Deep Sand Bed -- Anatomy & Terminology

[tmz]

Thanks,tastydog.

 

[OrangeCrazy]

Pcitures of my refugia/sand bed set ups and tanks are in the link at the end of this post.

I do not think remote dsbs are very efficient. Footprint is more important than depth in my opinion

In my experience , algae exudate fouls a bed under chaeto rather quickly and is messy. I use bare bottom or rock bottom under chaeto refugia for easier maintenance. I also use a deep sand bed 7 inches deepx 36 long x 24 high with about 5 inches of live rock on top to create advective flow(upwellling) uder and aroud the rock. Extra live rock is also kept in ambient light in the sump. Two crytic zones with extra live rock are also in play.

I hope this posts right as this is the first time I've tried to quote another's post in one of my posts.

Anyways... Tom you have a beautiful set up! I would LOVE to have access to a basement that I could use for a filtration set up like yours! I'm stuck with a 10 foot wall (including my display tank). :sad2: I very much appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and help me set up the best sytem possible.

 

[OrangeCrazy]

TMZ:

Well the above post was my first attempt at quoting another post in one of my posts and it looks like it didn't quite work out. My last post was my response to yours.

 

[OrangeCrazy]

Capn Hylinur:

Thanks for your post as well. It helps to see a beatiful tank with the same dimensions!I appreciate the pics on your refuge/tank set up! I have a question about the plastic boxes you are using for your some of it. How do you keep them from breaking/cracking after a while? I tried using some plastic boxes (similar to yours) for long term water storage but the bottom always cracked and leaked.

 

[Apparition]

Chaeto question for you DSB guys. One of the benefits of chaeto I always assumed was that you could prune it and feed it to your grazers in the DT, but from what I'm reading about the phosphate and nitrate bound in the chaeto, this would just be reintroducing it into your tank instead of pruning it and removing it completely from the system along with the excess nutrients. Is this true? If so, then I assume you could still use chaeto to feed the tank, but just a smaller percentage of what you trim. Or through digestion and eventual skimming, would it not have an effect to feed to the tank?

Thanks for the help!

 

[tmz]

Chaetomorpha would not have significantly more N and P than other foods. When eaten like all foods that N and P not converted to tissue mass is expelled.

 

[OrangeCrazy]

TheFishMan65:

TheFishMan65:

OrangeCrazy, since it is custom can you do two layers? Rig a small tank for the cheato that sits on top of (and spill into maybe) the DSB. I have read mixed articles, but IMO from my reading cheato on top of the sandbed is bad becuse you get too much detritus. I know others may/will disagree, but hey everyone has an opinion. You could even paint the dank black to block the light.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have thought about making the Chaeto portion a "tank within a tank" that rests above the RDSB to help keep the detritus from the Chaeto out of the RDSB. Though from the posts/articles that I've read most reefers put LR on top of the RDSB and Chaeto on top and don't seem to have problems with it. It seems that a good CUC is the key to ridding the RDSB of detritus. I anticipate that this will be my final selection but am still researching.

 

[TheFishMan65]

I have been working on a redesign (6mo - 1year). I considered this option, but will be going with the bio pellets for nitrogen and phosphate removal. Note that the pellets get rid of 2 things rather than just one. I don't mean to side track this thread so I will post some links and leave it at that.
Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product
N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)
Instant Ocean Biopolymer Nitrate Reducer
NP Biopellets at Aquarium Specialty...
Biopellets and Two Fishies Reactor?
If you have question some one on one of those thread will be happy to answer. There are some generic bead available (maybe), but not of testing with those yet.

 

[tastydog]

I prefer the natural solution - However, those N/P pellets do seem very interesting and some day, I might give them a try. For now, chaeto is free!

Good side note though for sure. Thanks for the share.

 

[rivoth]

Something important is missing from the main diagrams. All of those thousands of critters living in the sand bed also reproduce, which puts nutritiuos live food in the form of larvae back into the water column for corals to feed upon. That's one of the reasons why the sand bed is best in the display tank, that plus the sand fauna need direct access to the excess food and waste products.

 

[Aquarist007]

Capn Hylinur:

Thanks for your post as well. It helps to see a beatiful tank with the same dimensions!I appreciate the pics on your refuge/tank set up! I have a question about the plastic boxes you are using for your some of it. How do you keep them from breaking/cracking after a while? I tried using some plastic boxes (similar to yours) for long term water storage but the bottom always cracked and leaked.

Thanks orange crazy.

I have had the plastic totes for 4 years now without a problem. If you are storing ro/di water in them that can be a problem as the ro/di water is a very reactive substance and it can break down the plastics in totes and plastic garbage cans if stored for a long time.

 

[Aquarist007]

Chaetomorpha would not have significantly more N and P than other foods. When eaten like all foods that N and P not converted to tissue mass is expelled.

chaeto is not a good macro algae to feed fish---especially tangs. Their digestive systems can have problems with it

Chaeto is much more effective at uptaking nitrates and phosphates from the system then it is a food for fish.
By harvesting it regularly and removing it from the system you are also removing the nitrates and phosphates that it has remove from the system.

 

[Aquarist007]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have thought about making the Chaeto portion a "tank within a tank" that rests above the RDSB to help keep the detritus from the Chaeto out of the RDSB. Though from the posts/articles that I've read most reefers put LR on top of the RDSB and Chaeto on top and don't seem to have problems with it. It seems that a good CUC is the key to ridding the RDSB of detritus. I anticipate that this will be my final selection but am still researching.

They do??:lmao:

 

[Aquarist007]

I have been working on a redesign (6mo - 1year). I considered this option, but will be going with the bio pellets for nitrogen and phosphate removal. Note that the pellets get rid of 2 things rather than just one. I don't mean to side track this thread so I will post some links and leave it at that.
Warner Marine Now Has A Pellet Product
N/P reducing pellets (solid vodka dosing)
Instant Ocean Biopolymer Nitrate Reducer
NP Biopellets at Aquarium Specialty...
Biopellets and Two Fishies Reactor?
If you have question some one on one of those thread will be happy to answer. There are some generic bead available (maybe), but not of testing with those yet.

thanks for the links---I have been following that topic however
the pellets do work but they are more of an expensive option to a good refugium:thumbsup:

 

[tmz]

Hey Scpott I don't feed teh chaeto tomy fish but otheres do. I've not heard about teh digestive issue. Do you have something I can reference on it.

 

[tmz]

Anyways... Tom you have a beautiful set up!

Thankyou Orangecrazy.

 

[Aquarist007]

Hey Scpott I don't feed teh chaeto tomy fish but otheres do. I've not heard about teh digestive issue. Do you have something I can reference on it.

There was a thread on here a long time ago--more around the fact that the tangs can't break down the strings and find it hard to crap it out sometimes

Pardon me for asking but what's with all the typo's in your post--have we had a few brown pops tonight:lmao::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[tmz]

Ha, Just tired I guess. Sorry I usually do better. Thanks for the info.

 

[lolgranny]

tagged

 

[Paul B]

Ha, Just tired I guess. Sorry I usually do better. Thanks for the info.

Tom, R U kiding? I lve the way U writ