Candy Cane/Trumpet not opening

[oceandeep85]

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=773&q=National+Geographic+aquarium+sand&oq=National+Geographic+aquarium+sand&gs_l=img.3..0i24l2.2965.8590.0.9048.35.14.1.19.19.0.124.1116.12j2.14.0....0...1ac.1.53.img..1.34.1189._HFLsyJJTQM#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=National+Geographic+aquarium+sand&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=HMnphTP4XK2bGM%253A%3BFQma2xyIgA0SVM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fpetus.imageg.net%252FPETNA_36%252Fpimg%252FpPETNA-5210352_main_t300x300.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.petsmart.com%252Ffish%252Fgravel-sand%252Fnational-geographic-trade-aquarium-substrate-zid36-21326%252Fcat-36-catid-300072%3B300%3B300" alt="" /> ..but white and smaller grain size.

I'll get a test kit.

Are you sure you aren't one of my law professors, Jenn? If not, you could make a killing impersonating one. :)

 

[oceandeep85]

there was supposed to be a pic in that last post.. either way.. Google image "National Geographic Aquarium Sand" it's literally the first image to pop up.

 

[kilralpine]

I cant find much on the actual composition; I personally would stay away from anything that doesn't advertise its contents. If that sand contains silica good luck ever keeping ANY coral in that tank ever again, short of breaking it down and starting over. The suggestions for sand types people have laid out in posts prior are all good choices, I would just avoid crushed coral. Most sand sifters do not appreciate it as much as the finer sands and it allows you to keep wrasse (which I would not do in a small tank). I purchased 120lbs of sand and 140lbs of dry rock for 200$ for my 110G, if you decide you wanna go that route I can tell you where I purchased but note it took nearly 3 weeks to get it in the mail. The carribsea stuff is good, it comes with live bacteria to help populate.

 

[oceandeep85]

kilralpine;987188 wrote: I cant find much on the actual composition; I personally would stay away from anything that doesn't advertise its contents. If that sand contains silica good luck ever keeping ANY coral in that tank ever again, short of breaking it down and starting over. The suggestions for sand types people have laid out in posts prior are all good choices, I would just avoid crushed coral. Most sand sifters do not appreciate it as much as the finer sands and it allows you to keep wrasse (which I would not do in a small tank). I purchased 120lbs of sand and 140lbs of dry rock for 200$ for my 110G, if you decide you wanna go that route I can tell you where I purchased but note it took nearly 3 weeks to get it in the mail. The carribsea stuff is good, it comes with live bacteria to help populate.

I may just swing by a petco or petsmart this evening (or some time this week) and get a new bag of live sand in a larger grain size.

 

[jdavid]

OceanDeep85;987195 wrote: I may just swing by a petco or petsmart this evening (or some time this week) and get a new bag of live sand in a larger grain size.

Yeah that would be wise. Don't be that guy who asks for advice and then does exactly what he wanted to do in the first place lol.. Use reef sand

 

[jennm]

OK that sand is for freshwater. Avoid it. It's not going to be aragonite because aragonite would send the pH of freshwater sky high (which would be bad for community fish.)

Law professor? Nope. I've been told I'd have made a hell of an attorney but I am way too lazy to do all that law-school stuff, and the stress of the bar exam and all that. So no, I'm not a professor, or an attorney and I don't play one on TV. I can give you a run for your money on a debate though, and I have a very large spoon.

Having said that - that sand will be a mistake. Just go with the Carib Sea Seaflor Special Grade and call it a day. Rinse it first, and you will be fine with that.

Do the test kit thing... the right way.

And figure out what's up with that Caulastrea sp.

You don't become a star defense lawyer until you've drawn up a few affidavits, sent a few cease and desist letters and studied case precedents.

Jenn

 

[oceandeep85]

JennM;987197 wrote: OK that sand is for freshwater. Avoid it. It's not going to be aragonite because aragonite would send the pH of freshwater sky high (which would be bad for community fish.)

Law professor? Nope. I've been told I'd have made a hell of an attorney but I am way too lazy to do all that law-school stuff, and the stress of the bar exam and all that. So no, I'm not a professor, or an attorney and I don't play one on TV. I can give you a run for your money on a debate though, and I have a very large spoon.

Having said that - that sand will be a mistake. Just go with the Carib Sea Seaflor Special Grade and call it a day. Rinse it first, and you will be fine with that.

Do the test kit thing... the right way.

And figure out what's up with that Caulastrea sp.

You don't become a star defense lawyer until you've drawn up a few affidavits, sent a few cease and desist letters and studied case precedents.

Jenn

there's a difference between debate and pontification... :tongue:


I will see what I can find at a LFS and begin slowly taking the old stuff out and then adding some new.. slowly.. two things I don't ever want to deal with again are:

1) muddy/cloudy/crappy brown toilet water like I had when I first set up the tank and added the fine grain live-sand, and 2) some kind of meltdown in my system because I took the whole sandbed out at one time.

any idea if the 'live' factor in my NEW sand will decrease over time if I take my time adding it to my tank? like.. maybe a few cups of the old this saturday, add a few cups of the new... repeat every few days until it's done? I'm not even concerned with getting it ALL out, I just want 90% of it gone.

 

[oceandeep85]

JDavid;987196 wrote: Yeah that would be wise. Don't be that guy who asks for advice and then does exactly what he wanted to do in the first place lol.. Use reef sand

well, if we're being fair.. the original question was about my candy canes :roll:.. which, I think are canned... I just don't see them recovering at this point.. sadly.

But, yeah. I'd actually prefer to use reef sand, to be honest, I just thought I might be able to get away with using what I had laying around. I really don't care what it is at this point as long as it looks ok and is between sugar sand and pebble sized.

I was even thinking about crushed coral, but Kilral convinced me not to go that route when I talked to him about it before.

 

[bulkrate]

Couple of tips - use your water change water to rinse the new sand until there's little to no clouding. And make sure whatever sand you do choose is aragonite-based... makes the PH/alkalinity fight at least plausible. And if you still have some Stability lying around, use that to jump-start your new sand's biological properties for a week or so after you're done rinsing.

Lots of options at lots of stores, and in such a small tank you really only need the smallest weight bag. As for where you're shopping ... well Petco at least has some saltwater supplies & equipment, but Petsmart's inventory is geared much more for freshwater setups, and the salt stuff they do carry may have been around past its died-on date. Pure Reef carries at least 2-3 different types, Fish Store has almost all of Seachem's substrate types. Given the flow in your tank it's hard to go wrong with anything that has a 1mm+ grain size.