sand base tank

[DJC]

So made my way down to my Local fish store yesterday and got into a super mad discussion around minimal set up capabilities for reef tank
The manager then got into a debate around sand base tanks as he swore on clear base systems

He said something that made a lot of sense around the gassea in sand building up if it’s not churned over he said he read in a book that every certain amount of years it n natural ocean the sand gets washed away/over to create new environments and then the eco system gets rejuvenated

He said same should be for your tank and because it’s a small environment the cycle needs to be every 6 months to keep the tank healthy as it’s a closed environment

Is there truth in this ?
It actually makes sense lots of gasses trapped in the sand and if it’s not fully getting churned each day has a potential for build up of not so nice gasses causing harm to you tank

This guy definitely loves his hobby and store and I learned more from him in out 1hr debate and info session than I have the last 6 months coming into the hobby

Thoughts ?

 

[Katrina71]

Yes he's technically correct, but your sand will be fine with normal water changes. I use my fingers and rake over the sand bed.

 

[DJC]

Yes he's technically correct, but your sand will be fine with normal water changes. I use my fingers and rake over the sand bed.

When I was there he demonstrated with a small cube tank looked to be a 15g tank and he was completely ruthless with the sand and basically lifted everything out churned the sand then placed everything back

His tank looked absolutely crystal clear and beautiful with no pest algae or anything in the tank

He ran it with
1 filter sock
5 media balls
And an inlet back to tank that was it

 

[Katrina71]

When I was there he demonstrated with a small cube tank looked to be a 15g tank and he was completely ruthless with the sand and basically lifted everything out churned the sand then placed everything back

His tank looked absolutely crystal clear and beautiful with no pest algae or anything in the tank

He ran it with
1 filter sock
5 media balls
And an inlet back to tank that was it

@brandon429 is the master of this whole concept. He can point you in the right direction. Comparing the ocean dynamics to a reef tank is never going to be the same though.

 

[Wonton Soup]

I've heard this argument against DSB many times but it's almost always anecdotal evidence. What gases specifically? How are these gases harmful to...anything? How deep of a sand bed is too deep?
What keeps large rocks from also forming harmful 'gases' deep within?
This is the very debate that began the bare bottom system trend. I'm not saying it's wrong but, to me, it's another generalization based on an individual's experience.
I agree with the idea that most of the sand on a reef is naturally, heavily churned over and over. Tides, storms, and naturally occurring species are great at this.
I also see nothing wrong with turning over a sand bed vigorously by hand other than it makes the tank pretty cloudy for a while. Good flow and filtration take care of the fallout.
What if you filled a 15 gallon tank entirely with sand and just had water flow over the top remaining inch of the tank? An extreme deep sand bed of sorts.
I don't know. Show me some experiments and proof.