DSB - Good or Bad?
- Thread starter gio28
- Start date
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by nissan577
http:///forum/post/3114637
DSB are really beneficial. and yes its great to have sand sifters
According to the article Spanko offered, a sand sifter is a bad thing. He is saying the tiny critters that live in the sand move it enough...and it didn't say anything about "blowing up" A DSB is ruined by a sand sifter according to the good Dr.
http:///forum/post/3114637
DSB are really beneficial. and yes its great to have sand sifters
According to the article Spanko offered, a sand sifter is a bad thing. He is saying the tiny critters that live in the sand move it enough...and it didn't say anything about "blowing up" A DSB is ruined by a sand sifter according to the good Dr.
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3114921
that would make more sense...at first i though that as long as the sifters didnt eat the good creatures then it would be fine...but if they released the toxic gas that would be bad.
I like my goby...he keeps the sand clean...that yucky brown stuff, I just don't like it on the sand. My sand is pretty deep...so now I am worried.
http:///forum/post/3114921
that would make more sense...at first i though that as long as the sifters didnt eat the good creatures then it would be fine...but if they released the toxic gas that would be bad.
I like my goby...he keeps the sand clean...that yucky brown stuff, I just don't like it on the sand. My sand is pretty deep...so now I am worried.
A
abeandlulu
Guest
i have almost no sand bed in my tank(maybe 80lbs.)just enough to cover the bottom. but the sand sifter have move all that to the back. and in my fuge i have about an inch. My salt water fish store said that you CAN have a DSB. but if you have a power failer for an extended period of time that is will cause you tank to crash, makin you ph to drop and killing everything in the tank. so he told me unless you have an emergency back-up power sourse. stick with a shallow sand bed. just what I was told.
gio28
Active Member
Originally Posted by abeandlulu
http:///forum/post/3114933
i have almost no sand bed in my tank(maybe 80lbs.)just enough to cover the bottom. but the sand sifter have move all that to the back. and in my fuge i have about an inch. My salt water fish store said that you CAN have a DSB. but if you have a power failer for an extended period of time that is will cause you tank to crash, makin you ph to drop and killing everything in the tank. so he told me unless you have an emergency back-up power sourse. stick with a shallow sand bed. just what I was told.
what makes the ph drop?, if you know...
my area very rarely gets power outages and if there is one it last for no more than a few hours...
http:///forum/post/3114933
i have almost no sand bed in my tank(maybe 80lbs.)just enough to cover the bottom. but the sand sifter have move all that to the back. and in my fuge i have about an inch. My salt water fish store said that you CAN have a DSB. but if you have a power failer for an extended period of time that is will cause you tank to crash, makin you ph to drop and killing everything in the tank. so he told me unless you have an emergency back-up power sourse. stick with a shallow sand bed. just what I was told.
what makes the ph drop?, if you know...
my area very rarely gets power outages and if there is one it last for no more than a few hours...
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by abeandlulu
http:///forum/post/3114933
i have almost no sand bed in my tank(maybe 80lbs.)just enough to cover the bottom. but the sand sifter have move all that to the back. and in my fuge i have about an inch. My salt water fish store said that you CAN have a DSB. but if you have a power failer for an extended period of time that is will cause you tank to crash, makin you ph to drop and killing everything in the tank. so he told me unless you have an emergency back-up power sourse. stick with a shallow sand bed. just what I was told.
A power failure for any extended length of time would kill any tank DSB or not.
http:///forum/post/3114933
i have almost no sand bed in my tank(maybe 80lbs.)just enough to cover the bottom. but the sand sifter have move all that to the back. and in my fuge i have about an inch. My salt water fish store said that you CAN have a DSB. but if you have a power failer for an extended period of time that is will cause you tank to crash, makin you ph to drop and killing everything in the tank. so he told me unless you have an emergency back-up power sourse. stick with a shallow sand bed. just what I was told.
A power failure for any extended length of time would kill any tank DSB or not.
A
abeandlulu
Guest
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3114940
what makes the ph drop?, if you know...
my area very rarely gets power outages and if there is one it last for no more than a few hours...
loss of flow. everything gets stagnit(spelling?) makes it release the toxins in the sand bead.
http:///forum/post/3114940
what makes the ph drop?, if you know...
my area very rarely gets power outages and if there is one it last for no more than a few hours...
loss of flow. everything gets stagnit(spelling?) makes it release the toxins in the sand bead.
coral keeper
Active Member
IMO, deep sand beds are VERY good!
florida joe
Well-Known Member
look into Caulerpa
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3115087
i thought that caulerpa goes all sexual or something and can release nitrates back into the water?
This is my understanding as well...turns the tank all green overnight.
http:///forum/post/3115087
i thought that caulerpa goes all sexual or something and can release nitrates back into the water?
