Crushed Coral versus Sand.....

[helen ranieri]

I have decided to upgrade from my 30 gallon salt to a 75 gallon. This time when I set up I will use the "Reef Crystals " sea salt, made by " Instant Ocean " . A product I trust. My question is what pro's and con's are said about crushed coral versus sand ? I have always used the crushed coral but I want to use the sand ~ it is so natural looking. Any advice or experience would be appreciated.....
Thanks ~

 

[nm reef]

Helen...this has been a much discussed topic . Personally I like the sand if only because of the reduction in cleaning requiried. There are numerous additional reasons to go with sand over crushed coral...but ease of cleaning is a primary reason. Before you make the change I'd suggest a few searchs here on this site via the feature above for plenty of information on using sand vs crushed coral. Good luck developing your new system.

 

[kelldog4]

Hey Helen:
I have been in this hobby for exactly a year now and this is one of the subjects that I have looked into most closely. I have read much on the internet, posts here and on another very popular reefing BB that shall remain nameless
Anyway, let me tell you that the DSB/CC debate is pretty huge and from what I have seen pretty cyclical. But to me it boils down to a couple of things
1. A DSB with a balanced cleaning crew eliminates the need for vacuuming so thats a big Bonus.
2. The DSB method really has not been proven for the long haul and there is some evidence that it could cause a major tank crash after 5+ years
My $.02: I would rather replace my DSB once every 5 or so years than vacuum monthly - I'm just lazy like that.
KDS

 

[foulbrew]

In my opinion, the main benefits of a shallow sand bed are :
1) Appearance
2) Diversity : you can simply keep a larger variety of critters
In addition, the main benefits of a DSB, deep sand bed are :
3) Nitrate Reduction : the anaerobic bacteria that are required to complete the nitrogen cycle (nitrates to nitrogen gas) do not flourish in less than 4 inches of finer sand (depending on water circulation).
4) Lower Maintenance : as NM said, with good fauna in the bed, a good clean-up crew and good current the sand bed cleans itself.
The main negatives of a shallow sand bed are:
1) It is difficult to maintain the fauna needed to maintain your sand bed requiring you to perform a larger part of the maintenance.
2)Without proper maintenance your sand bed can become a nutrient sponge, absorbing detritus and debris which can cause all sorts of problems.
3) You still need to find a method for exporting Nitrates out of your tank. If you plan on regular water changes the nitrates issue is mute (as long as you don't harbor a buring desire to have your nitrates at 0) otherwise a refugium with macroalgaes harvested regularly can help with this.
In addition, the main negatives of a deep sand bed are :
1) Several folks have reported tank crashes after having DSB for over 4 or 5 years. No one has any real evidence that a well maintained DSB was to blame, It's more a suspicion. (This is a mute point for most of us as we all tend to upgrade sooner than 5 years anyway).
2) Appearance : while the top stays clean the sand aganst the glass can be unsightly (I personally think it looks cool).
I just finished setting up a new tank, I am using what I'll call a MSB (medium sand bed). My old tank has a Deep Sand Bed which I've had no problems with.
My new display tank has about 3 inches of live sand. I chose the depth based on an educated guestimate of what I thouight it would take to maintain enough fauna to maintain the appearance. Since I am relying on a refugium with a DSB and macro-algaes to handle the nitrates I did not feel it necessary to have a 4-6 inch bed in the display.
Good luck deciding on how best to do yours, there is no shortage of opinions on this which I'm sure you've discovered.

 

[aileena]

I am not an advocate either for or against a DSB, but in my own experience next time I set up a tank it will be with crushed coral or a similiar finer substrate (something you can vacuum) not sand...
Yes sand will look natural for a while but eventually its a breeding ground for algae and other problems, while c.c. also has its problems at least you can clean it gently whenever need be...the first time you disturb the dsb its going to have more problems...sure you need not clean it but it will show...
To have a properly functioning dsb you need more than just live rock to seed it...and thats where the problem comes in...I have invested $$$ in cerith, conchs, and nassarius and the dsb looks a little better but not much...I have never seems any of my bristle worms venture onto the sand bed either....it takes a lot of work to get a properly functioning dsb and a long time too...some say they only last 5 or so years...either way c.c. is much more appealing imo....
others like dsb's and have no problem adding all the necassary things to make them flurish...imo its easier to use a vaccum and c.c.

 

[fishman830]

i'd deffinitally go with sand over cc

 

[powdertoastman]

we used to have crushed coral in our tank when we first set it up, but after about a month we started having problems. so we went to a DSB, but didnt do it all at once (would have cost to much) so we got about 50#'s of plain sand and put it in, then later got another 60#'s of LS. alot of it really depends on what you lilke to see, but im all for DSB, works way better for us. and if you plan on setting up a reef, or putting alot of LR in your tank with CC, just think of how much work it would to move it all to get to the sand in the back and all that, just my thoughts, good luck with new setup.