how much/deep??

[jrthomas40]

how much substrate should be in a 90gallon tank??? or how deep should the substrate be??

 

[el bob]

3-4inches

 

[sly]

If sand then like he said, but if crushed coral then only about 1 inch deep. I can't really tell you how many bags that would be. If you know the area of the tank bottom I could probably calculate it for you.

 

[aztec reef]

well if your building a reef, i would go with 4"sandbed at least to work right.but if is fishonly &live rock you can go to crush coral. Imo i wouldnt get crushed coral for any occasion. Also some people dont like the look of 4"+deep sand bed on main tank specially on smaller tanks.

 

[acer]

I just setup a 60 hex reef in my office waiting room, used 4 inches of sand , then used a cruched coral, cruched shell pieces and very small pieces of rock over the top for a thin "better looking" substrate surface. It looks great, and the I dont get the cloud of sand effect due to swimming fish, or water movement/current. THe "topper"/larger pieces will eventually sink into the sand, but I will just add enough for appearances occasionally. It also helps my goby/shrimp combo make there burrows stronger. I have also heard that by providing some surface area it does grow bacteria like live rock. YOu have to make sure there is good water movement over it or it will grow unwanted algeas.

 

[jrthomas40]

i went about 3.5 inches and got a dual return nozzle on a mag 5 pump

 

[acer]

YOu will need more flow than that for corals, I have a quiet one 4000HH to a sqwd coming from the refugium on my 90, then a seio 820 in one back bottom corner, then a group of 3 mini maxijet on a wave timer spread out on other bottom back side to help prevent "dead zones".

 

[jrthomas40]

i am going to get a larger pump...i am currently thinking of a way to customize/ design myself a sump that will fit two pumps....one will be plumbed the original way and the other return pump is going to be plumbed to a pvc with drilled holes like a spray bar on the other side of the tank so that i dont have to put the pump in the tank...hopefully that will work to get a little more current into the system

 

[1journeyman]

Sand should be less than 2 inches deep unless you are setting up a deep sand bed. In that case it is recommended that you go deeper than 4 inches.
2-4 inch sand beds can become nitrate farms.

 

[reefkprz]

I have four inches in my sump and a varied depth from one to nine inches in my display I must say I like to look better than most flat bottomed tanks. and I get the deep sand bed effect.