My BB - thinking of SSB?

crichard6069

crichard6069

New member
I'm currently cycling a new 75g tank.. I've got a few years in the hobby but this is the first time I've ever gone bare bottom... with that said, I think I might be having second thoughts...

I don't want to go with a DSB because of the potential "issues" with it (and i've already gone down that road before)...

What about an SSB? Thoughts on that? Or should I just suck it up and stick with BB? ;)
 
Like you, I had issues with my DSB, went BB and couldn't be happier. Dont' have a spot of algae in my tank and after the issue's I experienced with the DSB. All of my detrius collects in one spot and I simply siphon it out when I do my weekly water changes. Going BB also allowed me to increase and vary my flow and I'm sure my husbandry has gotten better as I can actually see where the bad stuff is to remove.

I love the look of a sand bottom, just didn't have the skill or knowledge to make it look like some of the DSB tanks you see on RC.

If it is what you want, I suggest you try BB and see how it goes. I think it's easier to add a SSB if you want later as opposed to removing one later on.
 
Personally i like SSB because its a more natural look, theres a place for worms etc. and for fish such as wrasse to bury themselves. But its really a matter of preference.
 
I guess my frustration with it is that I'm having trouble siphoning out the "dust" that I can see under my rocks and such. My big fat siphon tube doesn't fit in those places. What do people do? Just leave that be? Or use a small airline hose?
 
I've always had SSB and like it too much to change from it. The nice thing about SSB is that you can take out some sand, clean it and put it back into the tank. That or rip out the sand in about 2-3 years, clean it out, and put it back in.

When you set up your rocks, remember to set them in the tank without sand (It's a good precaution with whatever sand style you go with), then put the sand in.

You get the best of both worlds IMO. :)
 
I think that if your going to add sand, don't half a$$ it. If your worried about what can accumulate in a DSB, a SSB is not that far off. BB might be a better option.

JMO.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12370242#post12370242 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crichard6069
I guess my frustration with it is that I'm having trouble siphoning out the "dust" that I can see under my rocks and such. My big fat siphon tube doesn't fit in those places. What do people do? Just leave that be? Or use a small airline hose?
Click to expand...

Get some flow under there.
 
crichard6069, I agree with Pito. Move your powerheads to get everything accumulating in one spot that is accessable. Takes me about one gallon of siphoning to get it all.
 
OK.. I've ordered up two Koralia 4's along with a sureflow 1600 for my MJ... Right now my flow is definitely lacking because I'm using the powerheads from my 24g aquapod.. Should make a difference -- hopefully I'll be getting live stock in there at some point soon!
 
I'm with a 100% of what tcollins said.

If you have trouble siphoning out the "dust" as you put it, All you got to do is use a small powerhead and blow all the "dust" to the front of the tank then siphon it out. I use a MJ 1200 and a 12" pice of 1/2'' tubing to get all the stuff from under the rocks to the front of my tank. It's what I do and my BB is spot-less.

You can also place a powerhead under the rocks and that will help keep it clean. I have a powerhead on one side of my tank under the rocks and that side always stays clean. I need to get another one for the other side.
 
As long as your rock is somewhat elevated off the bottom (at least a little bit and hopefully you planned it that way and placed the rocks up on points to minimize contact with the bottom) you can just attatch a MJ1200 to the rear glass down low in the tank hidden behind a rock and have it aiming straight down (using a magnetic holder) and put it on a timer so that once or twice a day it kicks on for 10 minutes and you won't believe how much crap will be blown up into the water column and into your filter sock.
I just did this on a 24 inch wide tank and it blows the bottom almost totally clean in seconds- no vacuuming need only occasionaly to get a small pile of rubble up that settles in the front corner. I am still amazed at how much detritus (poop) all the little critters that live in the rock make every day and the dust cloud never fails to amaze every time the pump turns on.
Admittedly the esthetics of the sandbed are missed but this BB method seems to be a great way to avoid building up the nasyy sandbed.
You may need 2 powerheads in a 4 foot tank and a pair of MJ900's would be great (cheaper and run much cooler and efficient) and they actually add greatly to the dynamics of the flow from your other powerheads since the flow is diffused off the bottom and not linear like normally oriented powerheads. Also normal powerheads, unless very powerful, do not tend to get the detritus on the bottom around the rockwork in suspension, especially the flow from Koralis that tends to be very diffuse.
Try it first and the worst that happens is you dump in some medium course sand later on if you don't like it. But I bet you love the simplicty and ease of the BBottom. Just have to clean the filter socks every couple days as they fill up with nasty stuff quickly.
 
Great idea with the power head! My plan right now is to have the two Koralia 4's as my primary water movers, and then I was going to stick my MJ 1200 in the back behind the rocks aimed to push water the length of the tank. It's a good idea pointing it straight down. I also have an extra MJ 900 that I could put on the other side of the tank to do the same. I'll give that a shot and see what happens.

For the standard powerheads, I was planning on putting the Koralia's at opposite ends of the tank and point them towards each other to generate some "random" water flow. Does that seem to make sense?
 
Do Nassarius Snails do well in a BB tank? I've had plenty in my DSB tanks, but they always bury themselves in the sand.

What do people typically use for a cleanup crew in a BB?
 
That's the nice thing about a BB- you don't need dozens of assorted critters to clean it up (and poop it back out) since there will be almost nothing on the bottom to clean up. Use a turkey baster or powerhead weekly to blow any remaining deritus off your rockwork to end up in your filter sock. Remember you can always dump in sand later if you don't like the BB but you probably won't LOL.
 
capnHylinur- that's a very good article promoting sandbeds and makes me question even further if I'm doing the right thing.

With that said, I'm scared to death of a "sandbed crash" - When I moved to my new house and had to break down my previous saltwater tank I was AMAZED at the horrid stench of the sandbad. That in itself made me start looking at different options.

Additionally, that article is from 2003. Today, I see more and more information promoting the use of a BB over a sandbed.

I honestly didn't mean to steer this thread into the "BB vs DSB" thread.. I got through that battle all of the time still. :) haha...
 
I've had both types of systems BB and SB. For long term success it's BB all da way....

Each person has his own way, to the final goal. I know BB will last longer...

DSCN2077.jpg


before.jpg


You can decide...

Happy Reefing
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Help with Overflow Design Issue
Replies
0
Views
144
SFMAquariums
S
S
Overskimming on New Protein Skimmer
Replies
2
Views
145
wvned
wvned
S
Small Sump Leak - Worth fixing?
Replies
1
Views
123
griss
griss
Q
Which mini snail for artemia tank?
Replies
2
Views
180
griss
griss
R
some random questions
Replies
1
Views
228
SantaMonica
S
Back
Top