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Great info! How long would you suggest you start this method after a tank is fully cycled?I've always talked about this in the fb groups because i get so many questions and compliments on my sand bed ....well here's my method....note: I've never tried this on a tank older than 3 years !!!! I'm well aware of the problems that can occur on older tanks...this is a "DAILY" method i use to keep a good look sand bed and to release toxins "BEFORE" they build up....a Preventive Measure .
You need to section your tank off in 3 stages....Start in stage "1" stirring your sand..."ONLY STAGE 1" for 7 days....on day 8 Start stirring Stage 1 & 2 ....Stir stage 1 & 2 for 7 more days....on day 15 stir Stage 1, 2, & 3 for 7 more days ...in 21 days you will have completely stirred your whole sandbed and released the built up toxins slow enough to not cause a problem...if your tank is over 1 year old...i advise adding the appropriate amount of Chemipure Elite or Chemipure Blue to alleviate excess toxins...once you complete this 21 day process just stir your sand daily and it will always remain white and pretty.
Lasse...OLD TANK SYNDROME is a term not a real Syndrome like you said and yes it comes from poor husbandry....now concerning the Hydrogen Sulfide i didn't know how to transfer the link but i did ss a portion of it for you if you need more let me know ....This make no sense because hydrogen sulphide will normally not be formed if there is nitrate in the water column or in the sand bed. And nitrate is not a toxin and you do not get hairy algae only because your nitrate level is high.
For me the article is more about poor husbandry than it describes a general valid syndrome
Sincerely Lasse
Immediately. ...this is a DAILY procedure once you go through the 21 day process ....just like cleaning your glassGreat info! How long would you suggest you start this method after a tank is fully cycled?
I'm just trying to help the hobby in my own lil way ...it's free to anybody who wants to copy it...it's just good husbandry@blusop I've seen your sand bed on Facebook groups and once I replace my sand with Oolite I am going to copy your method - hope you don't mind. Thanks for the write up.
I've been meaning to do that...i will soonCan you grab a video of how you stir the bed?
Thanx brandon429Your method has support, here is a six mo old sand rinse thread in support of your white bed approach. We call that being able to pass a drop test.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/the-of...ead-aka-one-against-many.230281/#post-2681445
Passing a drop test in your tank or mine means reach in, pick up a handful of sand, and drop it. If your tank doesn't wipe out or get a massive nutrient/algae spike cloud, then we've been sandbedding correctly.
If that test can't be passed, and the sandbed is located in the display tank where fish poop constantly feeds it, OTS is coming it's a matter of time, volume, and variable symptom expression.
The link applies here because it shows moves, partial sandbed cleaning, or all at once cleaning with no recycling.
I like how you worded that ...nice Detritus Storage Syndrome. ...see we're already exchanging knowledgeSince true old tank syndrome has nothing to do with a tanks real age, but hints at the *consequence* of non export, let the condition we are referring to be replaced with: DSS
Detritus storage syndrome.
I've seen new systems qualify for OTS after just six mos of a high fish bioload, low export sandbed setup. Their posted pics with algae problems showed dark spots and brown detritus all in that bed...drop test fail
Nitrogen gas.. it's the final stage of the nitrogen cycle and its accomplished by an anaerobic bacteria colony in the sand bed..you probably don't have nitrate issues because you allowed this bacteria to colony to grow it's the way nature and and POTWs handle nitrates.I haven't touched my sand bed in 8 years. The only thing it's releasing is nitrate bubbles. When do you think "OLD TANK SYNDROME" will start? I think it's just another "OLD REEFERS MYTH"...
Yep and we even took the side of non rinsers, true hands off never clean it builds, here
http://reef2reef.com/threads/remote-very-deep-sandbed.252602/#post-2980163
@brandon429 to answer your question lol....there are a few people who know me from fb ....not only from my clean sandbed but my refugium as well .....my fuge is so effective that i use no carbon, no carbon dosing, and no gfo....a combined effort from me and a friend named Cruz .....we call it the "WORKING FUGE"
*and 99% of sandbed users don't fit that type, the sandbed in that rare example isn't getting pooped on by fifteen fish.
you must have quite the FB following~
The amount of people reading only your thread is the sum total daily visitation of lesser reef sites lol
I see hydrogen sulfide as variable and kind of rare in the posts we see, the consequences for storing waste often require address long before sulfides become an issue.
Yep and we even took the side of non rinsers, true hands off never clean it builds, here
http://reef2reef.com/threads/remote-very-deep-sandbed.252602/#post-2980163
*and 99% of sandbed users don't fit that type, the sandbed in that rare example isn't getting pooped on by fifteen fish.
you must have quite the FB following~
The amount of people reading only your thread is the sum total daily visitation of lesser reef sites lol
I see hydrogen sulfide as variable and kind of rare in the posts we see, the consequences for storing waste often require address long before sulfides become an issue.