I will be buying a 60 gallon Acrylic tank, i want to know what are the advantages or disadvantages of a bare bottom tank, i have experience with saltwater but not with a reef system, this will be a reef system, also where can i get a 60 gallon Acrylic at a good price in the Tri-State area. I sold my 120 last year due to moving to a studio apt, i only have room for a 60g any and all help is greatly appreciated. I will be buying lots of new suff all over again, skimmer and such, also do i need another filter besides the skimmer.
Need Advice!
- Thread starter ReefLover
- Start date
you already saw the buying thread. Another good place to look is on craigslist If you are looking to get a new tank glasscages is a good place to go. Just keep an eye out on MR and also RC. There are always people selling stuff.
If you have a corner to spare in your studio or want a not so wide roomdivider, you should also look into dorner bowfront tanks. I have a 92g bf corner. Its a smaller tank that fits into a lot of spaces but when you look into it, it seems like a large tank due to the depth you get. 34" deep from all angles.
HTH,
Herman
If you have a corner to spare in your studio or want a not so wide roomdivider, you should also look into dorner bowfront tanks. I have a 92g bf corner. Its a smaller tank that fits into a lot of spaces but when you look into it, it seems like a large tank due to the depth you get. 34" deep from all angles.
HTH,
Herman
Small angel or two, some clown fish, some clams, and corals, of course live rock, i know nothing about soft corals so i will lurk here and ask friends what i can and can not keep...thanks for the help please keep the tips coming, i figured i can get this thing going for around 1,200 or so for a 60 gallon, let me kow what you know and pass it along, i do know i want acrylic and nothing bigger than a 60G.
Bb
Reeflover,
A bare bottom tank (with good circulation) helps with keeping detritus suspended until your overflow can pass it to your skimmer. You can also easily siphon out bits of food, etc. that will decay, compromising water quality. It also avoids the crashes that can happen with sand beds when they are disturbed after a long time. A lot of SPS folks use them because of the higher than average flow with SPS tanks.
I think some folks on this board actually use them and protect the bottom of their tanks with a specific material. Do a search for bare bottom and see what you come up with.
HTH
E
Reeflover,
A bare bottom tank (with good circulation) helps with keeping detritus suspended until your overflow can pass it to your skimmer. You can also easily siphon out bits of food, etc. that will decay, compromising water quality. It also avoids the crashes that can happen with sand beds when they are disturbed after a long time. A lot of SPS folks use them because of the higher than average flow with SPS tanks.
I think some folks on this board actually use them and protect the bottom of their tanks with a specific material. Do a search for bare bottom and see what you come up with.
HTH
E
Last edited:
Bottoms
Reeflover,
NP! The other types of bottoms are a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) and a Shallow sand bed (a lot like a BB with a light covering of substrate).
A DSB is used by a lot of reefers. It usually consists of a sand bed around 4+ inches deep. When you have sand that deep the bottom layers become oxygen-deprived and different bacteria are cultivated (aerobic vs anaerobic). The third stage of your cycle (Nitrates) usually have to be waterchanged out or removed by some other mechanical means but with a DSB this bottom layer actually eats the Nitrates and converts them into Nitrogen gas which gets released as little bubbles. The downside is that you cannot have any sand stirring going on or the sand bed can release a lot of the toxins it stores/processes. Usually a mix of substrates or oolitic (sugar sized) sand is used for this.
A SSB is very similar to a Bare Bottom but with about an inch of sand. Mostly cosmetic or if you are looking for creatures like gobies that like sand. With high flow you can easily have sandstorms though.
I am actually fairly new to the hobby, only really been into it for about a year but I try to research a lot! There VERY many folks on here with tremendous experience, who can add loads more to this but I figured it is a start.
E
Reeflover,
NP! The other types of bottoms are a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) and a Shallow sand bed (a lot like a BB with a light covering of substrate).
