Questions about DSB

[LaloJ]

I have a few questions for those of you who use or have used deep sand beds in your system. I understand that you should use at least 5" inside the tank, and have a very good circulation of water, some time ago I read from several aquarists that it is important to put the sand correctly with the granulometry of the aragonite or the sand that makes up the sand bed, I don't remember if the layer of aragonite with a larger granulometry should be placed at the bottom or on the surface of the sand bed, does anyone have an idea? or is this not true?
Also for those who use a RDSB or have used it, is it possible to use this sand in another tank? Either completely or only some part; My assumption is that it could, but it would be releasing some toxic components wherever it is used, which would cause a new cycle practically when using it, what do you think?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Deep sand beds seem to have largely fallen out of favor.

I had deep sand in a couple of refugia and I wasn't convinced it did anything good or bad, so I removed it. i have to say I'm not a big fan of them, and think that what they do can be accomplished other ways.

i cannot think of any reason it needs to be in the display tank, and remote deep sand beds were quite common a few years back.

 

[dvgyfresh]

Currently using a deep sand bed , can’t get nitrate above 5, I only have so much due to LTA need to buy a lot more sand dwellers to move sand - nassarius snails , sand shifting star , conch ect

 

[LaloJ]

I like the DSBs for their aesthetics, they look good IMO, I'm not currently using them in my tank but I have always had these doubts, and I know that they have gradually been forgotten but it's better to clear any questions.

 

[LaloJ]

Currently using a deep sand bed , can’t get nitrate above 5, I only have so much due to LTA need to buy a lot more sand dwellers to move sand - nassarius snails , sand shifting star , conch ect

Nice tank, what granulometry of sand or aragonite are you using and what is the depth?

 

[dvgyfresh]

I like the DSBs for their aesthetics, they look good IMO, I'm not currently using them in my tank but I have always had these doubts, and I know that they have gradually been forgotten but it's better to clear any questions.

You can reuse DSB but you’ll need to run it through a ton of water to get it clean again

Nice tank, what granulometry of sand or aragonite are you using and what is the depth?

It’s a very fine sand , very beach esque type. I would say 4-6 inches in some spots

 

[HomebroodExotics]

I'm not a fan of deep sand bed. I really wanted to be and I have given it a try and it wasn't really bad or good. It does little for nitrates and that can be done in other more efficient ways. Fish that like to dig will love it though. Now a plenum is what I've been playing with recently and I think its pretty amazing honestly.

 

[areefer01]

I have a few questions for those of you who use or have used deep sand beds in your system. I understand that you should use at least 5" inside the tank, and have a very good circulation of water, some time ago I read from several aquarists that it is important to put the sand correctly with the granulometry of the aragonite or the sand that makes up the sand bed, I don't remember if the layer of aragonite with a larger granulometry should be placed at the bottom or on the surface of the sand bed, does anyone have an idea? or is this not true?

I've read this as well but don't believe it matters. I seem to recall it is more about blowing around in the flow and granular size. It has been a long while since I've looked into that so do not have a specific answer. I personally have a 3 to 6" sand bed using CaribSea Fiji pink and special grade aragonite. Both dry. 40lb bags. I mixed them together since I really didn't care one way or another mainly because I knew I was keeping Sapphire Damsels which tend to burrow under rocks.

I'm sure there is a reason though as you said but for me the DSB is more about it making me feel good rather than performing something specific. One of the things I read about is detritus build up and potential hydrogen sulfide build up. Detritus I don't care about. I get what I can and believe what I can't becomes inert over time. Hydrogen sulfide depends on what camp you fall in. Dr. Ron Shimek is knowledgeable so I would recommend reading some of his papers on it.

Only other thing I can think of is fish. If you have fish that are going to sand sift then finer grain on the surface makes sense. I know my Strombus snails prefer larger size. I've sprinkled some rubble I've created by braking apart larger rocks and the snails will lay their eggs there.

Apologies I don't have anything specific. Fish filter / sifting smaller grain.

Also for those who use a RDSB or have used it, is it possible to use this sand in another tank? Either completely or only some part; My assumption is that it could, but it would be releasing some toxic components wherever it is used, which would cause a new cycle practically when using it, what do you think?

With regards to remote DSB you could move it but I think it would be messy. My current display is 4 years old and part of a 40 breeder to 210 gallon upgrade. What I did was aquascape using the sand I noted above, took a cup or two out of the existing 40 breeder, and placed it in the new display after it cycled. Micro fauna, worms, whatever took hold in little to no time. Worm trails between sand and glass so I knew it was working.

