Deep Sand Bed Vs. Shallow. pros and cons?

[ryangrieder]

so, as most know i had to re-due to 46 bow because of some horrible internal bacteria killing everything. im getting ready for sand now because i took all my sand out a few weeks ago and dislike the whole no sand because it scares the CRAP out of me if a rock fell what would happen... so, i just added one bag of fuji pink. what are the good and bads on deep sand bed? alot of people run deep, but i always though the nitrates build up in deep sand beds? whats your thoughts on it? 1 bag added maybe an inch of sand, half the tank. behind all my rock still has none...

 

[Alex]

I've done all. when I set up my 120 I had a deep sand bed because at that time it was the craze. I enjoyed the look but found it a bit messy after a year or so once all the build up occurred. I vacuumed and tried to keep things clean but build up was always happening. when I redid the tank I went with bare bottom and increased flow. Once again, it was different but I enjoyed the look and became accustomed to not having sand. All was good until the bottom glass was covered in so much coraline algae that I could scrap it off and have more in a few days. When I set up my current tank I decided to go the with the in-between route, a shallow sand bed. This has been the compromise in my opinion. enough sand for those that need it and not too much that it could not be cleaned properly. I believe this question to be a personal preference. why not have your livestock decide. some livestock need a deep sand bed such as sand eels for example. Let what you want to keep guide you and then decide what is necessary. Hope this helps.

 

[ryangrieder]

I've done all. when I set up my 120 I had a deep sand bed because at that time it was the craze. I enjoyed the look but found it a bit messy after a year or so once all the build up occurred. I vacuumed and tried to keep things clean but build up was always happening. when I redid the tank I went with bare bottom and increased flow. Once again, it was different but I enjoyed the look and became accustomed to not having sand. All was good until the bottom glass was covered in so much coraline algae that I could scrap it off and have more in a few days. When I set up my current tank I decided to go the with the in-between route, a shallow sand bed. This has been the compromise in my opinion. enough sand for those that need it and not too much that it could not be cleaned properly. I believe this question to be a personal preference. why not have your livestock decide. some livestock need a deep sand bed such as sand eels for example. Let what you want to keep guide you and then decide what is necessary. Hope this helps.

thank you. it does help.

are there any good factors though about deep sand bed or shallow besides cleaning and all?

 

[Bob 1000]

Bb...

 

[bethzb]

Another advantage of a deep sand bed is all of the critters that can live there. I have run Dr. Jaubert's system for years (DSB and Plenum) and have had no major issues. Every once in a while, when the worms and copepods become a bit too singular in species diversity, I just order more grunge from Garf and apply. My fish get extra goodies to munch on in between feedings and I get an extra detritus crew. Many gobies and jaw fish cannot be kept happy without the sand bed also. Even my damsel enjoys digging out her cave periodically and yes it does aide stability of your rock work. If you go bare bottom you should glue down you rock so you do not have to worry about collapse.

 

[strgazr27]

Ryan,

Spend some time reading here : http://www.reef-eden.net/DSBs.htm

Should help answer any questions you may have.

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

imma go wit 50lb of live sand on my 55g

 

[prattreef]

The only reason to run a truly deep sanbed (4+") is if you either have animals that need it ( Garden eels etc.) or if your system is designed to intentionally to use the sandbed for denitrification purposes as Beth and her Jaubert/ plenum or other systems intend. The latter requires knowledge of these methods and their proper implementations.

If not, a shallow sandbed (@2") is what I recommend and use. Aesthetically pleasing, provides enough area for wrasses and other critters and easy to clean by REGULAR stirring to release detritus build-up.

Deep, shallow, BB all work as long as you understand the specific needs and limitations of each.

 

[jason18]

This just helped me out lol..
Thanks.

 

[jcolon2]

I have a deep sand bed- about 80 pounds of sand in a 55 gallon tank. I feel it helps the critters populate which is good because I have a leopard wrasse and a mandarin dragonet. And my Midas blenny and bicolor blenny like to dig holes in the sane. And I intend to get a blue spotted jawfish which prefers a deep sand bed.

At first I had some issues with maintaining it. Now it is very clean.

 

[ryangrieder]

Thanks pattreef that helped perfectly. 2 inch it is...