Some DSB Questions

[dirk]

Hi everybody from Italy. I'm a member of an Italian reef related site, www.reefitalia.com and I want first to say hello to all American friends!
Then, here I am with my questions.. I would like to start a new reef tank, almost 150-200 gals for SPS and LPS's, and I would like to set it up with DSB filtration method. (also integrating a refugium and a cryptic tank).
My doubt is this.. is the DSB stable in the long time? Some rumors say that it could collapse after some years.. In Italy the DSB is a new type of setup so there are not so much tanks with this system.
What do you think about?
How old are your DSBs??
What are the critters you use for keep the DSB healty and clean?
Thanks everybody!

Pietro

 

[saltank]

Hello there, and welcome from Italy :wink:

There is debate regarding DSB and the longevity of that system. What some people do is put a DSB in their sump/refugium as opposed to the main tank. That way if there are problems with it down the road it can be removed from the sump.

Personally in my 46gal I only have about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of carribean sand and a small refugium area in my sump that has about 4-5 inches of sand.

The DSB is supposed to enhance denitrification, I believe though that the concerns or problems are with it filling up too much with detritus in the long run. HTH

 

[dirk]

No more else???

 

[Anonymous]

There is a lot of past threads on this issue, so your most comprehensive bet would be to do a search for DSB and see what comes up.

IMO the deal with DSB's is that they are really the same as any other biological/mechanical filter in that they need to be cleaned. Some say that with the proper critters, you won't need to clean it, but IME that seems to be time consuming, expensive and not really true.

I used to run a DSB, but pulled it. I just don't see the logic in taking up valuble display space with sand, or with having a place for detritus to collect, or for having an oxygen 'depletor' in my tank.

I switched to bar bottom and couldn't be happier. I am shocked at the amount of detritus that I have removed from my tank that would have simply sat decomposing in the sand bed I had in the past.

 

[Charlesr1958]

The below linked article will answer all your questions and dispell a lot of the misinformation about DSBs.

http://www.ronshimek.com/Deep%20Sand%20Beds.htm

Chuck

 

[Anonymous]

The below linked article will answer all your questions and dispell a lot of the misinformation about DSBs.

http://www.ronshimek.com/Deep%20Sand%20Beds.htm

Chuck

Hey Chuck - I don't think that dispels any misinformation, it simply states Rons opinions.

A great many people disagree with his opinions - specially the idea that running a thriving sand bed critter population is easy and that all the detritus is somehow removed or bonded in the system.

The biggest problem I have with the DSB even Ron agrees with - stirring or sifting of the DSB can cause major problems, even to the point of nuking the tank. I don't enjoy the idea that there is something in the tank that if disturbed can nuke the tank which is why I also don't keep sea apples.

I also very much disagree with his idea that natural reefs are 'surrounded by sand' and thus the corals should be near the sand. IME, most of the coral in nature is actually up and away from the sand either on bonnies or mounds of coral that came earlier. Below are some pics from some reefs in PNG I recently visited, the sand is at least 20 feet below the growing corals. Where do the corals grow in your neck of the woods (hopefully I will be out that way later this year!)?

 

[dirk]

Thanks to Thales and Chuck.. I did know the articles by Shimek, but I appreciate very much the experience of other people in the long term such as Thales.
I would like to hear someone that runs a DSB from more than 3or 4 years..