Thinking of going bare bottom on my 55g

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Good Morning,

I have a 55 g that is a fowlr. I have 1 cleaner shrimp, 4 chromis, an exquisite wrasse, and a yellow tang I rescued from my 125 due to aggression from my sailfin tang. I will be rehoming her once I get her healthy again. Not much luck, locally sourcing a cleanup crew in the last few months so there are only a few snails and hermits in the tank.

Without sand sifters, snails and hermits etc... my sand has more detritus settling on it causing cyano and other issues. I am thinking about removing the sand and going bare bottom.

My question with this is, should I let the bottom build up with coraline and whatever else grows there over keeping it clean? I keep all glass panels clean including the back. I have a small powerhead I could mount lower in the tank to keep it circulating at the bottom so there isn't an extreme buildup.
Pros and cons?

I'm also thinking of adding some sort of urchin to help with cleanup in there as well. All my rock is glued so no concerns with rock slides.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Couple pics

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Sorry for impatience, doing cleaning and maintenance today so would like to do the sandbed at same time.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

If I take it out, I would deep clean the sand, dry it out and keep for future possible use. Does anyone see any problem with doing this?

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

I went bare bottom for my upgrade and love it! My only concern is you might stir up built up ammonia in the sandbed if you try to remove it all at once. I would remove small amounts at a time until it’s all gone. I would also monitor your ammonia levels as you do this just to be safe and have extra saltwater in reserve just in case you see a spike! Also, it would probably be best to dump the sand, you can keep it but it’s more trouble than it’s worth when you want to use it again...good luck!!

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

I went bare bottom for my upgrade and love it! My only concern is you might stir up built up ammonia in the sandbed if you try to remove it all at once. I would remove small amounts at a time until it’s all gone. I would also monitor your ammonia levels as you do this just to be safe and have extra saltwater in reserve just in case you see a spike! Also, it would probably be best to dump the sand, you can keep it but it’s more trouble than it’s worth when you want to use it again...good luck!!

Thanks for your reply.

I stir the sandbed bi-weekly when doing my water changes and it's not very deep (maybe an inch and a half at most). Do you still foresee an ammonia problem? I will also do my water change immediately after cleaning everything. The tank has been running for more than a year.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

@Paleozoic_reefer Do you keep your bottom glass clean or let it build up naturally?

 

[cracker]

No problem with cleaning sand "real" good drying well & storing . As for bare bottom , I have both maintenance is easier bb but the sand looks better. Try it. If ya don't like it return the sand. It's up to you.
Good of You to save the tang he looks pretty rough .

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

it looks like you have only a few fish and your sandbed does look clean but the sand under the rocks I’m assuming hasn’t been stirred and may be sources of some built up ammonia and debris. If you do want to do it all at once I would change out 50% (the more the better) of the total volume and store all your live rock in a tub of the 50% you plan to dump while you work. I would also monitor your your levels after you go bare bottom to be on the safe side....

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

@Paleozoic_reefer Do you keep your bottom glass clean or let it build up naturally?

I’m letting the corraline algae build up and placing some chalice corals there as well. I vacuum the bottom with my home-made thing-a-ma-jig once a week...

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

No problem with cleaning sand "real" good drying well & storing . As for bare bottom , I have both maintenance is easier bb but the sand looks better. Try it. If ya don't like it return the sand. It's up to you.
Good of You to save the tang he looks pretty rough .

I actually woke her up turning on the lights to take the pic. She's pale when the lights first go on. Her color is pretty good, she's a bit thin and still a little timid. Once I can fatten her up a bit, I will rehome her. My LFS said to bring her in and I've seen what he's done with a few very neglected fish in the past, so I may do that instead. I'll do what's in her best interest.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

Thank you @cracker and @Paleozoic_reefer . You've both helped me decide. I am going to remove the sand, yellow tang is going to go LFS.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

Thank you @cracker and @Paleozoic_reefer . You've both helped me decide. I am going to remove the sand, yellow tang is going to go LFS.

Good luck and keep us posted!!!