Deep Sand Beds Are They Worth It???
- Thread starter logan15
- Start date
salty rick
Member
Ditto to what Bang Guy said. The best thing I did was pull out my dolamite and put in the DSB. Nitrates went from a constant 40 to zero.
entice59
Active Member
Originally posted by Bang Guy
In my humble opinion there is no better filter than a DSB.
It's an either/or proposition though. Mixing CC and sand gives the worst of each and no benefits.
can you explain this more? i have 3 inches of substrate, 1 of it being crushed coral but its not that big. When i bought the bag, i didnt think it would have been that large. What do you think? is there a possibility of keeping it, i spent 40 bucks on it, i dont want to waste money. Thanks
J
jpucci1
Guest
i have always heard that mixing was not 'bad' for your tank.
fshhub
Active Member
either/or
IMO, not necessarily, the only problem is, mixing does not add any benefit, as mentioned, only takes up space. the sand will eventually settle thru, but in your case, it won't. Since yours is on top already. But, there is the added probelm of nutrient build up, which can lead to nitrate problems later. However, 3 inches of mixed si not the same as 3 incehs of oolitic. It takes like 4 inches of cc to = one in of sand in benifit. and also to achieve the anaerobic zones requres even more(or something like that, maybe it was 12 inches, but I think it was 4).
IMO, not necessarily, the only problem is, mixing does not add any benefit, as mentioned, only takes up space. the sand will eventually settle thru, but in your case, it won't. Since yours is on top already. But, there is the added probelm of nutrient build up, which can lead to nitrate problems later. However, 3 inches of mixed si not the same as 3 incehs of oolitic. It takes like 4 inches of cc to = one in of sand in benifit. and also to achieve the anaerobic zones requres even more(or something like that, maybe it was 12 inches, but I think it was 4).
logan15
Active Member
i just got 55lbs (1-2mm) reef sand aragonite and 20lbs of
arag-alive live sand is that a good mixture for a reef tank substrate?everyone has always told me what fshhub is saying how big was the bag because 10lbs of crush coral is 9.99 i would probly take out the crush coral IMO its prob just going to cause you trouble. i took out 45lbs of CC today and replaced it with my new sand
arag-alive live sand is that a good mixture for a reef tank substrate?everyone has always told me what fshhub is saying how big was the bag because 10lbs of crush coral is 9.99 i would probly take out the crush coral IMO its prob just going to cause you trouble. i took out 45lbs of CC today and replaced it with my new sand
entice59
Active Member
man im mad, stupid lfs pushed my dad into believing that he needed the cc , whats wrong with people these days, he bought a 50 lbs of it for 40 bucks, im a cheap guy and 40 bucks is a lot of money to me. Well, i'll try convincing my dad to get rid of it, thats why i really need to know why i need to get rid of it and add more sand. It will really make the livesand more useless? what am i going to do with 50lbs of CC, and its going to be a pain to remove some rocks and get rid of it, can i just leave the stack under the rocks, or should i just get rid of it all together assuming my dad lets me.
jlem
Active Member
Entice. Is there anything wrong with the tank. Nothing is wrong with C/C. A DSB will only be more useful than C/C if your bioload is to high for the C/C to handle. If you don't like the look of the C/C then change it out but to change it out just because you think that it will do wonders for your tank may do more harm than good, if nothing is wrong with your tank in your first place.
cap'n pete
Member
The problem with mixing is this:
A deep sand bed relys on small grain size for two things...
1)smaller grain size creates a much higher surface area in which bacteria may colonize
2)even grain texture allows the bed to be somewhat compact, allowing for the anaerobic area deep in the bed (this is where nitrates are converted to free nitrogen)
Mixing large pieces of CC or the like will "open" up the deep part of the bed making it harder to have areas of anaerobic colonization. Though more sand to the bed will give you more area to colonize with aerobic bacteria, the reduction of nitrates will be adversly affected. Having a mixed sandbed might also be more likely to develope areas of hydrogen sulfide (a poisonous gas). HTH
A deep sand bed relys on small grain size for two things...
1)smaller grain size creates a much higher surface area in which bacteria may colonize
2)even grain texture allows the bed to be somewhat compact, allowing for the anaerobic area deep in the bed (this is where nitrates are converted to free nitrogen)
Mixing large pieces of CC or the like will "open" up the deep part of the bed making it harder to have areas of anaerobic colonization. Though more sand to the bed will give you more area to colonize with aerobic bacteria, the reduction of nitrates will be adversly affected. Having a mixed sandbed might also be more likely to develope areas of hydrogen sulfide (a poisonous gas). HTH
entice59
Active Member
alright, i convinced my dad of getting rid of all the cc, and im going to buy another 40 lbs, maybe 60lbs of livesand. Will removing and adding livesand effect the tank? maybe causing a re-cycle?
do you guys have any tips on removing the cc without really moving the rocks?
do you guys have any tips on removing the cc without really moving the rocks?
bang guy
Moderator
Originally posted by entice59
can you explain this more?
It has been my experience that CC is not a viable environment for most of the beneficial detrivores (worms, bugs, micro-infauna). In conjunction with fewer detrivores it traps detritus. Once the CC is clogged with detritus the infauna below the CC dies making a dead sand bed.
It has also been my experience that the action of the infauna in the bed will eventually stratify the CC from fine sand with the CC on top. This can take years, but it will happen.
entice59
Active Member
im sifting the cc and filtering out the sand with a net, the tank is really cloudy and theres a smell coming out, not a sulfer smell but more like an ocean smell, im getting worried, and i dont have my test kit right now, should everything be alright? i feel like everything is going to die
bang guy
Moderator
Originally posted by entice59
im sifting the cc and filtering out the sand with a net, the tank is really cloudy and theres a smell coming out, not a sulfer smell but more like an ocean smell, im getting worried, and i dont have my test kit right now, should everything be alright? i feel like everything is going to die
I suggest not doing the entire bed at once. Try thirds if it's not too late.