Poll: Your experiences with live sand beds
- Thread starter esmithiii
- Start date
My tank is coming up on it's 3rd birthday. I set it up with about an inch. A year latter I adding another inch or two and added a DSB in my refugium that varies from 4 - 6" deep.
I just setup an new 37 and put a good 5 -6 " DSB. All southdown in this one.
When I set up my 300, i am seriously considering having the southdown in the fuge. I am thinking of putting a sandbed in the main display that is more consistant with what I see on the reefs when I go diving. All the reefs I have dove on, have a much grainery sand bed. Lotsa of rubble and shells, and just gererally nothing like the grain sizes that are required for nitrification/denitrification, etc. I think it might look more natural and burrowing fish would not cause a snow storm. That is my one and only complaint with my current DSB's. I got this idea from Fergy. That is the way he did his tank, and he has a 12 DSB in his fuge.
Something to chew on, no?
Louey
I just setup an new 37 and put a good 5 -6 " DSB. All southdown in this one.
When I set up my 300, i am seriously considering having the southdown in the fuge. I am thinking of putting a sandbed in the main display that is more consistant with what I see on the reefs when I go diving. All the reefs I have dove on, have a much grainery sand bed. Lotsa of rubble and shells, and just gererally nothing like the grain sizes that are required for nitrification/denitrification, etc. I think it might look more natural and burrowing fish would not cause a snow storm. That is my one and only complaint with my current DSB's. I got this idea from Fergy. That is the way he did his tank, and he has a 12 DSB in his fuge.
Something to chew on, no?
Louey
Louey":3vnc8ghb said:
That's the type of setup I have currently in my 75. I used to have sugar-sand in the main tank, but nothing would grow because my clowns kept fanning it into the water column, where it would settle on everything! Replaced it with a much coarser grade carib-sea stuff, and delegated the sugar sand to the 'fuge, where it's happily growing pods, bristleworms, and limpets.
Louey":zd2jxas5 said:
To a certain extent, but then again it's definitely worth the trade off to keep my sandbed in one piece. The tank is tons healthier now than it was with the sugarsand. I have noticed a tiny bit more diatomaceous algae growth--now I have to scrape the glass once a week instead of once every 2 or 3. :wink:
Seriously, it's hard for me to say one way or another because my tank is better off now because the sandbed stays in one piece. I will say this--the refugium looks about 1000% better and will actually support a decent algae-crop now.
Sharkky- I have moved to indy, and am almost done with the new tank stand. I plan on plumbing the tank, RO unit, FW reservoir, SW mixing tank, sump, pumps, etc this weekend. I hope to start filling it this weekend also. It should take at least a week to fill with the RO unit running full blast.
Ernie
Ernie
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