DSB - Dumb Question

[jdog]

OK. I risk sounding real dumb here because I don't know this acronym, but what the heck this is somewhat anonymous... What exactly does DSB refer to (live sand or other substrate)?
I am in the software industry and know too many acronyms, but this one must have passed over my head somewhere along the line.

 

[lionpicasso]

hey jdog it means deep sand bed usualy 4-6" deep.
fshub did a post on slang. on the search type slang assistance you should find it. hope this helps!!! it's not a dumb question i was asking the same stuff.

 

[jdog]

Much appreciated.
Now... for a fish-only tank with limited LR (slowly building up) in, a wet/dry filter with sump, a 10 gallon refugium with lr and macro-algae and clean-up crew - would it make sense to have a DSB? Is it supposed to be live sand or cc? I currently have cc.

 

[lionpicasso]

I currently have cc but i'm gonna swap to dsb as soon as i can,the thing with cc is that food gets traped under the cc and ammonia rises, you can do it with cc, but with a dsb ( sand smaller than salt) the food can't get trapped underneath.
and dsb will lower nitrates the way it works is that aneorobic bacteria thrive down in the first inch or so where's there is hardly any oxygen and converts nitrates to gas wich floats to the top of the aquarium.
you can do it with cc but you haft to give it extra attention by vacuuming it real good.
good luck

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

jdog,
the advantage of a DSB with LR is that your system can function with onlty a protien skimmer and your nitrate levels should never rise.
the DSB creates an environment for an oxygenation zone as well as a place for cool critters to live in.

 

[kris walker]

Good points everyone, and great synthesis Sammy. I'll just add that it is becoming more and more popular to use silica sand rather than arragonite sand for the DSB. It used to be thought that silica sand would contribute to problems with diatoms blooms (brown-looking algae). But most who use it are reporting no problems whatsoever. And since silica sand is typically much cheaper than arragonite, well you see where I am going.
But, I still like the look of arragonite sand over quartz (silica) sand. It looks more natural for a reef environment. In addition, in theory, the low oxygen environment in the deeper part of the DSB has a low pH, which can cause arragonite sand to dissolve, which can keep your calcium and alkalinity levels high and stable in your tank. But this is theory, and is debatable because observations are lacking to prove it.
sam

 

[cranium55]

since we are on the topic, can you have a DSB consisting of only Nature's Ocean LS?

 

[kris walker]

Yup, but it will be more expensive. The "live" just means there are critters and bacteria already in it, which means in theory you will not get a *major* cycle if you dump 4 in of it in there all at once. You might get a small one though, as some critters may die if buried too deep, and anerobic bacteria still needs to colonize LS before it can tackle nitrates.
sam

 

[ebeckels]

there are no critters in natures ocean LS. I have the DSB in my tank completely made up of Natures ocean LS. It's only bacteria that makes it live. It's not a bad idea to use someone elses LS to add on top of N.O LS. That way you can get some critters in there.

 

[kris walker]

Thanks for correcting me Eric. I didn't know that.
sam

 

[lionpicasso]

oops i didn't mean cc as a dsb.
sorry

 

[ebeckels]

no problem Sam...I think that's what we're all here for...everyone adds a little to the topic and it usually works out best!