Modified DSB for Haddoni Species Tank

[KindCorals]

Im going to eventually setup a Haddoni species tank, probably 36-48" x 24-30" x 12-16" but there is a good chance that I may have to move the tank within a year or less of setting it up so I am looking at options for moving this tank fairly easily. I want to put some sort of DSB in so they can bury their 'foot' but DSB's require a lot of sand initially in a large tank which is a lot of effort and also not cheap. I was thinking that if I can find some sort of large sized reef-safe plastic blocks, I could bury these in the sand making sure to leave plenty of 'sand pockets' for anemones to settle. This would reduce the amount of sand needed to fill the DSB and also make it easier to move the tank when that time comes. I was also thinking I could use base rock if I can find it cheap enough but that would be a problem putting the rock into the new tank as Im sure it would cause a cycle if it had been buried under the sand for an extended period of time so plastic sounds better. Any ideas?

 

[bradleym]

Personally I would not suggest setting up a tank for Haddoni anemones if you will have to move it in less than a year. By the time it's ready for them you'll be planning to move it.

 

[KindCorals]

Personally I would not suggest setting up a tank for Haddoni anemones if you will have to move it in less than a year. By the time it's ready for them you'll be planning to move it.

I do agree with you and I will have a better idea if I will have to move or not. If there is not enough time I probably won't set it up.

Let's say I have more time, what would you suggest for my modified DSB?

 

[stickleback]

You could try tubs filled with sand.. Maybe not pretty, but would reduce the amount of sand and allow easy remove of the haddoni's when breaking down the tank to move. They will be attached to the base of the tubs and not the base of the tank.

 

[KindCorals]

You could try tubs filled with sand.. Maybe not pretty, but would reduce the amount of sand and allow easy remove of the haddoni's when breaking down the tank to move. They will be attached to the base of the tubs and not the base of the tank.

I like that idea and have seen something similar with LR stacked around it. It is difficult to make it natural looking with plastic tubs which is why I was thinking of something that could be buried.

I guess the issue with plastic blocks might be that they would want to float so that's another issue altogether.

 

[bradleym]

PVC piping doesn't float. Here's a thought:

Make a box the shape of your "DSB" out of half inch PVC and wrap it in window screen. Make it an inch smaller in each direction than what you want in your display.

Build "vases" out of 3 inch PVC with a short pipe and an end cap. Make them the same height as the box.

Set the vases under the box and cut a hole above each, but so the screen still overlaps the top of each pipe.

Fill the pipes with sand and pour sand around, then on the whole box.

Then when it's good and ready, "plant" the Haddonis in the "vases".

If you do it right you can put enough support into the box top that you can set rocks on it and everything.

I would like to point out that if you do any kind of real DSB you will have to wash any sand you disturb, so even if you bury rocks or plastics you will still have a ton of sand to wash or pitch, and you will be basically restarting the tank like new unless you have a lot of rock in it.

 

[KindCorals]

PVC piping doesn't float. Here's a thought:

Make a box the shape of your "DSB" out of half inch PVC and wrap it in window screen. Make it an inch smaller in each direction than what you want in your display.

Build "vases" out of 3 inch PVC with a short pipe and an end cap. Make them the same height as the box.

Set the vases under the box and cut a hole above each, but so the screen still overlaps the top of each pipe.

Fill the pipes with sand and pour sand around, then on the whole box.

Then when it's good and ready, "plant" the Haddonis in the "vases".

If you do it right you can put enough support into the box top that you can set rocks on it and everything.

I would like to point out that if you do any kind of real DSB you will have to wash any sand you disturb, so even if you bury rocks or plastics you will still have a ton of sand to wash or pitch, and you will be basically restarting the tank like new unless you have a lot of rock in it.

Sounds like a good idea but Im a little confused. Will the inside of this box be filled with water mostly? If so, I would be worried about this water becoming stagnate and polluted.

I realize that I would probably have to pitch the sand when I moved which is why I was trying to figure out a way to minimize the amount of sand used.

Is window screen going to be safe long term in salt water?

This is a bit off topic but I've read you can use AstroTurf in a tank too but wouldnt this deteriorate and leech chemicals into the water after a while like the window screen might?

 

[downbeach]

I have a PLTA, which is best with a 6" - 7" dsb. I used a section of a 5 gallon bucket to elevate the DSB to 7".

 

[KindCorals]

I have a PLTA, which is best with a 6" - 7" dsb. I used a section of a 5 gallon bucket to elevate the DSB to 7".

Were you able to make it look natural? Do you have a pic you can post?