Substrate depth

[mling]

I have been getting all kinds of conflicting advise on substrate depth.
I have 3" to 4" of aragonite mixed with sand and a layer of crashed coral with shells above it, may be 1/4".

Someone tells me I should not have 1 grain over 3" or I'll have lots of problems down the road since my tank is only a 50 gallon.

Someone else tells me I need at least 4" since I plan to have a Jawfish.

I guess I am taking a poll of opinions here since the 2 "someone’s" are LFS vendors and may not be totally objective.

 

[ChrisRD]

IMO your sand depth is fine - it's not an exact science. How you husband the tank will be far more critical to your long-term success than how much (or how little) sand you have in it. JMO...

 

[ded08221]

i just recently set up my 55 and i ran into the same problem. it seems that how deep your sand bed should be has been a recently on-going debate. i believe you will be fine how you have it, but like always there will be different views.

 

[ded08221]

i just recently set up my 55 and i ran into the same problem. it seems that how deep your sand bed should be has been a recently on-going debate. i believe you will be fine how you have it, but like always there will be different views.

 

[liquid]

If you want a jawfish, you'll probably want a deeper sandbed. I've seen sandbeds anywhere from 20" down to 1/2" work so you should be fine. I'd recommend oolitic sand or something around that particlesize...

Shane

 

[romunov]

SB depth is important when using it for a filter or for housing burrowing animals. Crushed coral tends to clog with detritus fast...