This is my understanding as well...turns the tank all green overnight.
king_neptune
Active Member
For every article that I can find that speaks positive about DSB I can find several more that say negatron ghost rider.
Long term DSB is a risk.Many will say will not work period,I dissagree, I think taking care of them is vital to success with them.
You can only simulate what the ocean does, not replace it. And DSB is one of those simulations that cant truly be mimicked. There is a lot more going on in the ocean with currents,critters and below the sand table that we can never copy.
Among other things high flow is needed to keep them safe, and critters keeping it clean as well. Just because someone can write an article and that doesn't mean its right. I just had a published reef book tell me in writing last night that you don't want to exceed 74 degrees in your tank, and have one crab per gallon.
Ive never ran a DSB(I watched it backfire personally, and have heard too many horror stories) so I know better.
But I do know one thing, there is a reason you see less and less of them as time goes on. They were a fad, and the long term effects weren't known for many many years. Now that time has proven them a poor choice, people steer away from them.
Now the topic was remote sand beds...some will say they are worse, others say better. Flow being one of the keys, I personally say they are a safer method, because you control the turnover in a small volume of space better than the large volume of a tank, plus detritus usually happens in the DT, not the sump.
Look bottom line, it should be a really simple concept to understand: if you fill something with bad stuff and it cant consume it fast enough...its going to get thicker and thicker, until it can store no more.
When that happens yes...it "Blows-UP" or releases, belches,farts,vomit's, expelled, gives up...pick a word. The concept is all the same. DSB can go years w/out problems, but you run a risk of a breakdown, much like a car with high miles. The longer you run one, the bigger the risk.
For those with DSB, I'm not saying to panic and think the sky is falling. Just take care of your DSB, and you should be fine. You do have to understand how to properly maintain it. You cant just sit ho-hum thinking everything is hunky dory, that I absolutely promise, will bring down the thunder, maybe not for a while...but it will happen end of story. Do the proper maintenance, and have the proper critters. Just be aware of the monster looming in the dark.
They mostly come at night...mostly.
Long term DSB is a risk.Many will say will not work period,I dissagree, I think taking care of them is vital to success with them.
You can only simulate what the ocean does, not replace it. And DSB is one of those simulations that cant truly be mimicked. There is a lot more going on in the ocean with currents,critters and below the sand table that we can never copy.
Among other things high flow is needed to keep them safe, and critters keeping it clean as well. Just because someone can write an article and that doesn't mean its right. I just had a published reef book tell me in writing last night that you don't want to exceed 74 degrees in your tank, and have one crab per gallon.
Ive never ran a DSB(I watched it backfire personally, and have heard too many horror stories) so I know better.
But I do know one thing, there is a reason you see less and less of them as time goes on. They were a fad, and the long term effects weren't known for many many years. Now that time has proven them a poor choice, people steer away from them.
Now the topic was remote sand beds...some will say they are worse, others say better. Flow being one of the keys, I personally say they are a safer method, because you control the turnover in a small volume of space better than the large volume of a tank, plus detritus usually happens in the DT, not the sump.
Look bottom line, it should be a really simple concept to understand: if you fill something with bad stuff and it cant consume it fast enough...its going to get thicker and thicker, until it can store no more.
When that happens yes...it "Blows-UP" or releases, belches,farts,vomit's, expelled, gives up...pick a word. The concept is all the same. DSB can go years w/out problems, but you run a risk of a breakdown, much like a car with high miles. The longer you run one, the bigger the risk.
For those with DSB, I'm not saying to panic and think the sky is falling. Just take care of your DSB, and you should be fine. You do have to understand how to properly maintain it. You cant just sit ho-hum thinking everything is hunky dory, that I absolutely promise, will bring down the thunder, maybe not for a while...but it will happen end of story. Do the proper maintenance, and have the proper critters. Just be aware of the monster looming in the dark.
They mostly come at night...mostly.
gio28
Active Member
Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/3115200
For every article that I can find that speaks positive about DSB I can find several more that say negatron ghost rider.
Long term DSB is a risk.Many will say will not work period,I dissagree, I think taking care of them is vital to success with them.
You can only simulate what the ocean does, not replace it. And DSB is one of those simulations that cant truly be mimicked. There is a lot more going on in the ocean with currents,critters and below the sand table that we can never copy.
Among other things high flow is needed to keep them safe, and critters keeping it clean as well. Just because someone can write an article and that doesn't mean its right. I just had a published reef book tell me in writing last night that you don't want to exceed 74 degrees in your tank, and have one crab per gallon.
Ive never ran a DSB(I watched it backfire personally, and have heard too many horror stories) so I know better.