A DSB is used by a lot of reefers. It usually consists of a sand bed around 4+ inches deep. When you have sand that deep the bottom layers become oxygen-deprived and different bacteria are cultivated (aerobic vs anaerobic). The third stage of your cycle (Nitrates) usually have to be waterchanged out or removed by some other mechanical means but with a DSB this bottom layer actually eats the Nitrates and converts them into Nitrogen gas which gets released as little bubbles. The downside is that you cannot have any sand stirring going on or the sand bed can release a lot of the toxins it stores/processes. Usually a mix of substrates or oolitic (sugar sized) sand is used for this.
A SSB is very similar to a Bare Bottom but with about an inch of sand. Mostly cosmetic or if you are looking for creatures like gobies that like sand. With high flow you can easily have sandstorms though.
I am actually fairly new to the hobby, only really been into it for about a year but I try to research a lot! There VERY many folks on here with tremendous experience, who can add loads more to this but I figured it is a start.
E
Last edited:
- Location
- Howell, NJ
yea for a extra filter your not gonna need it. most of us listened to the stupid LFS and ended up buying either a ehiem or a cascade cannister filter for no freakin reason lolz. what i use my cascade is for more circulation. lol. ummm just do yourself one thing and dont go cheap on the skimmer. get the best for the buck. get enough live rock and if i was you i would do a sump/refugium with maybe live sand/live rock and some live plants/algae.
others would give ya some more detailed information what else are you looking to do with the tank. are you looking into doing a sump because that gives ya a place to hide the heater, skimmer.... let us no
others would give ya some more detailed information what else are you looking to do with the tank. are you looking into doing a sump because that gives ya a place to hide the heater, skimmer.... let us no
Advantages to a BB tank:
1. No stand storms.
2. Your able to have much higher flow thoroughout the tank. Many corals thrive with higher flow (SPS).
3. You able to keep much cleaner water, IF you have a high quality skimmer and good flow such that any particulate matter doesn't accumulate.
4. Less algae problems if done right.
5. Much more long term stability (however, this is theory at the moment since most BB style tanks are relatively young).
Disadvantages:
1. Many reefers don't like the look. It is not as esthetically pleasing as a sandbed.
2. You need to understand the hobby more, i.e. read and be knowledgeable of the working of the system (since you have no major source of nitrate removal).
3. You can't keep sand burrowing fish.
1. No stand storms.
2. Your able to have much higher flow thoroughout the tank. Many corals thrive with higher flow (SPS).
3. You able to keep much cleaner water, IF you have a high quality skimmer and good flow such that any particulate matter doesn't accumulate.
4. Less algae problems if done right.
5. Much more long term stability (however, this is theory at the moment since most BB style tanks are relatively young).
Disadvantages:
1. Many reefers don't like the look. It is not as esthetically pleasing as a sandbed.
2. You need to understand the hobby more, i.e. read and be knowledgeable of the working of the system (since you have no major source of nitrate removal).
3. You can't keep sand burrowing fish.
That's a good point, it probably is, :scratchch . But you can cut down on your photoperiod, so maybe you are saving on the electrical bills. On the other hand your probably going to start buying SPS which can be very expensive.Deanos said:
:tongue1: :sigh1: Who know? this hobby is crazy expensive regardless! :lol:
- Location
- Howell, NJ
solbby something ive been thinking about. lets say you go barebottom in the show tank cant you just use the sand in the sump so you can have the bacteria grow in there so the bacteria can take care of the nitrates down in the sump...
- Location
- Howell, NJ
deanos there 22 pages damn. im up to 8 and didnt see anything yet. well ill keep reading
Yes you can! It also makes life easier in the future to swap out the DSB in the sump.Tonyscoots84 said:
If I were to ever set up a DSB again I would set up a SSB in the main tank for looks, and have a remote (sump) DSB for nitrate removal! Then every 3-4 years I would just remove the sump/DSB and replace it with another DSB.
- Location
- Howell, NJ
i thought it was a good idea. i guess ill do that in my 75 gallon that im starting up soon with a 20 gallon sump.
Cool, just remember that the capacity of what you are doing, i.e. a 20 gallon DSB, is going to be much less than if your 75 gallon was DSB. Therefore your going to have to pay atttention to the signs that the DSB is starting to become overloaded in the future, i.e. increasing P over time, increased algae growth, decreased ability to maintain Alk stability, and increased pH swings.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
