Back to the hobby...

[SAZ03]

I had a 125g for about 5yrs and then had to move across the country; got rid of the tank but kept the rock and all equipment. I recently found myself at a LFS and a 110g tank/stand jumped into my car.

I have bleached the old rock and gave them a bath in muriatic acid based on a thread I found on here "Rock reincarnation... beyond "cooking"". I plan on cycling for about 3 months and will seed with a single live rock from my LFS.

I am cleaning my PM skimmer, PO4 reactor, thermometer, all powerbeads with vinegar and water and making sure my LED fixtures are all in working order.

I have a few concerns starting this all up again....

What is the current consensus on DSB in the refugium? Should I just go bare bottom with chaeto and my equipment?

I have heard mixed reviews on starting with live sand from a bag. Is this a good idea or a bad idea? I am leaning towards dry sand and letting it populate bacteria on its own through cycling but wonder what everyone thinks??

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Its always nice to start over but I admit I wasnt frequenting the reef sites and am quite out of touch with current trends, knowledge, and opinions.

 

[nmotz]

a 110g tank/stand jumped into my car.

Don't you just love when that happens? Haha, great stuff.

In all seriousness I think whether or not you use a DSB depends on what you want to do with the tank. What kind of critters do you want in your refugium? Are you willing to clean it when it needs it? Do you want to grow mangroves or just have some chaeto?

If it were me, I would go bare bottom w/chaeto/skimmer, etc... Less maintenance that way.

There are probably some really great guides on DSBs out there if you just do a search for the term DSB.

With regard to live sand, I think it's kind of a waste because during the cycle your sand will become live anyway. I like being able to just pour all my sand into a bucket, rinse it with regular water, then put it in the tank and cycle it along with the LR. But again this is a matter of personal preference and not life and death I suppose.

 

[Dozer1one]

I'm not a fan of DSB in tanks or fuges I feel as the create more problems then their worth, I currently run my fuges with live rock rubble and chaeto, and have good results then again my opinion is biast being that all my tanks are bare bottom

 

[SAZ03]

Thanks to both of you. I decided to go with Caribsea seaflor special grade and let it populate naturally through cycling. I read on RC that this was recommended by 4 out of 4 hobyists and how can you argue with that? Its not my first time so I am totally ready for this process to take months for cycling and dont mind the wait. I had concerns about 'live' sand in a bag so I figure Got the internal overflow plumbed and installed my aquasafecanada RO/DI filter on a water supply less than three feet from the tank (sweet), no more traveling across my house with a 32g trashcan on wheels! I will post pics soon.

BTW, anyone know the answer to this question about internal overflows? When installing the PVC pipes through the drilled aquarium holes, I dont know if the rubber washer should go above or below the drilled hole; Should the rubber washer be on the side with the nut or opposite side of the nut? I would hate to find out I did it wrong and have it leak. Im assuming it should be on the nut side but want to confirm with someone.

 

[Titans_Reef]

The gasket should go on the flanged side of the bulkhead which for me was inside the tank. Hand tighten it all the way and use a wrench to tighten it a 1/4 of a turn more. If you over tighten it, you run the risk of it leaking. I use a sand bed for my refugium but I have a 20g long tank that is connected to my sump for my 125g tank which my sand is about 1"-2" deep. You can use sand but I wouldn't use much.