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I couldn't imagine not having my 5-6", 330 lb. Southdown DSB in my 100G. Its been there for over 8 years now and still as white and loose as the day it was installed.
It has never been vacuumed deeper than 1/4", never been removed or replaced, and never been disturbed other than a little digging here and there by my yellow watchman goby or wrasse. The phosphates and nitrates are non detectable using Salifert kits. I do also use and recommend a Phosban type reactor with 1/2 the recommended dosage or about 5 grams per 10 gallons of system water 24/7/365 and have a refugium section in my sump which contains chaetomorpha macroalgae. The pumps are two Evolutions 1400's on a RKL set at 30 second switching intervals and an OR 3500 return pump via an Oceans Motions Squirt two way so the flows are pretty high and the sand stays put just fine, no mounding or bare spots.
Personally I think DSB's have received an undeserved bad rap on some of the reef forums. The problems I have personally seen have been the owner constantly messing with the sand, disturbing the anaerobic and anoxic bacterias in the process. Leave it alone, do not over stock and do not overfeed and it works fine. Just my opinion based on over 8 years of constant use and success.
This is a myth that is believed by many aquarists. Oolite aragonite sand can dissolve in a pH as high as 8.2.If your water is off enough for the sand to actually buffer then you may look into why its so off. Doesn't the water have o be extremely low in pH to activate the sands buffering capabilities? And also if the sand is buffering that would mean the dissolving sand would basically turn to cement, which is not unheard of.
I couldn't imagine not having my 5-6", 330 lb. Southdown DSB in my 100G. Its been there for over 8 years now and still as white and loose as the day it was installed.
It has never been vacuumed deeper than 1/4", never been removed or replaced, and never been disturbed other than a little digging here and there by my yellow watchman goby or wrasse. The phosphates and nitrates are non detectable using Salifert kits. I do also use and recommend a Phosban type reactor with 1/2 the recommended dosage or about 5 grams per 10 gallons of system water 24/7/365 and have a refugium section in my sump which contains chaetomorpha macroalgae. The pumps are two Evolutions 1400's on a RKL set at 30 second switching intervals and an OR 3500 return pump via an Oceans Motions Squirt two way so the flows are pretty high and the sand stays put just fine, no mounding or bare spots.
Personally I think DSB's have received an undeserved bad rap on some of the reef forums. The problems I have personally seen have been the owner constantly messing with the sand, disturbing the anaerobic and anoxic bacterias in the process. Leave it alone, do not over stock and do not overfeed and it works fine. Just my opinion based on over 8 years of constant use and success.
One more in agreement. When people write in and say "my sand bed is 2-3 inches" my first thought is oh, oh.
I have a tank that is going to be nine in May. It has a DSB and it's always clean and maintenance free. The sand actually moves (from critters) after the lights go out.
What do you guys think of a 2-3 inch sand bed in DT and a 4-5 inch deep sand bed in the sump
What do you guys think of a 2-3 inch sand bed in DT and a 4-5 inch deep sand bed in the sump