(First Reef Tank Ever) **** 600gal Display **** 1300gal System

[jnarowe]

Touchy subject Bart so here is my 2 cents:

Sand beds can be beneficial if regular maint. is performed. Without that, it is my opinion that there is an element of risk involving nutrient build up. There are many people that disagree!

Sand-sifting creatures do not "clean" the sand but rather eat the benthic organisms within the sand bed and therefore are actually detrimental in relation to using sand as filtration zone. I would not use any myself.

In order to maintain a sand bed, I would make damn sur eit is fully accessible with no rocks etc. to block your view or ability to vacuum. I would remove and replace about 1/3 of the bed every six months. This helps to consistently provide new material for organism growth and nutrient absorption.

I would not swap sand or do any maintanance on the sand bed while it is in circulation. I would make sure that the bed can be completely isolated.

So, keep in mind this is my opnion based on personal experience and a lot of research. There are many successful DSB tanks around the World, so obviously it can be done that way as well. My opinion is that increases the risk of system failure and requires advanced reef keeping knowledge as well as various methods to keep nutrients in check.

 

[cbui2]

just what i thought, that regular maintenence of sand bed similar to main display will have to be performed. yeah i dont rely on critters to do the job . guess if the system is running fine and nothing broken no need to fix it.

 

[jnarowe]

we can discuss it more by PM or phone if you like. I have the benefit of a really top-tier mentor.

 

[cbui2]

ok took some pics, but there're not the best so enjoy. every time i get ready to ordered a real camera, i end up with coral orders instead . this week shipment coming in on Friday will contain 15 pc's SPS and 7 LPS. this tank is taking forever to stock up and besides i really need to get my calcium and kalk reactor online as these corals are depleting my calcium and alk pretty fast, almost double the dosage in the past 3 weeks since tons of corals have been added lately.

Left

Middle

Right

Full Tank Shot

 

[tbone28]

Looking great, Bart! How big is your desjardini? He looks pretty big in that pic.

 

[Reeftanks6]

Great pictures Bart! Cant wait to see the new additions to this wonderful tank.

 

[mpoletti]

The fish are looking much better Bart. How long have you had the OS tang?

 

[old95er]

BEAUTIFUL! And what a nice family!

I just tuned in my calcium reactor, and I have ONE sps as compared to your load. . .also a much smaller system. . .your tank is as deep as mine is wide!

 

[danskim]

Beautiful! I like how it's very diverse. Where'd you order the new corals from?

 

[danskim]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12065370#post12065370 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jnarowe
Sand-sifting creatures do not "clean" the sand but rather eat the benthic organisms within the sand bed and therefore are actually detrimental in relation to using sand as filtration zone. I would not use any myself.

I know for sure that sand sifting stars eat organisms in the sand like spaghetti worms and stuff, but I think that some cucumbers just eat decaying or organic material on the sand bed. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I have 3 from the Caribbean, and they seem to do a good job of pooping out clean sand

I found this with a google search:
"Sea cucumbers are generally scavengers, feeding on debris in the benthic zone of the ocean. The diet of most cucumbers consists of plankton and decaying organic matter found in the sea. Some sea cucumbers position themselves in currents and catch food that flows by with their open tentacles. They may also sift through the bottom sediments using their tentacles. Sea Cucumbers live in Tropical Reefs."

 

[cbui2]

thanks guys as some of the new SPS i bought from past couple weeks still trying to colored up. hard to see from an old point and click camera as i will upgrade a new one soon when its filled with SPS .

tbone - 6" desjardini and OS is the fastest growing

Reeftanks6 - thanks as i will continue to order bi-weekly to finished most of the collection

Marko9 - took me awhile to get the fish right and still have my finger crossed for PBT. i bought the OS 4 months ago size of quarter and now he's over 5" about 1/2" thick, which provides tons of foods :lol:

 

[i2ik]

looking grat Bart! Your PBT looks really healthy IMO, you should check out mine, he is about 2" and very skinny!

I also think that after having your 15 SPS and 7 LPS coming, your tank will be quite full You will definitly need your CA reactor up and running asap!

 

[jnarowe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12080043#post12080043 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danskim
I know for sure that sand sifting stars eat organisms in the sand like spaghetti worms and stuff, but I think that some cucumbers just eat decaying or organic material on the sand bed. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I have 3 from the Caribbean, and they seem to do a good job of pooping out clean sand

The problem with this statement is that they also poop out waste. They may utilize decaying matter for nutrition, but they still produce waste. I don't know enough about these creatures to definitively state what they burn and what they excrete, but I do know that the way they are sold in the hobby is very misleading.

Many of them may be just in the same category as bristleworms and perhaps misunderstood, but to say they "clean" the sand is a bit suspicious to me.

And eating "plankton" as a dietary supplement is in fact eating benthic organisms within the sand bed. I am not saying that people shouldn't use some of these animals in their systems, but just that a more educated approach in general is needed with respect to sand sifting/cleaning animals.

I would much prefer to house cucumbers than sand-sifting sea stars for sure.

 

[cbui2]

old95er - thanks as my wife do all the work while i take care of the reef

danskim - thanks as i dont know what most of the SPS are called. most of them are purchased through wholesaler which have no website. i have about 100 nassarius, 100 astrea, 100 cerith, 20 fighting conch which are about 3" now, 2 sand shifting star, 1 orange and blue linckia starfish. moonlights are turn off completely 4 days weekly where nassarius, conch, and cerith clean the sand bed very well leaving little detritus where i siphon out the rest monthly.

 

[cbui2]

Richard they eat like pigs as long nobody in the display to stir up trouble, had QT using hypo 6 weeks then 2 more weeks slowly bringing up parameter using main display water before entering main display. PBT was added along with sailfin at the same time. orange shoulder was added next then yellow tang and kole blue spotted tang. so far i have only 5 tangs in my display, these guys have a better home than me :lol: . i will need to install calcium and kalk reactor very soon, just need to finished my fence and patio first .

 

[old95er]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12080339#post12080339 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cbui2
old95er - thanks as my wife do all the work while i take care of the reef

She is an angel, then! We all give in our own special way. Love is the answer!

 

[Jar*Head]

You are a very lucky man Bart. If i go straight to the tank after i get home from work, my wife would add couple cups of Bleach in my tank as well as my food

 

[cbui2]

Steve, i do spend some time with them when i get home about 9pm, by then my two older kids are getting ready for bed. of course the 2 younger ones stay up with me till 2am playing wii and watching the good night show or family guy .

 

[Bax]

Bart

I am liking the way your tank is filling in! Looks good!

Love the orange shoulder tang!

... and is that sail fin as big as he looks!

 

[tbone28]

Bart, how do you service the middle of your tank? Can you reach that far?