WEEKLY DISCUSSION : Sand Beds

[jman785]

Do you have a sand bed?
>If not, then why did you choose to go bare bottom?

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

How thick was your sand bed?
>What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

If you have a deep sand bed, have you noticed any benefits of having a deeper sand bed?

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?
>Why or Why not?



This is a weekly discussion, and will be added to a weekly discussion archive

[jman785]

:bump

This could be a fun one :-D

Do you have a sand bed?

Yes, both in the tank and in the refuge.

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

Can't remember what kind but it is sugar sand.

How thick was your sand bed?

2" in the displays, 1" in the refuges.

>What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

I personally do not like the looks of a DSB and IMO a well setup refuge can do everything a DSB can do for your tank plus more. The only reason I have sand at all is because I like the sand bed critters!!

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?

No

>Why or Why not?

The same reason listed above. In addition, DSBs need to be properly maintained (mainly through critter population) in order to be truly functional... a fact that eludes many hobbyists. I'm not saying a beginner isn't capable of keeping a functional DSB but I do think it's best left to experienced hobbyists.

[NaH2O]

I suspect MikeS will be after me on this one. LOL MikeS....I'm resisting the force! :D

Do you have a sandbed?

No for the 120 gallon. It is going to be a SPS tank that has a lot of high flow. Since SPS tend to favor high water quality, a sandbed wasn't right for this tank. I rely on my liverock and heavy skimming for filtration. I have a lot of flow controlled by a closed loop with motorized ball valve that switches the flow from one side to the other. The lower outputs on the closed loop keep the bottom of the tank swept clean of detritus and it stays in the water column to be utilized or goes to the skimmer.

Yes for the nano (12 gallon)

How thick was your sand bed?

In the nano, I did a 2-3" thick bed. I wanted to do a 4" bed because I don't have a skimmer on the tank :shock:, but any deeper than 3", then I wouldn't have had much room for water.

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

For the nano, I went with a little larger than sugar sized. I think it was a Carib Sea substrate.

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?

Sure! As long as the hobbyist understands how the sandbed functions, and what to expect from it. I would also ask the beginner what they are looking for the sand bed to do for their tank. If they are only looking for aesthetic reasons, then maybe a shallow sand bed would be a better choice. I think sandbeds are fine - but there needs to be an understanding of it, as with all aspects of the hobby.

[newtofish]

Do you have a sand bed?

Yes, in the cube and refuge.

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

Southdown Tropical play sand.

How thick was your sand bed?

1 to 2 inches in the cube and about 3 in the refuge.

What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

I started my first tank with a deep sand bed and a plenum. I did not like the way it looked, visual appeal is more mportant to me than the benefits of the DSB. When I moved everything over to the cube I went with a shallow bed

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?

I would not. I don't think a beginner will see any difference. (They are going to get a bigger tank within a year anyway :-D )

Why or Why not?

I don't think they are effective.

[funkybozu]

Do you have a sand bed?

yes , a DSB in the main tank

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

i got me some very very fin sand from Okinawa. as i read that for a DSB finer was better

How thick is your sand bed?

i dont like the flat even look of sand beds so mine is diff around the tank
but at the thinkest its around 8 inches and thinnest 6

What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

i went for a DSB for the stability it offer, and as above , i like the differentce in depth i can get for visual efects

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?

i would, but but only with the understanding that its not a ,mirical no need to water change thing. of corse he would need a big tank too to pull it off too

[MikeS]

Do you have a sand bed?

Yes

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

4 inches of oolitic aragonite on top of 2 inches of fine CC

How thick was your sand bed?

5-6 inch average depth

>What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

Recommended depth at the current time in which I set it up

If you have a deep sand bed, have you noticed any benefits of having a deeper sand bed?

Very good nitrate reduction

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?
>Why or Why not?

To a beginner...I would encourage he/she do as much research on them as possible, to understand the benefits and limitations of the DSB, prior to committing to one.

[FishinInTheDark]

Do you have a sand bed?
Yes

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed?
I have a CaribSea Aragonite sandbed.

How thick was your sand bed?
4 - 5"

>What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?
When I first got into the hobby, I was doing research and getting help from a knowledgable person. He recommended a DSB for nitrate reduction without explaining any risk, and I just took his advice.

If you have a deep sand bed, have you noticed any benefits of having a deeper sand bed?
I have had zero nitrates since the addition of my refugium, which was added before the DSB would have had time to become functional. Therefore, I have no way of knowing if it is the sand or just the macroalgae at work.

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?
>Why or Why not?
I think a beginner will be fine with a DSB as I was, but I, too, would encourage them to know both the risks and rewards of such a setup.

In two weeks, I will be moving my tank. I will not be setting up the DSB at that time. I won't say that it didn't do its job, but I just think it's plain old ugly. I believe that my refugium can handle the nitrate production just fine. I like the look of sand, and will be keeping the top two inches of sand for the future.

[gman0526]

Do you have a sand bed?
>If not, then why did you choose to go bare bottom?

Yes

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed? (Crushed Coral, Southdown, Carib Sea Substrates, etc.)

Very much like Mike's, 2" CC topped with 3-3.5" CaribSea sized sand. I chose a little bigger than sugar grainsize because I feel it allows better movement for sandsifting critters.

How thick was your sand bed?
>What made you decide on the thickness of your sand bed?

Between 3.5"-5.5" because of flow in the tank. After reading and reading and reading I found that range to be the most recommended depth.

If you have a deep sand bed, have you noticed any benefits of having a deeper sand bed?

Very stable water params., awesome nitrate reduction. Great diversity of critters to watch.

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?
>Why or Why not?

I would reccomend that they research all possible configurations b4 commiting to a DSB. If they feel that they can mantain and set one up the "right" way then sure go for it... BTW most important variable for a DSB, IMO is water flow/circulation... But that is another future topic.

[jman785]

This is by far one of the best responded to Weekly Discussions we've had. Thanks to all for posting in an orderly fashion...this is the way I'd like to keep the discussions going ;) Keep the posts coming!

[romunov]

Do you have a sand bed?
Yes.

What kind of substrate did you use for your bed?
Calcite.

How thick was your sand bed?
It still is, around 10cm, but I'm slowly adding more (literally, a spoon at a time).


If you have a deep sand bed, have you noticed any benefits of having a deeper sand bed?
I have never ran a bare bottom tank or shallow substrate, so I can't say. I prefer the inbed fauna to fish and corals, so a DSB is for me. :D

Would you recommend a deep sand bed to a beginner marine enthusiast?
It depends what one wants to keep. I would not recommend it for a "classical" tank.

IMO, the most important factors for a healthy DSB is what expert (and if you think about it - logic) recommend - very fine grain size, about 10cm of substrate or more, a lot of different creatures ("detritivore kits") that need to be replenished due to predation and "population adjustment" (limited food, types of food)... and of course, no hermits, digging fish, "sand sifting" starfishes, manual stirring...

There is quite a lot of articles on the subject and if any one is interested in them... Well, here (http://gutfeeling.mine.nu/my/dsb.html) they are. :D