Ok, how many of you converted from DSB to BB

[eboonaman]

ok don't want a debate here on the pro's and con of DSB...
just wondering how many of you switched over to bare bottom and besides aesthetics have you found anything negative about converting over?
also has anyone just went semi bb (just a coating of sand over the bottom? )

I'm upgrading from a 55g DSB to a 120 and looking into the future ( and avoiding a potential crash in years to come) I was wondering if BB was the way to start out.
thanks for the input...
chuck

 

[MIKE NY]

hey Chuck..I converted last summer...I took out alittle at at time down to just a thin layer for the looks, but it's easier to maintain after it's totally BB for siponing and no sandstorms with stronger currents. After a few months the glass bottom was covered anyway....just becareful with the rockwork..nothing to protect the bottom anymore...

 

[eboonaman]

thanks Mike,
I was reviewing a bb thread, and the before and after pictures were remakable, expecially with the SPS colors. I have no luck what's so ever with SPS so I thought I give it a try, I figured if it didn't work it would be easier to add sand to the tank then take it out .

Also do you use a fuge? if so with a sandbed or just microalgae?

I guess using a remote sandbed would contradict all the reasons for of going bb...

 

[Spracklcat]

Why would remote DSB undo the reasons for going BB? You still have the ease of cleaning BB in the display, but you have the nutrient-processing of the sand bed, just elsewhere.

 

[jnfallon]

I have a deep sand bed fuge, and a 1" bed in the display.

 

[pecan2phat]

If you want to run like 6000 gph total accumulative like I am doing for an SPS tank, then you need to go BB or you would have sand dunes that would defeat the purpose of the sandbed.

It's also a trade off though, you end up not being able to keep fleshy LPS on the bottom due to the flow and will affect smaller clams also.

 

[jnfallon]

6000g in that 120? Wow. I was wondering if my flow might be too much for them.

I have 4 tunze, (2 6200, 2 6100), 2 waveboxes, and a dart hooked up to two 1" seaswirls) I'm not sure how much flow that it, but I think it's a lot.

 

[pecan2phat]

In my 4'x2' tank, I have a dart pushing a closed loop via an OM-4way, 2/3rds of another dart for the returns and a Tunze 6000 mixing it all up in there.

Indirect flow is good, as long as it not a sustained laminar flow hitting the corals within short distances.

 

[jnfallon]

So I'm ok?

Hey, you have 1968 Posts. That was a VERY good year. (I was born)

 

[Biggie]

Convert here. Been BB for about 2 yrs. To me I cant ever see going back to sand.
Its improved my life dramatically. Took the stress away, made for easier maintance, higher, flow rates, less swings, better health of all animals.
Lazy soem will say but regardless its a means to keep the hobby going with less time and stress. Besides most peopel dont even notice becasue they are awe struck by the beauty of the coraline growth and the thriving system anyhow.
I like the remote sand bed idea never thought of that. May look into that sometime.
I thought of making a sand tray for my Yellow wrasse to sleep in like a little sand box he can bury in and just put it out of flow for him like his personal beach. Right now he just lays flat ont he bottom glass like hes invisible kinda sad lol...

 

[eboonaman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8184210#post8184210 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Spracklcat
Why would remote DSB undo the reasons for going BB? You still have the ease of cleaning BB in the display, but you have the nutrient-processing of the sand bed, just elsewhere.

I'm trying to achive a low nutrient ecosystem in my tank. I think the sand bed would grab those nutrients/waste and hold on to it. thus contradicting the reasons to go BB.
so for me if I'm going BB might as well go all the way and see what happens and if it makes a change wheatheror not I'm successful keeping sps .
If I'm going with a remote & bb might as well just stay with the DSB in the main tank.. I do like the way it looks with sand and interesting critters.

 

[pecan2phat]

Chuck,

I set up the BB high flow SPS 120g back in Jan '05. I superstocked with corals and clams and had about 7-10 fish and for 12 months, my nitrate tested between 0 and .02 ppm on a salifert test kit. My phosphates were at o ppm though I've utilized phosban since the beginning. No refugium used and moderate to heavy feedings daily for the fish.
It's when I caught cali_reef idis and starting to increase ny fish bio-load to about 20 and then expanded with a connected (same sump) 102g tank with more corals and another 18-20 fish, that is when my nitrates crept up to .25 ppm which was still managable with weekly water changes.

So you can have low nutrients if you keep your bio-load of fish in check and a good quality (poreous) and quantity of live rock to process the bio-load.

IMO of course

 

[fishamajiggle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8185028#post8185028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eboonaman
I'm trying to achive a low nutrient ecosystem in my tank. I think the sand bed would grab those nutrients/waste and hold on to it. thus contradicting the reasons to go BB.
so for me if I'm going BB might as well go all the way and see what happens and if it makes a change wheatheror not I'm successful keeping sps .
If I'm going with a remote & bb might as well just stay with the DSB in the main tank.. I do like the way it looks with sand and interesting critters.

I have been a bare bottom advocate for a while now. but i switched back to the dsb method. i am not going to keep any sps and i want the sandbed for more micro fauna for a natural food sorce. the only problems with sand beds in my opiniion is you accumulate p04. but in my situation it is not so critical. if i was going to keep a sps tank it would be bare bottom no doubt.

 

[Reef Junkie]

Chuck, if you're interested in SPS, just go BB.
DSB's are really meant for non-SPS dominated tanks. Softies love DSB's (Dirty Sand Beds). SPS tend to brown up in a DSB, unless you filter the heck out of the water. I've only seen a handful of Tanks with SPS and DSB's do AOK.
Yet, of the handful I've seen, they all seem to craap out after 4-6 years. Usually it starts with a lot of macro algae growing and then the corals fade in color, recede and finally die.
Usually, the hobbyist throws in the towel at that point.

Anyhow, if you decide to do a DSB, do it remotely. This way, if you change your mind back, it's simple to remove.
Pictures please.

 

[eboonaman]

Thank you to all that gave opinions. :thumbsup:
So what I'm hearing and correct me if I'm wrong, is that by going BB. SPS will do well but zoa's, softies, and LPS might have a hard time due to the lack of nutrients and high flow rates needed to maintain SPS? and if go with a remote SB the sps might do well or not so well?
so I guess you have to make a choise of a shocking colorful sterile looking tank or a tank with some color and a multitude of life and worry about a dsb possible crash in yrs to come..

 

[Reef Junkie]

You can have a dsb, but if you want your colors to pop, you need to keep that water clean clean clean!

Perfect example, Joe B. He had a DSB and incredible growth and color from his sps. He filtered the bejeezus out of the water too.