idea for bb tanks ,will it work?

[reefreak29]

i just had an idea. i would like to do a bare bottom tank someday but dont like the look. is it possible to put 2 inches of sand down then pour an epoxy or something like that to have a smooth finish on top. it would look like u have sand in your tank but it would be sealed.has anyone thought of this before and would it work?

 

[chadman]

do you think you could really spreak epoxy over your sandbed? the epoxy is attaching to tiny specs of sand...i can't see it working...

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by chadman
do you think you could really spreak epoxy over your sandbed? the epoxy is attaching to tiny specs of sand...i can't see it working...
an epoxy or something like that something that will harden

 

[chadman]

if you could find something that would be safe for hte fish but that you could almost spray over the sand obviously before the water is in...something like a sealant or soemthing...it would be interesting to see...i'd say you have a project ahead of you though!

 

[teen]

im using starboard in my 110. you dont like that look? u can get it in black or white.

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by teen
im using starboard in my 110. you dont like that look? u can get it in black or white.
no its ok i would just prefer the look of sand if at all possible

 

[chadman]

how comes you guys do the bare bottoms? is it just so you don't have to worry about the sandbed and keeping it clean or whatever?

 

[nigerbang]

if it had sand down and some sort of epoxy over it I fail to see how it would still be called "Bare Bottomed"

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by NigerBang
if it had sand down and some sort of epoxy over it I fail to see how it would still be called "Bare Bottomed"
it would be sealed u would still have the look of sand without all the problems

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by chadman
how comes you guys do the bare bottoms? is it just so you don't have to worry about the sandbed and keeping it clean or whatever?
-so my tank doesnt crash in a few years down the road <-- my opinion
- so i can have an amazing amount of flow without worrying about a sand storm
- so i can have a low nutrient system
- honestly, i just love the look. if you do it right, it doesnt even look like theres water in the tank, just rock and corals.

 

[aztec reef]

Originally Posted by chadman
how comes you guys do the bare bottoms? is it just so you don't have to worry about the sandbed and keeping it clean or whatever?
i would only do bare bottom in sps or frag tank. a reef is not a reef without a sandbed, sandbeds don't crash unless is not tuned every 6-121mos.(fauna)
if done right you shouldn't have a sand storm, without a sandbed there's less nutrients but that also means less surface for good bacteria to grow..
you should't have to mess with sandbeds(if biodiversity is plantifull) btw.
this is all my opinion.. :happyfish

 

[reefreak29]

:notsure:

 

[goulding.c]

My sand bed never crashed in 3years. But if you really want a sand look I would just put a thin layer over the bottom and mix and cover that with liquid fiberglass resin. If a thick layer is put in but it leaks wouldn't that cause serious dead spot anerobic bacteria build up? You could even use a little crushed coral and coat it to glue it all together. Just a thought

 

[bonita69]

here is a great post for you pro and cons of bare bottoms, and pro/cons on sand beds. This post contains nice pics of bare bottoms fully coverd in purple coraline. I think looks much better than some weird out of place look your going for or thinking of.
If you do come up with such a way I would try it on a little 5 gal tank, cure very well, then when doing water change from main tank, use 5 gals to fill test tank, let that run for a while see what happens and how it looks. Then time for a real test cheap test fish. Hate to use a test fish, but I would rather lose 5.99 verses my whole system worth 1000's
Anyway keep us posted and here is the link to the post.
*Link Removed*