Bb For Beginners???

[tent-tacal]

is it not recommended for beginners to have barebottom reef tanks??is it that much more difficult than tanks with sand?if it is more difficult,why?im LOVING the look of the BB tank and i would like to set up a 55g like that.some say it makes it easier some say it doesnt..whats the verdict??oh and how does one deal the LR from sliding around everywhere,epoxy??

 

[shag26272]

I think its easier then sand. Just make sure you have alot of flow and a good skimmer. My rock sits right on the glass. You could also use white cutting board.

 

[phenom5]

Re: Bb For Beginners???

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13023505#post13023505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tent-tacal
is it not recommended for beginners to have barebottom reef tanks??is it that much more difficult than tanks with sand?if it is more difficult,why?im LOVING the look of the BB tank and i would like to set up a 55g like that.some say it makes it easier some say it doesnt..whats the verdict??oh and how does one deal the LR from sliding around everywhere,epoxy??

I think it's absolutely possible for a beginner to run a BB tank. It's no different then running a tank with sand, in terms of needing to research, and developing a good understanding of what your trying to do with a BB tank & why.

Think of it like this, BB = more technology...SB = more biology.

In a system with sand, detritus & organics settle in the sandbed where the critters that make up the live sand breakdown it down.

With BB the goal is to remove the detritus & organics before they have a chance to settle, and be brokendown. So you want high flow, especially along the bottom of the tank. This keeps the detritus suspended in the water column so that it can flow out of the display through your drains to the sump, where it is removed with heavy, wet skimming.

The most important parts of a BB setup, IMO...

Cooking your LR.
A LOT of flow.
An oversized skimmer.

A lot of people use starboard on the bottom of their tanks, this gives them a little more protection against a rockslide. And you can secure the LR with acrylic rods, or build shelves out of PVC & eggcrate. I wouldn't use a 2-part epoxy just because it generally doesn't hold rock very well. It works great for attaching frags, but not so great for creating LR structures.

As always...I'll throw out this link...there is tons of great info, in case you haven't read it...

How to go Barebottom

Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

 

[tent-tacal]

would it be better to face the flow from the top towards the floor of the tank or have the powerhead adjasent(*spelling*)to the floor,kind of sweeping the floor with the current?

 

[shag26272]

you dont want it settling on the floor, i guess it depends on your powerheads. My Vortech does a great job of pulling everything from the bottom towards it and back up into the water column

 

[tent-tacal]

so as far as "cooking" the rock,thats done if you already have a sand bed and your changing to BB?or no matter what?so i cant get all the rock i need for the first time(lets say through the mail)and start cycling it in my tank with a BB?

 

[shag26272]

you can, you will be siphoning more stuff off the bottom glass though, its fairly easy though

 

[tent-tacal]

yeah that sounds alot easier than cooking the rock.do i have to siphon on a regular bases or is it the inittial(*man i cant spell today*)few days,weeks,or months??

 

[shag26272]

I do it weekly during my water change just siphon the bottom and fill up with fresh saltwater

 

[phenom5]

I would say cooking is more work up front, but less work in the long run.

You can siphon when you do water changes, and if your LR is shedding a lot, you can get some airline tube and put a filter sock on one end. Drop the end with the filter sock in your sump, and siphon away. Detritus gets caught in the filter sock, water goes right back into the system.

 

[shag26272]

thats a great idea phenom, im gonna give it a try

 

[phenom5]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13023903#post13023903 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shag26272
thats a great idea phenom, im gonna give it a try

That's a little trick I learned when I had a really bad flatworm infestation. Siphoned those little suckers out every other day for a week and a half before I treated with FWE. Easiest way to do it.

 

[tent-tacal]

unfortunaltly im doing some things old school.im doing two penguin hangons(no sump)some people say i dont need the hangons if i have enough liverock but for my peace of mind,i think ill keep the hangons.i can siphon out that nasty stuff when i do my water changes though.

 

[phenom5]

Personally, I wouldn't go BB with your proposed setup.

A poorly setup BB (not to imply that your tank would be poorly setup, just poorly setup to run as a BB tank) can be a nightmare. Now a poorly setup tank can be a problem regardless, but the sandbed gives you a bit more of a safety net. If you keep the detritus suspended in the water, but it doesn't get removed, it'll still get brokendown. You could run some sort of filter pads in the HOB's to catch the detritus, but you would have to clean them out a lot...possibly daily. And I think most HOB skimmers would be ineffective in terms of what you want from a skimmer in a BB setup.

 

[tent-tacal]

thanks!i was setting myself up for a downfall!what if i go with a just 1 bag of live sand(i beilieve i need atleast 3 bags for my 55g)or do i have to do 3 bags?

 

[phenom5]

I wouldn't buy any live sand. I'd get some agranite sand, and seed it with a scoop or 2 of sand from an established tank.

 

[reefnetworth]

www.usplastics.com carries PTFE sheets, its as good as starboard!

 

[tent-tacal]

HMM i dont know anybody with an established tank.do you think my lfs would let me have a couple of scoops out of there 300g display reef tank??is this an uncommon request from customers?