Deep sand bed and HOB filter question

[seecrabrun]

Does anyone here use a deep sand bed? Do you have any really good articles or threads on the topic? I researched it when I got my bigger tank and I tried to apply the method. I think I did it almost right, I don't think my sand is deep enough. I don't see the life in it like the articles and videos I've watched said there should be, but at the same time I see some pockets and also the cyano growing on the glass only portion.


For the HOB. What is your best experience with turning a freshwater HOB into a saltwater one? I started off this journey in a 10g with a HOB that was for FW. I kept it on the 10g even after I moved everyone up to a larger tank. I'm cleaning up the equipment from the 10g now to be used in a 20H and wondering if I should move the HOB to the 20H. I don't plan to do any other filtration unless I did a deep sand bed here as well. Still would need something to deal with the larger debris that happens, so I was thinking of using the HOB afterall.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I've used deep sand beds with a lot of success early in my hobby experience. After some time they do develop into very active beds. However, I believe now that they should be used as a Seperate container or two that you can take off the system and heavily clean once every three years or so. I don't think I will have a deep sand bed in the actual display at I anymore.

A ten gallon hang on back filter won't put out enough flow to be very effective. Maybe if it was rated for up to a 20g. That's just my opinion. Some filtration is better than none, however.

 

[seecrabrun]

My filtration is an interesting setup in this tank right now. Here is a picture of the tank and what I have on it right now:

On the back of the tank is a HOB refugium. It is a DIY made from this breeder box and this pump and runs at about 60gph. It has live rock rubble and gracilaria in it.
Inside the tank are 2 National Geographic Power Filters one that is the IFS20 at 106gph and the other IFS30 at 148gph. These natgeo filters are just low powered heads with prefilters inside a hard removable shell. They can have carbon in them, but I don't run the carbon.

So I would be adding the HOB filter to what is already there, but I may remove the hard shell of the power filters and just run them as power heads, which is an option of their build. They are actually 3 chambers meant to be foam, carbon, empty, so I could also just remove one or two chambers if I wish.

 

[pegasus]

I have about 3" of sand in each of my tanks, and I also run a remote deep sandbed. It's a black 30 gallon (covered/zero light) HD tote with 11" of sand. A mag-drive 1.9 pumps a slow flow across the remote sandbed. I don't have a problem with nitrates. I only change water (<20% once a month[ish]) to replenish trace elements. I suppose if I changed it more often, I wouldn't have to weekly dose Calcium, Alkalinity, with and an occasional shot of Magnesium. Oh well... the fewer water changes I have to perform... the better I like it. Sure cuts down on salt usage (and expense)! LOL!

 

[Bryce E]

For my 15 gallon tank I run a HOB filter rated for 50 gallons and I use carbon. I also put at least 2 inches of sand in all my tanks.