BB or DSB for aggro tank with rock

[gravismaximus]

hey guys, just looking for a opinion. my 75 started leaking so i pulled out the fish and have resealed it, waiting for the cure time now. when i go to set it up again should i go BB or do a DSB. i had 4" of sand in there which is now in the sump/smaller 55 tank where i keep my smaller fish and inverts. probluym now is there is 9-10" of sand in there so it looks like way to much. anyways the 4" wasmt cutting it for the oxygenfree zone in the aggro DT. my levels are 0 exept no3 which is just out of control 60- 80 ppm i been doing 20G water weekly changes for 2 months now and the level is not going down. everything is alive, even found the nass snails alive in the aggro tank ( they dont ever come out affraid they will die) when i took the tank down.
my thouight was to leave the really deep sand bed in the sump and go BB in the DT so that the messy eaters dont make a problum on a sand bed. the DT is not really high flow and the skimmer is in the sump so keeping the detirus suspended dont seem like the thing to do to me but rater let it settle and clean it out, but i have to admit im getting lazy on my mantance especially now that the no3 is so high and the hunderds of gallons of salt mix ive gone threw isnt helping. what wouls you do? also i was going to put the crabs and snails back in the BB setup if i go that route to help be a cuc.

 

[flower]

Hi,
My reef tank is like 6 years old and I have no sand sifter in there now at all, the sand is 100% clean. With the power heads directed properly and a good filter and skimmer there is no reason to be all worried about dirty sand. If your tank is not high flow...make it high flow, just add a power head, it's worth it. I have never vacuumed my SW tanks....... ever.
BB tanks in my opinion, look like crap. It is for breeders or hospital tanks, but to be a nice DT...it needs some sand. Not necessarily deep sand but an inch or two.
Now I do understand NO3 being a pain in the butt...first, what test kit are you using? If it is API _____get a new test kit. My API NO3 test was insisting it was at leathal levels, and yet my shrimp and coral looked happy. I got a Seachem test kit...the NO3 was at 1, not the 80+ API said it was.
I had already purchased an Aquaripure filter because I thought my nitrates were out the roof high. At any rate, That filter is awesome, so awesome I purchased another for my Sea horse tank. So if you have high nitrates and nothing works...get you one of those.

 

[snakeblitz33]

There's nothing wrong with going bare bottom in the display tank. Over time, coralline algae will grow all over the bottom of the glass and you won't even see it. As to your sump having such a deep sand bed - that's a good thing. 9 or 10" of sand will allow anaerobic bacteria to break down waste.
The thing about a bare bottom display tank is that it will need extra flow, regardless if you siphon detritus out - especially since you are lazy in your maintenance routine. 20-30x the volume of the tank in internal flow will be necessary to maintain it.
I hope it all works out for you and I hate that your tank sprang a leak. I've been there.

 

[geoj]

SSB :t^: