Lets see them DSB tanks!!!!

[Alysiak00]

Me too :'(

 

[Volturi21]

The main purpose of a DSB is primarily nitrate reduction and then I would probably say aesthetics. But you have to care for the DSB greatly. No more then 6 inches and no less then 4 inches. Fine grain sand and avoid the larger sand sifting organisms such as Sand Sifting stars.

 

[pbnj]

edit: I can't believe you are giving DSB advice and you've never even had one.

I think you're missing the big picture here....my sandbed wasn't all that deep and it still gave me problems.

 

[Volturi21]

I think you're missing the big picture here....my sandbed wasn't all that deep and it still gave me problems.

Maybe it wasn't deep enough. How deep was it?

 

[pbnj]

Maybe it wasn't deep enough. How deep was it?

About 2".

 

[outy]

This is a really good topic, I hope someone can come through with some outstanding tank shots to show the positives of DSB.

here ya go tank is 14 years old DSB gets love every 5 years, first pic is 4 years with no water change and no DSB maintanence at all. growth was amazing and water was always perfect.

second pic is the DSB in my 215g over 400lbs of sand

A DSB that is not messed with is a great nitrate reducer, they do have a 5 years shelf life but they wont crash your tank they only get loaded up and can slowly release phos and nitrates if they get to saturated. with maintenance they can last longer then 20 years like PaulB's tank.

the tank above at 4 years was still reducung nitrates and was far from being loaded up

 

[Volturi21]

About 2".

That's not a DSB tank lol

 

[R33f3r]

I did have one a while back. Biggest mistake I made. I didnt like the look of it, and it was a pita

BB all the way.

 

[davocean]

IMO a tank sandbed should be based on it's occupants rather than theories that are debated to no end.
A heavy flow sps tank is usually very shallow or bare to prevent sandstorms.
I keep sand dwelling nems, so I have always had DSB's of 5" or deeper.
In 25 years of keeping SW tanks I have never had one crash due to DSB.

 

[pbnj]

That's not a DSB tank lol

I know, I know....I never said I had a DSB! :crazy1:

 

[Alysiak00]

Wow. I'm just torn on what to do with my 45

 

[Alysiak00]

The will be up for 4 years probly

 

[Alysiak00]

The tank will be up for 4 years if it makes a difference

 

[pbnj]

No harm in experimenting.

You can start deep and always siphon sand out, but going shallow and then adding new sand on top of old wouldn't be good.

 

[Alysiak00]

Decisions decisions. Hey davocean, whats Ur dsb maintenance?

 

[ritter6788]

I have 2.
4-5 inches in my mantis tank

4-6 in my reef tank. It's a lot deeper in the back left corner where my engineer goby does his thing.

 

[Alysiak00]

Everyone says its bad in smaller tanks. What do u think, how's Ur corals doing, and what's Ur maintenance

 

[ritter6788]

I don't do any maintenance to my SB and I have a sandsifting starfish heading towards 3 years now. Maybe it will all fail horribly someday but I havn't had any trouble yet. There's sand in the ocean so I have sand in my tank.

 

[davocean]

Decisions decisions. Hey davocean, whats Ur dsb maintenance?

Nothing really.
I may lightly vac surface if dirty, and may replace some lost sand in small amounts once in a great while.
I'm a firm advocate in DSB(5"+) untouched, or shallow(1"or less) vac'd.
I'm not a fan of inbetween.
I use a clean up crew consisting of astrea and cerith snails, lots of them, and nothing else.

 

[Alysiak00]

Thank u. I think I might stick with it and see it through