Reef Surgery

[vanreefer]

please keep us (me) updated on how everything settles in, as I am going to do a similar thing next week... not for hydroids... but to change my stand and add a sump... plus I have a wicked cyano problem... and figure cleaning all the rock and thoroughly cleaning the sand bed should help.

I am just worried about a nitrate or ammonia spike.

It sounds like you did this all in one day ... do you think cleaning the sand bed then letting it sit for a day would be better or worse for the ammonia/ nitrate issue?... would it be better to clean the sandbed more than once, ie just keep doing it till the water was clear?

I am planning to move everything (rock, inverts and coral) into a 54 gal (which will eventually become my sump) while I clean the sandbed, plumb the return, and change the stand... so time isnt really an issue.
Whoa long post
Thanks for your opinions