Did I screw up? Sand bed...

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7194004#post7194004 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JerseyReef


The high flow levels that are reached in BB are for one purpose only. Suspend the detritus as along as possible and hope it gets to the skimmer via the overflow. High high flow is needed in any system, not to the levels seen in the BB setups.

While the merits of a larger, bigger, better skimmer has it's place in any system. Nobody is advocating the use of Seaclone over a beckett or similar type of skimmer. Some of the skimmers on the market now cost over $4K. Is that cost justified? I'm just not sure that a $4K skimmer is worth the money. My modified Remora Pro works great and only cost me ~$200

Didnt realize the barebottom guys had such rediculous clean up crews.

As to flow, I've got about 75x turnover in my sand bed tank, and I think its a huge help. Everything stays suspended. Yeah, the DSB is processing things, but not enough that its going to fill up.

As to skimmer cost, I said a big skimmer, not an expensive skimmer. The really expensive skimmer, 90% of what you are paying is so that its pretty. BK uses acrylic that costs 500+ per foot on some of its skimmers, when they could build the body for <$20 if they used a different plastic. But NOOOO...people want fancy acrylic skimmers.


That being said, I see too many people stating that the reason that BB are better than DSB is because DSB tanks have small skimmers and low flow, and that drives me nuts.

People need to realize that a reef tank is a reeftank, and BB and DSB are a lot more similar than they think. EXPORT EXPORT EXPORT!

 

[JerseyReef]

Rich - You and I are on the same page, we're just talking past our points. :thumbsup:

 

[Myka]

You guys have excellent points (which are pretty much exactly the same as eachother - LOL) that make sense to me! How do you guys achieve these really high flows rates? Numerous PHs? Sump pumps?

So, I can get away with taking the two bags of the 1-2mm sand back, and trading for the one bag of 0.5-1mm sand, but I can't return it all, as some was credit! SO... I'll have 15lbs of the 0.5-1mm. Should I get this stuff for the Aragamax Sugar Sand (0.2-1.2mm) for the rest of my sand bed??? Is that the right stuff???

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/substrate.php?product_ID=cs-amax30

 

[Myka]

OK, so I took the sand back, and hidden under some crushed coral I found a bunch of bags of SeaChem Meridian Oolitic Aragonite sand 0.25-0.5 mm, so I traded my bags for two bags of this.

So... is THIS the right stuff???

 

[Myka]

bumpy!

Meridian Oolitic good for DSB?

 

[JerseyReef]

Myka - Oolitic sand IMO and IME is one of the best sands for a DSB and should be the foundation of it. This size sand makes up about 90% of my DSB

 

[Myka]

Excellent! Thank you! What makes up the other 10%?

 

[JerseyReef]

Read one of my earlier posts in this thread. I give the mixture I use

 

[Myka]

Oh right... I forgot that was you.