I'm not really much of a believer of rinsing sand due to the amount of time, effort, waste of water, etc. Take a couple cups and toss the rest. I also know new substrate isn't cheap so rinsing will work but is going to take some time. Remember to dechlorinate if you use tap water.

TL; DR - I use DSB but mainly because it makes me feel good. I mixed my different sand blends. Search on Dr. Ron Shimek for sandbeds, dsb, detritus, etc. I've not run remote DSB. I take a cup or two and I toss the rest.

 

[LaloJ]

I've read this as well but don't believe it matters. I seem to recall it is more about blowing around in the flow and granular size. It has been a long while since I've looked into that so do not have a specific answer. I personally have a 3 to 6" sand bed using CaribSea Fiji pink and special grade aragonite. Both dry. 40lb bags. I mixed them together since I really didn't care one way or another mainly because I knew I was keeping Sapphire Damsels which tend to burrow under rocks.

I'm sure there is a reason though as you said but for me the DSB is more about it making me feel good rather than performing something specific. One of the things I read about is detritus build up and potential hydrogen sulfide build up. Detritus I don't care about. I get what I can and believe what I can't becomes inert over time. Hydrogen sulfide depends on what camp you fall in. Dr. Ron Shimek is knowledgeable so I would recommend reading some of his papers on it.

Only other thing I can think of is fish. If you have fish that are going to sand sift then finer grain on the surface makes sense. I know my Strombus snails prefer larger size. I've sprinkled some rubble I've created by braking apart larger rocks and the snails will lay their eggs there.

Apologies I don't have anything specific. Fish filter / sifting smaller grain.



With regards to remote DSB you could move it but I think it would be messy. My current display is 4 years old and part of a 40 breeder to 210 gallon upgrade. What I did was aquascape using the sand I noted above, took a cup or two out of the existing 40 breeder, and placed it in the new display after it cycled. Micro fauna, worms, whatever took hold in little to no time. Worm trails between sand and glass so I knew it was working.

I'm not really much of a believer of rinsing sand due to the amount of time, effort, waste of water, etc. Take a couple cups and toss the rest. I also know new substrate isn't cheap so rinsing will work but is going to take some time. Remember to dechlorinate if you use tap water.

TL; DR - I use DSB but mainly because it makes me feel good. I mixed my different sand blends. Search on Dr. Ron Shimek for sandbeds, dsb, detritus, etc. I've not run remote DSB. I take a cup or two and I toss the rest.

Great answer, I personally really like the look of the dsb too, but haven't used it since I got one and scraped about 1.5cm off the sand bed in one part of the tank, I didn't think it would affect the tank that much, In less than 2 days I had a layer of debris on the surface floating in the water, and two dead fish. I had to remove the sand bed and do a major water change, since then I don't play with dsb but I like them a lot. Supposedly they helped more with nitrates than phosphates, and I know I have some articles saved on my computer, I'm going to take a look at them.

 

[LaloJ]

I have in mind a reef tank with easy to keep corals, I might go for a dsb here, my idea is a 20 or 30 gallon tank, initially I was planning on hooking it up to a larger system but in that case it would work like an RDSB, so there would be no point, having it separate would be a better option.

 

[jda]

I am a sand bed guy. I never saw any reason to do the Dr. Ron 5-6 inches and 2-3 is enough for what I want them for - phosphate buffering and nitrate reduction.

Over the years, the sand will settle with the larger pieces on the top. It just happens. Only mixing it back up will remix it. This is no big deal unless you have sand sifting critters that might not like the larger chunks on top, like cucumbers.

Reusing sand would depend on a lot of factors, but you can likely mitigate all of them. Bacteria from the oxic and anoxic zons could die if they become exposed to the other - this is a double whammy in that not only are they not working anymore, but they also are adding to bioload with their deaths. If the sand is shallow, or well cleaned, it probably does not matter much.

 

[LaloJ]

I'm using a thin sand bed in my main tank since my loss, maybe 1" 1/2, so I don't worry about anything getting caught in the sand, the fish move it every now and then, if I opt for the dsb in a 30 tank gallons I should think about fish that don't stir up much sand, but I would like to have some Valenciennea species, and small gobies in that section of the whole system if I choose to put it as a part.