What are the benefits/drawbacks of removing as much sand as possible in an established system?
Bare bottom vs deep sand bed vs some sand
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What are the benefits/drawbacks of removing as much sand as possible in an established system?
srad750c
Well-Known Member
Take small amounts out at a time, you don’t want I nitrate spike. I probably would wait a week between each time you siphon some out.
sghera64
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Seems to me that many of us with DSB's experience unintentional low NO3 and PO4. Perhaps cause and effect. If so, the film algae might be cyano or diatoms - - which can take hold when nutrients get low enough to tip the fauna balance in their favor.
My DSB got so darn efficient that I was dosing on a daily basis enough NO3 to raise the level by 8pmm, but I continued to read zero (Red Sea Pro). So, I disrupted about 25% of the sand bed and finally got 1-5 ppm NO3. I figured I'd turn over the rest of the bed to see what happens and now my NO3 sits around 21-24 ppm (0.060 ppm PO4) - - any the few spots of cyano I had are now gone.
As other have written - - if you want heavy SPS, then you want high flow (so very course sand/rubble or no sand). If you want mixed reef, then you will likely have lower flow and can have sand or not.
I have a mixed reef with about 50X in-tank water turn over (2 RW-15 Jebao's + sump return). I have a DSB and don't have sand blow all around. My sticks are growing fine - - as are the Goni's, torches and wall hammers.
I build my tank for the animals I plan to keep, if I know I'm going to have sand dwelling anemone's or jawfish or something I'm going DSB, if not just a mixed reef w/ decent flow shallow, and that's what I usually keep, but if I did full blown sps I'd go bare bottom and probably w/ starboard, this will handle the strong flow that seems best for sps only tanks.
All 3 choices will work fine if you maintain them properly.
All 3 choices will work fine if you maintain them properly.
Picci
Community Member
I always had 12 cm (5 inches) DSB and it worked fine for me.
Current tank is BB and I find difficulties keeping Ca and KH stable, but sps are more vividly coloured.
Anyway, previous DSB tank was not so bad:
Current tank is BB and I find difficulties keeping Ca and KH stable, but sps are more vividly coloured.
Anyway, previous DSB tank was not so bad:
I have a bare bottom SPS tank, and love it. I always liked the look of sand, but since I switched to BB, I love it and would never go back. I can't keep my Nitrate or Phos above 0, so I dose both. I attribute it to Cheato in the fuge. I have a TON of flow, and couldn't be happier with the BB.
Sea MunnKey
Valuable Member
Mine's roughly 1 inch of sand bed or less in some parts of tank bottom. I vacuum weekly when I'm in the process of water changes and it pulls up dirty black mess at the same time.
I would never have a acropora tank without 2-3" of sand. The denitrification properties are too valuable to me. ...so is the phosphate buffering. I don't see any need for more than 3". I am able to have more than enough flow for my acropora.
I start to vacuum it after a few years, but I take my time doing so.
I start to vacuum it after a few years, but I take my time doing so.
Foothill Corals
Active Member
I have a five year old bare bottom Acro tank (Pukani rock, Siporax, No Fuge) and I need to dose both Phosphate and nitrate to keep them from bottoming out. I see no need for sand, though it does look better with it.
I always had 12 cm (5 inches) DSB and it worked fine for me.
Current tank is BB and I find difficulties keeping Ca and KH stable, but sps are more vividly coloured.
Anyway, previous DSB tank was not so bad:
How were you posphates and nitrates ? Were they also going to 0?
I find functionally, BB works better for my sps tank. But I agree that sand looks better and more natural. That said, I would never do an acro tank with sand. It's just so much easier to run clean with crazy flow without it.
Yes, that too... if it needs to. Aragonite also binds and unbinds phosphate. It can act as a buffer so that you cannot get too low - it will release some as your water column level gets a lower concentration... and it will bind some as the water column level rises.
+1 bare bottom. Starboard HDPE
I'm lazy and refuse to vacuum or do water changes. With this setup, I can crank up flow for a bit to agitate everything back into the water column.
Have you seen what ONE tang will "produce" when it finds it's next meal of Nori?
I used to think my skimmer worked. Now I KNOW it works, with the amount of crud it pickups with increased flow / Triton Method.
I'm lazy and refuse to vacuum or do water changes. With this setup, I can crank up flow for a bit to agitate everything back into the water column.
Have you seen what ONE tang will "produce" when it finds it's next meal of Nori?
I used to think my skimmer worked. Now I KNOW it works, with the amount of crud it pickups with increased flow / Triton Method.
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