going BB, do i have to have a RSB?

Mangodude

The Clown Tang Keeper!
I've narrowed the source of my phosphates down to my sand. I'd like to pull all of it but a small portion for my two wrasses. Its only bout an inch thick right now but can i pull almost all of it without having RSB? i've got nothing against an RSB but until i get the new sand I don't wanna keep phosphate logged sand around..

any input would be appreciated :)
 
Hi, I pulled out all of sand a couple of weeks ago and glad I did. While it looks clean it showed it was filthy when emptied out, the water that was sucked up with it was brown. Many of us are going bare bottom with the SPS tanks, and many have dropped remote sandbeds and refugiums. I use GFO and bio-pellets, occasionally carbon, I will be adding a dual chamber sulfur nitrate reactor soon (being built) and dropping bio-pellets. You should run a mininum of GFO for your tank.
 
thanks for the help :)

i do have a 50g refugium hooked up with a 50w led so there's some major biospace down there with nothing in it.. no pellets though
 
Ok, so now that i'm switching, do I pull it all at once? i've got a sandsifting goby so the sand stays pretty well aerated and the tank's only been up since april.. or should i start with half and then finish it in a few weeks?
 
Hi, in my 120, I had about 140 lb or so of sand, I took all I could get from front part of tank, via a 3/4 hose during water changes. I had to wait a couple of weeks to get help to take out 175 lbs of rock with 30 plus sps corals and took out rest at that time. I would take it all out at same time of you have the energy, a helper is great to have on hand.
 
Most people that I know who run barebottom displays in older tanks, (5 years plus) run remote dsb. Some run other remote areas of varying flow and light intensity for nutrient reduction. A lot of us have been doing it that way for a long time and see no reason to change to the more active management routines.
 
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