salt monger
Member
with all the money you're gonna eventually spend on the tank, why skimp on the sand, it's the foundation of your eco system..... use the right stuff from the ground up is my opinion....
W
wbradenpt
Guest
any suggestions with the following?
Originally Posted by wbradenpt
http:///forum/post/2460915
anyway, now my wife wants me to put gravel on the bottom, and then tonga branch live rock on top of that. any potential problems with plan B?
Originally Posted by wbradenpt
http:///forum/post/2460915
anyway, now my wife wants me to put gravel on the bottom, and then tonga branch live rock on top of that. any potential problems with plan B?
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by wbradenpt
http:///forum/post/2461795
any suggestions with the following?
No bueno.
Gravel will attract detritus and be a pain to keep clean.
http:///forum/post/2461795
any suggestions with the following?
No bueno.
Gravel will attract detritus and be a pain to keep clean.
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/post/2460971
...... Alot of people will tell you that a DSB doesn't need any type of maintenance and your not to disturb it.....Well they are misinformed again!!!!!!!
...
I never disturb or clean my sandbed.
I keep plenty of live critters that do the work.
http:///forum/post/2460971
...... Alot of people will tell you that a DSB doesn't need any type of maintenance and your not to disturb it.....Well they are misinformed again!!!!!!!
...
I never disturb or clean my sandbed.
I keep plenty of live critters that do the work.
apos
Member
Originally Posted by salt monger
http:///forum/post/2461144
with all the money you're gonna eventually spend on the tank, why skimp on the sand, it's the foundation of your eco system..... use the right stuff from the ground up is my opinion....
Skimp on the sand? Are you knocking bare bottom tanks?
Seriously though, sand like everything else is all a matter of the right use for the right application. Everything has its strengths and weaknesses.
As far as materials:
Silica-type sand is super cheap (unless you get black sand, you'll pay extra for that), but has no real additional benefits. It's just sand. Not bad, but does little extra for you. And you'll need to put more work into buffering your tank.
Aragonite or other calciumy substrates will help buffer your tank. If it's oolitic, all the better, because it will be less likely to lock up and pack.
Crushed coral/gravel... not really very good choices mostly because of cleaning: stuff gets caught up on it and unlike sand you can't really do an effective surface siphon.
As far as setup:
A bare bottom tank can work great for SPS tanks: you can have blisteringly fast flow without much worry of a sandstorm (plus, no falling powerhead disasters)
A shallow sand bed will give you that natural look, but do little for you. Not much of an eco system really, and not really any denitrification either. On the other hand...
A deep sand bed can help lower your nitrates, and you can have a decent little sandy ecosystem. BUT... some people's crash after a few years and wipe the tank. It's still not exactly clear why, or how to husband it so that it won't happen, and it doesn't happen to everyone.
http:///forum/post/2461144
with all the money you're gonna eventually spend on the tank, why skimp on the sand, it's the foundation of your eco system..... use the right stuff from the ground up is my opinion....
Skimp on the sand? Are you knocking bare bottom tanks?
Seriously though, sand like everything else is all a matter of the right use for the right application. Everything has its strengths and weaknesses.
As far as materials:
Silica-type sand is super cheap (unless you get black sand, you'll pay extra for that), but has no real additional benefits. It's just sand. Not bad, but does little extra for you. And you'll need to put more work into buffering your tank.
Aragonite or other calciumy substrates will help buffer your tank. If it's oolitic, all the better, because it will be less likely to lock up and pack.
Crushed coral/gravel... not really very good choices mostly because of cleaning: stuff gets caught up on it and unlike sand you can't really do an effective surface siphon.
As far as setup:
A bare bottom tank can work great for SPS tanks: you can have blisteringly fast flow without much worry of a sandstorm (plus, no falling powerhead disasters)
A shallow sand bed will give you that natural look, but do little for you. Not much of an eco system really, and not really any denitrification either. On the other hand...
A deep sand bed can help lower your nitrates, and you can have a decent little sandy ecosystem. BUT... some people's crash after a few years and wipe the tank. It's still not exactly clear why, or how to husband it so that it won't happen, and it doesn't happen to everyone.
acrylic51
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
http:///forum/post/2461922
I never disturb or clean my sandbed.
I keep plenty of live critters that do the work.
Not doubting your maintenance skills and routines, but it's been proven over and over that the sand bed will only be able to process and consume but so much and when it's full it doesn't do it's job, regardless of clean up crew, and when that happens it will go south......This topic has been studied quite a bit regardless of what people want to think or assume.....I'd advise picking up a copy of the latest of FAMA and read the article by Bob Goemans on this matter.....
http:///forum/post/2461922
I never disturb or clean my sandbed.
I keep plenty of live critters that do the work.
Not doubting your maintenance skills and routines, but it's been proven over and over that the sand bed will only be able to process and consume but so much and when it's full it doesn't do it's job, regardless of clean up crew, and when that happens it will go south......This topic has been studied quite a bit regardless of what people want to think or assume.....I'd advise picking up a copy of the latest of FAMA and read the article by Bob Goemans on this matter.....
W
wbradenpt
Guest
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
http:///forum/post/2461921
No bueno.
Gravel will attract detritus and be a pain to keep clean.
do you think i should just use regular sand from lfs and tonga branch live rock then? the only other thing that will be in this tank is fish.
http:///forum/post/2461921
No bueno.
Gravel will attract detritus and be a pain to keep clean.
do you think i should just use regular sand from lfs and tonga branch live rock then? the only other thing that will be in this tank is fish.