issues...

Reefers usually use Aragonite sand...  Basically sand from crushed corals... but finer then 'crushed coral'

This is pH balanced towards the reef and will not leech silica into the tank water column

research the sand you got and verifiy if it is silica or not

let me know, and we can continue from there


good lcuk

bill


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks bob, yes I believe it is silica I guess I'm going to have to take the sand out and replace with live sand. How should I go about doing this with all the rock and coral? The layer of sand is.1 1/2-2"deep

ANSWER: UMMM, Bill  not bob?

YEa, silica sand is not good.  I would suggest syphoning the sand out, maybe a quarter of the tank at a time... then when it is all gone, maybe rearrange the rocks and suck up what every sand is left...

then to add i would rinse the new bag of sand off, the BAG, the outside of the bag, then submerge the bag, and then but the bag while it is on the botton, and but the bottom / underside of the bag, then lift the bag away, leaving the new sand...

Again, i hope you dont have lots of fishies...  if so, you may want to remove them if they are expensieve or 'sensitive'/finicky

anyways, good luck, and please let me know how things work out for you

bill, (not bob!)  hehehe


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Bill, sorry about the bob thing..lol I think I have decided to move everything out coral, rock and fish into tubs. I've also decided to upgrade to a 120 since it's still 4 feet wide but 24" deep x 24" high so I get a little extra room front to back. I'm also going to drill it and install a glass-holes overflow through the back of the tank and say goodbye to the u tubes that I have now. Any more advise before I venture into this project.lol
Thanks again Bob jk Bill,
Don

Answer
umm, seems like you are getting ready for a major project...

you might want to log onto my new forum and talk with a few others thre as someone just went thru a similar  upgrade, and someone else is in theplanning stages too...


www.thelittleocean.com

hope to see you there


bill