But I do know one thing, there is a reason you see less and less of them as time goes on. They were a fad, and the long term effects weren't known for many many years. Now that time has proven them a poor choice, people steer away from them.
Now the topic was remote sand beds...some will say they are worse, others say better. Flow being one of the keys, I personally say they are a safer method, because you control the turnover in a small volume of space better than the large volume of a tank, plus detritus usually happens in the DT, not the sump.
Look bottom line, it should be a really simple concept to understand: if you fill something with bad stuff and it cant consume it fast enough...its going to get thicker and thicker, until it can store no more.
When that happens yes...it "Blows-UP" or releases, belches,farts,vomit's, expelled, gives up...pick a word. The concept is all the same. DSB can go years w/out problems, but you run a risk of a breakdown, much like a car with high miles. The longer you run one, the bigger the risk.
For those with DSB, I'm not saying to panic and think the sky is falling. Just take care of your DSB, and you should be fine. You do have to understand how to properly maintain it. You cant just sit ho-hum thinking everything is hunky dory, that I absolutely promise, will bring down the thunder, maybe not for a while...but it will happen end of story. Do the proper maintenance, and have the proper critters. Just be aware of the monster looming in the dark.
They mostly come at night...mostly.
that was really well put...
http:///forum/post/3115200
For every article that I can find that speaks positive about DSB I can find several more that say negatron ghost rider.
Long term DSB is a risk.Many will say will not work period,I dissagree, I think taking care of them is vital to success with them.
You can only simulate what the ocean does, not replace it. And DSB is one of those simulations that cant truly be mimicked. There is a lot more going on in the ocean with currents,critters and below the sand table that we can never copy.
Among other things high flow is needed to keep them safe, and critters keeping it clean as well. Just because someone can write an article and that doesn't mean its right. I just had a published reef book tell me in writing last night that you don't want to exceed 74 degrees in your tank, and have one crab per gallon.
Ive never ran a DSB(I watched it backfire personally, and have heard too many horror stories) so I know better.
But I do know one thing, there is a reason you see less and less of them as time goes on. They were a fad, and the long term effects weren't known for many many years. Now that time has proven them a poor choice, people steer away from them.
Now the topic was remote sand beds...some will say they are worse, others say better. Flow being one of the keys, I personally say they are a safer method, because you control the turnover in a small volume of space better than the large volume of a tank, plus detritus usually happens in the DT, not the sump.
Look bottom line, it should be a really simple concept to understand: if you fill something with bad stuff and it cant consume it fast enough...its going to get thicker and thicker, until it can store no more.
When that happens yes...it "Blows-UP" or releases, belches,farts,vomit's, expelled, gives up...pick a word. The concept is all the same. DSB can go years w/out problems, but you run a risk of a breakdown, much like a car with high miles. The longer you run one, the bigger the risk.
For those with DSB, I'm not saying to panic and think the sky is falling. Just take care of your DSB, and you should be fine. You do have to understand how to properly maintain it. You cant just sit ho-hum thinking everything is hunky dory, that I absolutely promise, will bring down the thunder, maybe not for a while...but it will happen end of story. Do the proper maintenance, and have the proper critters. Just be aware of the monster looming in the dark.
They mostly come at night...mostly.
that was really well put...
oceansidefish
Active Member
Personally I have a DSB in my 120g, I think that those who have problems with them have done in their own demise... There are some things you can't keep in your tank if you have one. However there are benefits to them... Honestly unless you have a massive sump, most people waste space with a remote deep sand bed. Most people have them in small spaces where they do absolutely no good. Another is that you MUST MUST MUST add true live sand to have a truly functional deep sand bed. Many people overlook this and do not have the proper fauna needed to have a successful sand bed. IMO the most detrimental thing to a DSB is your other tank inhabitants...Ne carefull of the fish and other inverts you are adding....
king_neptune
Active Member
A quote from an article advocating Dr Shimek, and DSB's:
"DSB Setup
DSB is easier than a plenum because it does not require a pvc/eggcrate foundation. You merely add the sand to the bottom of the tank. Supplemented with a good clean up crew of crabs, stars, snails, worms, etc.. this substate will work well. It is also more appealing to some because it takes less room in the tank than the plenum method."
Dont tell Dr Shimek
"DSB Setup
DSB is easier than a plenum because it does not require a pvc/eggcrate foundation. You merely add the sand to the bottom of the tank. Supplemented with a good clean up crew of crabs, stars, snails, worms, etc.. this substate will work well. It is also more appealing to some because it takes less room in the tank than the plenum method."
Dont tell Dr Shimek
oceansidefish
Active Member
Wow that must be an old article....Plenums are like ancient history in the reef world these days....In fact they are in Freshwater too!