Bare Bottom Tank inputs!!!

[mikeyjer]

We've read about bare bottom tanks and like the aesthetics. However, we're not sure how pratical it is. Anyone who has success with bare bottom tank, we love your input or any suggestion you may have. This would be a 90G AGA Reef Ready tank with 20L sump/fuge system and the live stock would be 1 or 2 tangs and several other small fish including a Mandarin. We will put in around 100lbs+ live rock and thinking about doing a DSB in fuge. Corals would be a mixture of mainly LPS and Softies plus some SPS. Should the rocks be stacked ontop of PVC fixtures or could it lay on the bottom?? Let us know, thanks!!! :happyfish

 

[cain420]

i would use an eggcrate to stack the rocks on.. so u dont scratch the glass too awful bad.. but thats just what I would do... and not alot of people like the way I do things... .LOL

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by cain420
i would use an eggcrate to stack the rocks on.. so u dont scratch the glass too awful bad.. but thats just what I would do... and not alot of people like the way I do things... .LOL
The reason for stacking is because of the bare bottom situation. I think eggcrate still trap debris doesn't it?? Anyone else?? :happyfish

 

[aw2]

I absolutely HATE!!!! it.
I've never been a fan of barebottom tanks but I recently moved and am now having to hold my 2 Moray Eels in my 90gal. tank. I had to get them in the tank quick, after 10 hours in buckets, so I didnt bother putting the sand in the tank.
I'll never have another barebottom tank. Since I've gone barebottom, I've had pH problems, detrius accumulation and a few other problems.
It's only a good idea in something like a VERY high flow SPS tank, where you have 30x - 40x turn over, in your water flow. That'll keep the detrius off the bottom, but you'll also have to constantly dose to keep your pH up.
I cant wait to get my 200gal. set up again, with my 4" - 5" sandbed!

 

[granny]

About 15 years ago, barebottom tanks were the 'only' way to go-like fashion, trends come and go. Just as all the biomedia was the only way to filter when wet/dry's first came out. The barebottom was a reaction to nitrate spikes due to the inability to keep crushed coral clean-which is what we used way back then-and we did not have sand beds, unless you went to the ocean(which many of us did) and brought home some sand.
But since undergravel filters were primarily used -that wasnt practical either-yet we had fish, kept them healthy and enjoyed the hobby. What it comes down to is-what appeals to you and what do you want to put into your tank-you can make anything work somehow, someway!
The advantage is they are easy to keep clean-but I would definitely suggest setting the rock up on the plastic grating, rather than on the glass itself. You still get the benefit of water flow all around the rock-no dead spots plus safer than rock on bare glass!!

 

[mikeyjer]

Thanks for all the inputs, but the bare bottom tank is out of the question for us now. We almost forgotten about our Long Tentacle Plate Coral, it prefers the sandbed better. We are gonna use PVC pipings to stack the rocks on top to get it off the sandbed and glass. Then we're using aragonite, probably around 2-3" of sandbed. :happyfish

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by Mikeyjer
The reason for stacking is because of the bare bottom situation. I think eggcrate still trap debris doesn't it?? Anyone else?? :happyfish
Mikeyjer:
I would think that eggcrate is still going to trap stuff underneath the areas that are sitting on the bottom, but to what degree I haven't a clue. One would think it wouldn't be nearly as bad as a deep crushed coral base though.
Denise M.