Why? (1 Viewer)

[r_jay]

As I was staring into my pico today I thought to myself, "why bother with sand in a pico?"

Don't get me wrong, I have sand in my pico, and my biocube and before I took it down; my 65g. I just thought that a BB pico would be easier to take care of, i.e. clean increase water volume etc.

I know there are benefits to having a DSB but I don't want a pico filled with sand halfway up it, and I know that a less than 1" sandbed isn't bad. I just was thinking that it may be more stable if i take out the nitrate factory... but I mainly have softies in the pico so I imagine they like a little, "flavor" they get from the sandbed...

So I was wanting to ask if anyone else has an opinion on the matter. :?

 

[steveb]

I don't have a pico but I do have a nano (36g) and am about at the same point. I'm about ready to suck the 3" (sugar grain sized) sand bed out. In my case its more than just nitrates. Its also the clown fish that thinks it needs to constantly re-aquascape my tank, burying corals and kicking up sand to act as an abrading material for the rest.

 

[fishrme]

i like the sand in the tank ...i have argonite sand in mine ...to me it just gives it the natural look ...i have a 8 gal biocube and a 29 gal biocube ...i have the snails that turn up the sand bed ...and i just stir it up with a turkey baster too once a week and keep it stirred up and i really dont have a problem with it

 

[steveb]

I used CaribSea Aragamax Sugar-Sized and I love the look, and I do think if enough is present it adds a measure of buffering capacity. But I am not in love with the nitrate factory effect (I do clean mine, probably not as oft as I should..) or the sand blasting (dang maroon clown needs to go ;-) ). I have nassarius snails and few micro brittle starts.

 

[r_jay]

Yeah I think the only benefit to having sand is the appearance. Everyone likes the look of an aquarium with nice white sand. I also have nassarius snails, brittle stars and a snowflake eel (in my bigger tank) to stir up the sand, but it's never enough.

I definitely want to at least try BB in the future and see what difference there is in everything.

 

[AnnetteG]

I'd like to do a BB pico with a zoa carpet growing on the bottom. Or GSP! First I have to find a light that keeps what I have alive though. See my next post!

 

[steveb]

That's actually kind of a neat idea, I might try to get GSP or Xenia to grow on the back wall of mine.

 

[gabe_j]

i'm on a bb tank and waiting for my gsp and zoas to take over the floor of the tank... ugh i hate waiting. i'm gonna go get some coffee mabe it'll feel like time is going faster.

but i'm considering adding a sand bed so yeah i guess its always greener..

 

[steveb]

like a little green pasture with turbo snails for moo cows

 

[gabe_j]

exactly lol

 

[gabe_j]

exactly lol

 

[r_jay]

That would be cool...by then i bet the entire tank would just be GSP though, although steve's idea of turbos grazing in a field of gsp does sound awesome. I didn't realize how much turbos resemble cows until now.

I think I may just start to slowly siphon out more and more sand until its all gone.

 

[rxonco]

Unless you're gonna run a DSB, you're only going for looks. With that said, I think BB tanks look like ***t. 8)

 

[r_jay]

Unless you're gonna run a DSB, you're only going for looks. With that said, I think BB tanks look like ***t. 8)

True about BB looking bad but in the long run i think the tank would be better off for a pico.

 

[steveb]

That would be cool...by then i bet the entire tank would just be GSP though, although steve's idea of turbos grazing in a field of gsp does sound awesome. I didn't realize how much turbos resemble cows until now.

I think I may just start to slowly siphon out more and more sand until its all gone.

white plastic tooth pick and some super glue.......


On a more serious note I'm going to try this on the back wall of my 36 gallon

Blue Sympodium

 

[rxonco]

1" sandbed is going to neither be a NO2 factory, nor a benefit to your tank...other than asthetics. By saying that it would be a nitrate factory would mean that it's converting just as much nitrite, and in turn, doing the job a DSB should do. It's just not gonna do that though. I would assume that with a "pico" tank, you're going to be doing weekly (at least) water changes. This along with a limited amount of livestock which can be placed in the tank, "should" keep the nitrates down to a minimum anyway. So, you're back to a simple asthetic issue. Which "looks" more like a little tiny reef. One that's bare bottomed and covered in coraline and detritus, or one covered in an inch or two of sand?

 

[r_jay]

Well obviously if my sandbed really were a "nitrate factory" I would have bigger problems right now. What I meant is that with 1" sandbed the detritus is only accumulating in the sandbed, where in a DSB alot more happens.

My concern is just that in picos [with such low water volume] one could improve water quality by having a bare bottom allowing you to siphon out the detritus on the bottom of the tank. I mean I've tried siphoning/"vacuuming" the sand bed in the pico and we all know how that works out, PITA and it just makes a bigger mess.

I do small water changes a couple times a week with NSW (from the box;-)) and I think the tank would benefit from a bare bottom. That being said I still have sand in there today. No plans as of yet to remove it.

 

[steveb]

1" sandbed is going to neither be a NO2 factory, nor a benefit to your tank...other than asthetics. By saying that it would be a nitrate factory would mean that it's converting just as much nitrite, and in turn, doing the job a DSB should do. It's just not gonna do that though. I would assume that with a "pico" tank, you're going to be doing weekly (at least) water changes. This along with a limited amount of livestock which can be placed in the tank, "should" keep the nitrates down to a minimum anyway. So, you're back to a simple asthetic issue. Which "looks" more like a little tiny reef. One that's bare bottomed and covered in coraline and detritus, or one covered in an inch or two of sand?

The term nitrate factory is used to mean that the sand bed is not breaking down nitrates. D.O.'s (dissolved organics) are taken into the sand bed through advection. The bed is not deep enough to harbor the necessary anerobic bacteria to process the D.O.'s to completion, breaking down nitrates. Rather the bed remains aerobic and produces nitrate from the D.O.'s being drawn into it (a nitrate factory).