deep sand bed (1 Viewer)

[DonaldL]

I was woundering how many people use sand in there main tank.and would it be better to just use it in the sump.I have it in my main tank now but i am fixing to set up a new tank 200 gal or better.Just woundering if it would run cleaner and you could vac up the trash.OR is it better to run a deep sand bed.

 

[Josh125]

You will probably get a mixed bag of replies on this one. It seems there is a trend towards barebottom for various reasons. My personal opinion, BB is probably better but I like the look of sand.

Any substrate is just going to trap detrius etc, that's the whole point of it. If you do go with a DSB, you have to properly maintain it, and even then it's a crap shoot how long it will last.

 

[DonaldL]

I like the way sand looks also. When you say properly maintain it do you mean with critters.

 

[Josh125]

Yes, critters and potentially replacing it every 5 years or so.

 

[DonaldL]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Guest]

This is a very polarized issue Donald. Many feel that Sand is the only way to go, many other feel BB is the only way to go.

For me, DSB both in refugium and tank. I need the extra critters for my mandarins. That and I beleive that sandbeds help the stability of the tank by increasing buffer and nitrate processing.

Others will tell you that sand beds are ticking time bombs, because all sand beds will eventually go eutrophic, which is not a good thing generally.

 

[DonaldL]

So if you get to a point were you have to clean a dsb.You might as well start over.Or at least remove all of your corals first.So if you remove sand is it possible to clean it instead of replacing it.

 

[Guest]

Im running a 3" sand bed in the main tank and a DSB in the refugium. thiw way my critter keep the sand looking clean.

 

[FishGameRock]

I don't like sand when I moved my tank from galveston to houston I took it all out. They should have a warning on Maroon clowns 'Not sand safe' :-x sand everywhere all over my rocks completely gone in some places I definetly like the new bare bottom.

 

[ShaneV]

My problem with BB is it limits the animals you can keep. Any sand loving creature is out.

 

[AggieBrandon]

That's when you set up two tanks One BB and one with a DSB....My BB will be all SPS and the DSB will be LPS, ricordia, shrooms, and zoanthids

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