Dsb's work, what makes them work best?

[npaden]

Thanks for the kind words on the tank. It has been through some tough times but I'm happy with it.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452712#post6452712 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by J_Geisinger000
how are you getting that much flow without creating a sand storm?

Im getting ready to start an sps only tank and I want a sandbed but was thinking of going bb because of the amount of flow I will have

Having a 10 foot long tank helps some on keeping the flow from hitting the opposite wall and slamming back down to the sand.

I use tunze streams and try to limit the output of my closed loop and return pump to under 5 feet per second.

At one point the sand in my tank was pretty much evenly across the tank. The flow in the tank over the years has distributed the sand out of the more high flow center of the tank and piled it up on the ends of the tank. The sand on the ends of the tank is about 8" deep now and the sand in the middle is only around 2" deep.

Again, I think high flow is a key to a successful tank, regardless of the sediment.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[sradmin]

Wow, so many variables to quantify- Why some dsb tanks "fail" and why others thrive. It's just so difficult to know exactly what's happening within any given area of a sand bed. A search of RC will yield many DSB crash stories that don't appear to be caused by improper husbandry and/or improper set-up. Maybe it would help to identify possible variables between long-term successful dsb tanks and ones that have had problems?

 

[kbmdale]

nathan your tank looks great, what kinda light are you running it looks a little more yellow than ussual.

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452621#post6452621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barryhc


Then there would be "Dysfunctional", This might apply to JoeFish's tank, I'm not sure. We might also call this "Failed". It certainly needs some type of description. It sounds like everything is dying or in "decline".

Then there is the "crash". I think that this applies to "Uncontrollable Algae".

Let's have people chime in here, ans we will try to put together good definitions.

Joe, please tell us more about the failure. The picture sure looks nice.

Thanks > barryhc

Don't look at the coral , look at the algae behind it .
The problem is that brown hair/turf algae.

No losses , colors was alright .

I could not get that algae to receed at all . I would have to scrape it out of the way to glue on a frag .

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452641#post6452641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
And with Joe's tank, which is mostly SPS from what I can see, why was the algae bad? Keeping the corals from growing? From spreading on the rocks? Actually invading the skeletal structure of the coral? I'm anxious to hear more Joe

It would keep Frags from gatting a good hold on the rock , other then that nothing ..


A ps to all of this is everything seemed to grow very slow .

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452864#post6452864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Airman
Joe,
How did your tank fail? Algae growing on rock is natural.

Coralin or film yes , not this kind .

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452654#post6452654 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barryhc
ME TOO!!!

Tell us a little more about the failure, and how we might deal with these definitions.

I have not had a failure, but some people have, and it can't be dealt with unless the bad experiences are considered as well.

Thanks JoeFish! > barryhc

My definition of:

Crash = sudden deaths that occure fast .

Failed= not working right.

 

[bertoni]

I've seen a tank that had a similar turf algae problem, and I don't recall it being a DSB tank. I'm not sure that this problem is a DSB problem per se, but it could be more like an Aiptasa problem: an invasive species that happens to do well in our ecosystems. A natural predator of the various turf algae might help. I'm not convinced a DSB would necessarily help or hurt in this type of situation. Hard to say.

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452701#post6452701 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by npaden
I guess my 4 1/2 year old high flow SPS dominated DSB tank is inappropriate then?

No not inappropriate , but set up correctly .


Very nice by the way .

 

[kbmdale]

lighting has alot to do with growth as well...WHat kinda lighting are you running JOE. I have learned on my own and from paulb's tank threads that it seems that letting some algae grow actually helps the tank more than it hurts. Are you running a fuge?

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6452886#post6452886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
but that may or may not have anything to do with the dsb...there is no way to know, and the sand seems to be the easiest thing to blame...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453218#post6453218 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bertoni
I've seen a tank that had a similar turf algae problem, and I don't recall it being a DSB tank. I'm not sure that this problem is a DSB problem per se, but it could be more like an Aiptasa problem: an invasive species that happens to do well in our ecosystems. A natural predator of the various turf algae might help. I'm not convinced a DSB would necessarily help or hurt in this type of situation. Hard to say.

I must put in my discaimer now

( I believe DSB can work , I am not advocating anyone to follow in my foot steps )

The reason I know it was the DSB is simple .

First I removed the DSB in the refugium , I noticed a slow down in the alage growth .

Then I removed the refugium all together and it slowed down a lot more , but still not receeding

Then I removed the DSB in the tank .

And finaly I had it receeding .

Through this I believe my DSB failed .

Through the time of the DSB I had 0 NO3 , after I had a trace but the algae was leaving .

This is my DSB failure story and not ment to have anyone go BB . DSB can work mine just failed and I don't know why .

this was a few days after the change over .

and a month later

4 months later

 

[kbmdale]

Well that would lead me to the same conclusion...Good proof of the failure. Now what could you have done differently that might have kept it from happening or proloned the issue. Any ideas?

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453239#post6453239 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
lighting has alot to do with growth as well...WHat kinda lighting are you running JOE. I have learned on my own and from paulb's tank threads that it seems that letting some algae grow actually helps the tank more than it hurts. Are you running a fuge?

The lighting was always 250w MH's .

I was .

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453339#post6453339 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
Well that would lead me to the same conclusion...Good proof of the failure. Now what could you have done differently that might have kept it from happening or proloned the issue. Any ideas?

That's why I'm here .:lol:

 

[J_Geisinger000]

wow joe those corals look like they grew from the one month pic to the 4 month pic

 

[kbmdale]

Joe how deep was the sandbed, how old was the sandbed, and what kinda of sand? Might help with the resolution.

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453398#post6453398 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by J_Geisinger000
wow joe those corals look like they grew from the one month pic to the 4 month pic

Thanks ,and yes they did . That is another reason I feel my DSB failed . I also think the increase of flow helped the growth . With a 4' tank , too much flow and sand don't mix well .

I want to know what I was doing wrong with DSB . It's frustrating to see others do it right and I couldn't . Plus Id rather look at sand then SB .

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453420#post6453420 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
Joe how deep was the sandbed, how old was the sandbed, and what kinda of sand? Might help with the resolution.

South down , between 4-5" .

It was close to 2 yrs when I changed it out .

 

[kbmdale]

That sounds about right, maybe it ran its course. I winder if you had replaced it with another dsb if the problem would have been solved like it was by removing it. 2 years is actually pretty good on a dsb from alot you read on this site. Did you ever syphon or stir it?

 

[joefish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6453532#post6453532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kbmdale
That sounds about right, maybe it ran its course. I winder if you had replaced it with another dsb if the problem would have been solved like it was by removing it. 2 years is actually pretty good on a dsb from alot you read on this site. Did you ever syphon or stir it?

Well I was battling the algae for close to a year so I got one good year out of it .

I still went wrong somewhere .

I would siphon anything that didn't look pure white and I stired the rest .