Cheaper Substrate? Need Opinions Please - Pics
- Thread starter MattShack
- Start date
29reef
It's all about the flow
Jim,
Thank you for providing me with a link to an interesting article by AA. I do however fail to see the value of it to this thread and to the "microfauna" Matt is talking about. Unless we are talking about DSB vs Plenium system. I personally ran a plenium system years ago and was somewhat happy with it. Having said that why is everyone here so hell bent on having a HUGE amount of sand in this large tank?
We are talking a matter of asthetics and opinion here. It just seems logical to me that when setting up a very large tank that I dont have to have a huge amount of sand in it.
Matt- it is your tank, do with it what you want. I am stating that the fact of driving hours for sand for your tank seems like a good story but I dont believe it will make the tank any better in the end.
You wanted options.... I'm giving you an opinion.... lol
Thank you for providing me with a link to an interesting article by AA. I do however fail to see the value of it to this thread and to the "microfauna" Matt is talking about. Unless we are talking about DSB vs Plenium system. I personally ran a plenium system years ago and was somewhat happy with it. Having said that why is everyone here so hell bent on having a HUGE amount of sand in this large tank?
We are talking a matter of asthetics and opinion here. It just seems logical to me that when setting up a very large tank that I dont have to have a huge amount of sand in it.
Matt- it is your tank, do with it what you want. I am stating that the fact of driving hours for sand for your tank seems like a good story but I dont believe it will make the tank any better in the end.
You wanted options.... I'm giving you an opinion.... lol
MattShack
New member
Brian, The sand bed provides a habitat for small beneficial creature to live. This is from wetwebmedia.com:
Another significant advantage to deep sand beds is the provision of a dense and natural habitat for numerous micro and macro-organisms. Many fishes and invertebrates cannot be kept successfully or at least optimally without a DSB. Some popular wrasses, jawfishes and gobies"¦ horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, stingrays and many other featured creatures will not thrive without thick sandy substrates. Countless invertebrates including some corals will only survive on a sandy seafloor (hard substrates like rock are inhospitable to their feeding strategies and polyp cycles). At various and increasing depths, DSBs provide natural foods for these fishes and reef invertebrates like microcrustaceans (amphipods, copepods, mysid shrimp, etc), bacteria and other nanoplankton. DSBs also provide habitat for desirable plants, algae and animals. Seagrasses like Thalassia and Syringodium (Turtle grass and Manatee grass) for keeping seahorses, pipefish or Cassiopeia (Upside down) jellyfish, for example, require very deep beds at 6" minimum.
Full article : http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm
Also, I plan on having a few jawfish. I already have two engineer gobies (convict blenny, convict goby, or whatever other name you want to call them by, there are more). These fish require a fairly deep sand bed. Deep sand beds are beneficial in my opinion.
As far as asthetics, I don't like the bare bottom look. I like the looks of sand. If you're thinking about the sand up against the front glass and seeing the dirty edges of the sand, I would agree with you, that does not look good. I designed the tank with this in mind. I can have up to 6" of sand in the tank without ever seeing the edges. There is a 6" plywood "lip" at the bottom.
Yes, I do want opinions and thank you for giving me yours. I don't get offended and read everything. I may agree or may not, but I don't mind getting all sides even if I don't agree.
Another significant advantage to deep sand beds is the provision of a dense and natural habitat for numerous micro and macro-organisms. Many fishes and invertebrates cannot be kept successfully or at least optimally without a DSB. Some popular wrasses, jawfishes and gobies"¦ horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, stingrays and many other featured creatures will not thrive without thick sandy substrates. Countless invertebrates including some corals will only survive on a sandy seafloor (hard substrates like rock are inhospitable to their feeding strategies and polyp cycles). At various and increasing depths, DSBs provide natural foods for these fishes and reef invertebrates like microcrustaceans (amphipods, copepods, mysid shrimp, etc), bacteria and other nanoplankton. DSBs also provide habitat for desirable plants, algae and animals. Seagrasses like Thalassia and Syringodium (Turtle grass and Manatee grass) for keeping seahorses, pipefish or Cassiopeia (Upside down) jellyfish, for example, require very deep beds at 6" minimum.
Full article : http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm
Also, I plan on having a few jawfish. I already have two engineer gobies (convict blenny, convict goby, or whatever other name you want to call them by, there are more). These fish require a fairly deep sand bed. Deep sand beds are beneficial in my opinion.
As far as asthetics, I don't like the bare bottom look. I like the looks of sand. If you're thinking about the sand up against the front glass and seeing the dirty edges of the sand, I would agree with you, that does not look good. I designed the tank with this in mind. I can have up to 6" of sand in the tank without ever seeing the edges. There is a 6" plywood "lip" at the bottom.
Yes, I do want opinions and thank you for giving me yours. I don't get offended and read everything. I may agree or may not, but I don't mind getting all sides even if I don't agree.
uncleof6
Active member
Well I probably linked you to the wrong article.... fine line between genius and insanity......but Matt picked it up and touched the surface of it. You know I read all the time about people having out of control nitrate problems and such old ideas as coil and black box denitrators etc. The fastest-- most natural way, to control nitrates is with a deep sand bed, either with a plenum or without, and the life that can grow in and on them. It is partly aesthetic yes, but then again the ocean floor is not bare glass, so sand in the tank is as it should be, and as long as it is there, you might as well have it work for you, rather than against you. Part opinion? perhaps, a fact? yes.
Jim
james3370
Premium Member
i have this link stored in my "tank setup" links folder:
main site page: http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/index.html
1 ton $875 shipped: http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/onetonbucabe.html
hope that is useful
main site page: http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/index.html
1 ton $875 shipped: http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/onetonbucabe.html
hope that is useful
james3370
Premium Member
maybe order the $5 sample to see what ya think.....
http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/saofcabesa1.html
http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/saofcabesa1.html
MattShack
New member
I tested a sample to see what would happen.
As expected, it leached phosphate.
Source water (my regular tap water) is 0.5 ppm phosphate.
Test sample tested at 1.5 ppm phosphate.
I didn't test for anything else because this was enough for me not to consider it. I was kind of expecting this, but it is now confirmed.
Kenzy, you were right about the phosphate. I didn't test for nitrate. I can test it for nitrate if you're curious.
Jim, you were right about it also, as usual
Thanks for all of the input everyone.
As expected, it leached phosphate.
Source water (my regular tap water) is 0.5 ppm phosphate.
Test sample tested at 1.5 ppm phosphate.
I didn't test for anything else because this was enough for me not to consider it. I was kind of expecting this, but it is now confirmed.
Kenzy, you were right about the phosphate. I didn't test for nitrate. I can test it for nitrate if you're curious.
Jim, you were right about it also, as usual
Thanks for all of the input everyone.
redtop03
moved slow
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15529889#post15529889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MattShack
I tested a sample to see what would happen.
As expected, it leached phosphate.
Source water (my regular tap water) is 0.5 ppm phosphate.
Test sample tested at 1.5 ppm phosphate.
I didn't test for anything else because this was enough for me not to consider it. I was kind of expecting this, but it is now confirmed.
Kenzy, you were right about the phosphate. I didn't test for nitrate. I can test it for nitrate if you're curious.
Jim, you were right about it also, as usual
Thanks for all of the input everyone.
Matt,I wasn't sure before,but after reading this thread,I'm fairly certain that stuff wont work .........there's has to be 1 in every crowd,it's usually me :lol:
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