Fully encrusted BB SPS tanks

[mc-cro]

Lets see them-

I am considering removing my DSB and going full BB, but neither the wife or I are very fond of the sterile looking bottom of a typical barebottom.

I want to see some mature, encrusted tank bottoms that look as good as sand.

 

[ozzyvega]

I have a shallow sandbed, and I'm considering the same thing. Hopefully you get some replies so I can look as well.

 

[glaukos]

that's mine
it's bb for about a year now.love the easy cleaning
it was fully encrusted in 4-5 months

 

[fishmanstan]

^ isn't that sand? Where's the entrusting?

 

[glaukos]

not a single spot of sand fishmanstan.it's the light that makes it look like this.
you can get a better picture if you focus to the right side of the tank

 

[glaukos]

double post,sorry

 

[glaukos]

another pic,sorry for the bad quallity,cellphone photos

 

[brad65ford]

Would like to see more about your tank glaukos, looks great!

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Very nice acropora reef!

 

[fishmanstan]

I see now. Sorry for misunderstanding.

 

[mc-cro]

nice tank glaukos. the bottom does look white like sand. The ease of cleaning, and removing all the detritus is what I really like about going barebottom.

any one else, any one have monti's or zoo's or something completely covering the bottom?

 

[geldof]

I have some LPS and montis starting to encrust my starboard, but nothing near full yet.

One nice thing about the BB has been getting to see what develops on all that extra real estate

I would love to see some pics of fully encrusted coral bottoms, as well.

 

[glaukos]

brad65ford,chaotic reefer4u,mc-ro i really apreciate your comments
you made my day!happy you liked it even a little bit!

fishmanstan no prob! a lot of my friends gets confused because of my bad pics

i will soon show some details about it,it's a very simple tank

for some time i did leave some zoas and encrusting modis but they need a lot of
circulation otherwise a lot of detritus build up on the corals and its very difficult
to clean

 

[sahin]

Mc-cro: what is the reason for taking out your sand bed?

I started my tank recently and it's BB. I like being able to have lots of water flow. I don't have my camera around so can't post photos...but it's only got 4 frags and looks cr@p anyway at moment.

For the sake of diversity I would prefer to have a sand bed. But due to Dinos previously I just reset the tank with no sand.

I have a few spots,of purple corraline algae so hopefully the bottom will be covered fully in anther 6-8 months.

Glaucos your tank look beautiful. What are your nitrate levels and how do you manage nitrates?

 

[mc-cro]

I enjoy the look of sand and I enjoy some of the critters in the sand bed. I have a goby that shares a den with 2 pistols, a jawfish, and several wrasse, that all love the sand.

My frag tank and my sump are completely bare bottom, and I love the ability to simply siphon out the detritus and nutrients. I would prefer to remove nutrients before they become a problem, rather than try and manage nutrient accumulation becuase they cant be removed because they are buried in the sand.

 

[mc-cro]

I enjoy the look of sand and I enjoy some of the critters in the sand bed. I have a goby that shares a den with 2 pistols, a jawfish, and several wrasse, that all love the sand.

My frag tank and my sump are completely bare bottom, and I love the ability to simply siphon out the detritus and nutrients. I would prefer to remove nutrients before they become a problem, rather than try and manage nutrient accumulation becuase they cant be removed because they are buried in the sand.

 

[sahin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCMwseoP5gY

Not sure if that link will work, but that is the best BB tank I've ever come across. The bottom does look like a frag station with all the chalice frags, but if it weren't for that and they let the a few corals grow, the bottom would look as awesome as the rest of the tank.

 

[Epicreefer]

I've done the bb before and while it's nice to have high flow I personaly don't like the look, even when encrusted with coraline. I think it has something to do with the black tank lip being taller than the bottom. My ideas for my new tank include something like starboard, white acrylic or smaller tiles as a base to allow for mounting frags on the bottom but still be removable. Also I've looked into the epoxy and sand mix in a thin layer, looks like sand but is solid. Might go that route but it's a bit more permanent.

 

[edsreef]

I've done the bb before and while it's nice to have high flow I personaly don't like the look, even when encrusted with coraline. I think it has something to do with the black tank lip being taller than the bottom. My ideas for my new tank include something like starboard, white acrylic or smaller tiles as a base to allow for mounting frags on the bottom but still be removable. Also I've looked into the epoxy and sand mix in a thin layer, looks like sand but is solid. Might go that route but it's a bit more permanent.

I did a tile grout bottom in my current tank; looks like sand but doesn't blow around with mega-high current.

 

[TheReefKeeper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCMwseoP5gY

Not sure if that link will work, but that is the best BB tank I've ever come across. The bottom does look like a frag station with all the chalice frags, but if it weren't for that and they let the a few corals grow, the bottom would look as awesome as the rest of the tank.

I've seen this tank in person around the time the video was taken it is no doubt one of the best bare bottoms I've also seen.