So I've recently finished cleaning my buddies tank. It's a 55gal right now it's barebottom with an empty 20g tall sump except for a filter sock. Sand has all been removed and a 100% waterchange and rinsed and scrubbed his rock free of algae and what detritus I could get out. Everything is open and beautiful 2 days after I hit the 'finished' point. Now he wants his 2-3in crushed coral sandbed back and his 5in deep x 12in x 12in fine sand dsb back in his sump. Both sandbeds are over two years old with very little maintenence to anything.
I tried to explain to him how sandbeds are detritus traps and will lead to excess nutrients and nitrates (when I started his nitrates were off the charts turning the API test red (150ppm+)before I even started shaking it and now they are 10-20ppm) as well as bind with phosphates but he insists on his OLD sand being returned.
What can I do? Before replacing the sand I'm going to rinse it to avoid putting any detritus back in the tank but I'm pretty sure that's all I can do? I told him he should get new sand but he isn't having any of that talk.
There is no algae growing now but I have this feeling when I put the sand back in it's going to leech phosphates fueling an algae outburst. Is that what may happen? I've been prolonging putting the sand back in because him nor my stepdad believe a system can operate just fine without a sandbed.
Any tips or advice before I do this and then have throw the 'I told you so' card out?
I tried to explain to him how sandbeds are detritus traps and will lead to excess nutrients and nitrates (when I started his nitrates were off the charts turning the API test red (150ppm+)before I even started shaking it and now they are 10-20ppm) as well as bind with phosphates but he insists on his OLD sand being returned.
What can I do? Before replacing the sand I'm going to rinse it to avoid putting any detritus back in the tank but I'm pretty sure that's all I can do? I told him he should get new sand but he isn't having any of that talk.
There is no algae growing now but I have this feeling when I put the sand back in it's going to leech phosphates fueling an algae outburst. Is that what may happen? I've been prolonging putting the sand back in because him nor my stepdad believe a system can operate just fine without a sandbed.
Any tips or advice before I do this and then have throw the 'I told you so' card out?
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire