ever time i see peoples sand beds, they are sooo much deeper than mine…i have about 50 pounds max, which gives me a nice little even bed, but its not deep at all…this time around, im also going to add much more live rock for additional filtration…i have the 20 gal. fuge which im hoping will be more effective this time with the 6700k lighting setup…
anyway, how much does deep sand in the DT play into the overall picture of filtration…i know a lot of people incorporate the DSB into their fuge…i could also just do this…Will stocking up on more LR allow me to keep my sand how it is?
then again im worried about having some nasty stuff build up in a DSB…something we began commenting on already in another thread…
As (Icy I think) mentioned in another thread, I’d prefer a remote DSB. Easy to take out of the equation if you suspect it or it goes south. Also less likely for anything to cause it to go south.
Theres a few different methods here, so folks go RDSB or Really Deep Sand Bed, like 16+" or something, I’m not sure on the specifics. Like abrute style trash can with sand in it.
My next tank is going to have a shallow sand bed for pretty much looks only and the fuge will have a DSB. I’ll still have an issue of removing the DSB if it goes south as I’d have to take out my whole fuge to remove it, but oh well.
what would you consider a DSB? i guess i would be relative to the size of the tank right? i like the trash can DSB idea, but my GF wouldnt…unless we could find a way to decorate it, cuz i wont be able to hide it…ha, and i dont like the idea that a problem could eventually arise…anyway…rock will be the constant filter i guess since water will always pass through it, but does anyone know which is a more effective filter…rock or sand? or do they play hand in hand??
3-4"+ is usually considered a “DSB”. The benefits of a DSB is that it gives you anaerobic bacteria, or bacteria that survives in an area with no oxygen. 4" usually gets you deep enough to get an anaerobic area. This bacteria can actually take waste all the way through the nitrogen cycle and turn it into inert (harmless) nitrogen gas. LR on the other hand has very little (if any) of this bacteria and can only take it as far as nitrates, you then need other nutrient exports to remove that such as macro algae, skimmer.
At least that’s my understanding of it all, I did a lot of reading on it when I was starting my tank and decided DSB was the way for me, so that’s my recollection of it.
Don’t fall prey to Deep Sand Bed Envy, until you understand the nature and workings of various sand bed strategies. There are tons of articles on the web about the advantages and foibles of different types of sand beds. your choice of sand bed type will work with or against your sump/filtration/fuge system. so you should read up some on sand bed technology and construction. Its not just a pile of sand any more. its part of a system.
The basic goal of a reef sand bed is to provide denitrating. If it can’t do that, forget it. Just put a sprinkle on the bottom for looks and deal with nitrate build up another way.
DSB envy is definitly what i have…lol…it seems like from the comments this far, that an effective sand bed is a better filter than LR…but again, they both do play hand in hand…
im thinking about adding more sand now, maybe in the fuge, ill do my research…
[quote=“longballz84, post:7, topic:1183”]
im thinking about adding more sand now, maybe in the fuge, ill do my research…[/quote]
Also if you do decide to go DSb do not add all the sand at one shot. Whether shallow or deep both are alive and if you drop a ton of sand on top you will cause a cycle. Even the shallow bed has bacteria (good thing) that is alive. Since it is shallow it will have more aerobic bacteria that require free O2. If you dump a ton of sand on top it will no longer have O2 and will die causing a tank cycle. Just add it slow if you do change
No need to stir it in but it may not be a bad idea to stir before adding the new sand as it will remove some of the dead material. Air pockets are not a problem if they happen to exist. Some use sand sifters to turn the sand bed. If I were to use a DSB I would include sand sifters in the CUC.
i have nass. snails…and they are ok for stirring the sand…i was reading about SS stars…and it says then will eventually consume everything beneficial in the sand bed, and then starve to death…i wouldnt mind getting a goby of some sort…but im not sure if i want to add another fish just to deal with the sand…i only have 4 fish now, and this time around i want to go more corals than fish…
[quote=“longballz84, post:12, topic:1183”]
i have nass. snails…and they are ok for stirring the sand…i was reading about SS stars…and it says then will eventually consume everything beneficial in the sand bed, and then starve to death…i wouldnt mind getting a goby of some sort…but im not sure if i want to add another fish just to deal with the sand…i only have 4 fish now, and this time around i want to go more corals than fish…[/quote]
[quote=“Starryn1ght420, post:18, topic:1183”]
We went to home depot and got some kolorscape sand they had it in.[/quote]
Outside in the garden section they had 2 pallets, 1/4 full the other all the way, about a week ago. Wash it good, a lot of gray nasty looking stuff came out while washing it.