Poll: Sand or Bare Bottom - What's your Preference?
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Rip Van Winkle
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I also think it's a matter of taste and one is not necessarily better than another. It just depends what people like in their tanks. Many of my friends here have BB tanks.
I see kind of two schools of thought.
I liken BB to gardening, where folks don't want anything in their systems except what they put there. Like ULNS, where it's a very structured and controlled environment. It's like a vegetable garden in a greenhouse, where you're growing your produce and you don't want anything (including mother nature) interfering with it.
As for the upper reef view, logically, if you're talking upper reef, then there shouldn't be anything on the bottom of your tank, including rock, because rocks on upper reefs are arranged like a wall, not sitting on something. If the rocks are resting on the bottom of the tank, it's hard for me to see that as upper reef? It's just a BB tank.
The DSB school seems to be for folks that are looking for a more natural approach to their systems where they want to try to establish an ecosystem environment with as many of the biomes that exist in nature, replicated in their tanks and allowing mother nature take her course.
For myself I voted DSB and would never consider any other option. I don't like to think of my system as gardening coral unless it would be something set up for a business.
I think the same way.
I see kind of two schools of thought.
I liken BB to gardening, where folks don't want anything in their systems except what they put there. Like ULNS, where it's a very structured and controlled environment. It's like a vegetable garden in a greenhouse, where you're growing your produce and you don't want anything (including mother nature) interfering with it.
As for the upper reef view, logically, if you're talking upper reef, then there shouldn't be anything on the bottom of your tank, including rock, because rocks on upper reefs are arranged like a wall, not sitting on something. If the rocks are resting on the bottom of the tank, it's hard for me to see that as upper reef? It's just a BB tank.
The DSB school seems to be for folks that are looking for a more natural approach to their systems where they want to try to establish an ecosystem environment with as many of the biomes that exist in nature, replicated in their tanks and allowing mother nature take her course.
For myself I voted DSB and would never consider any other option. I don't like to think of my system as gardening coral unless it would be something set up for a business.
Depends on what you like and your goals. Heavy bioload with lots of big fish poo? Might want to consider BB if you tend to forget or can’t access the sand to clean. No joke I have helped local reefers figure out why they are having issues with acros , many times after keeping them for quite a while in great shape. Every time I ask about the sand. Every time they have a nasty sand bed and when they siphon 5g out of the bed it smells rotten. Clean it up or remove and issues are gone. Many people now jam pack coral even on the sand bed and forget or can’t clean it.
This isn’t something I am guessing about, it has really happed at least a half dozen times in the past year or so.
Do what you like but do consider the pros and cons. For sps tank it’s nice to have power heads on the bottom especially as colonies grow out.
For me personally sand looks good in a lagoon or low energy style tank, but the big reefcrests generally have rock bottom and not sand, so when I see big acros and sand it seems unnatural to me.
This isn’t something I am guessing about, it has really happed at least a half dozen times in the past year or so.
Do what you like but do consider the pros and cons. For sps tank it’s nice to have power heads on the bottom especially as colonies grow out.
For me personally sand looks good in a lagoon or low energy style tank, but the big reefcrests generally have rock bottom and not sand, so when I see big acros and sand it seems unnatural to me.
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But I don’t like the look of that tank. I like a more open tank. Just personal preference. That make a B.B. tank hard for me to likeOuch.
Haha no problem, great part of the hobby, different strokes for different folks.
My tank in that pic is actually quite open, it had ceramic structure, maybe 30lb total.
Share your tank so I can see what you like!
Patientman
Well-Known Member
Sand in the display tank ... just feel that it makes the fish feel more "at home" ... allows for different variety of fish ... sifters and diggers .... place for pods and such for fish food ... and looks more natural (to me). Bare bottom of course in the quarantine tank.
A4goulet
Active Member
I started my 120g as BB but have just recently dropped in 40lbs of special grade reef sand (dry) for a shallow sand bed. I have always kept a light bio load and have always struggled to keep sufficient nutrients. For me BB was always easy to keep clean (too clean) but you cant beat the look of clean white sand. Saying that if I ever start a frag tank it will be BB.
Tyler_Fishman
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Sand is very attractive natural and in a well maintained tank asthetically pleasing, a healthy Sand bed should not have algae or a layer of detritus, sand is a filter, a home for microbials, the only reason I would have bare bottom is for a frag tank, if you can't maintain a sand bed with sps because it's a "nutrient sink" then you should rethink is it you or is it really the sand bed. Just my opinion on the topic
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