Sand bed depth

[Dragon174]

What is a good depth for the sand bed? I have about a 1” sand bed right now but have a little more left in the bag and not sure if I should put it in the tank or not.

 

[Waters]

What is a good depth for the sand bed? I have about a 1” sand bed right now but have a little more left in the bag and not sure if I should put it in the tank or not.

I would either keep it between 1/2 to 1 inch or 3-4 inches. If you keep it shallower, it is easier to stir and keep clean. Some go deeper to keep a true DSB for denitrification purposes. I personally would avoid anything in between.

 

[SCReef'n]

That’s my preferred depth. I think what you have is a nice level. Plenty for sand dwellers to live. I keep some in an out of the way spot in my sump in a Tupperware. This way I get the benefit of the bacteria that colonize it and if I qt a fish that needs a sand bed I have extra without digging up my display.

 

[BighohoReef]

Agree with both comments here. I’ll add that you should also make sure your rocks are situated all the way to the glass to avoid shifting when you add the water.

 

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Looks good to me. I agree that about 1/2 in to an inch is the standard

 

[Bryn]

Like @BighohoReef said, put your rock in first, then add sand. Unless you have sand sifting fish, then save the extra money on bags of sand, and go with 1.5 inches, you can always add more later, not easily but you can, and less means it is easy to remove if you decide bare bottom, and you also will not have a nutrient sink. Many pro's and con's either way.

 

[FortyFour44]

About 1 inch deep for me.

You can keep the extra sand on hand in case you ever have to QT a wrasse. Some sleep in the sand, so you can put it in a Tupperware in your QT tank (assuming you have one).

 

[Dragon174]

Thanks everyone. I put the rocks in first, made sure I liked it and everything was stable and then added the sand.