Please help me choose substrate

Please help me choose substrate

  • Bare Bottom

    Votes: 4 10.8%
  • Fine Aragonite Sand

    Votes: 24 64.9%
  • Finely crushed coral

    Votes: 3 8.1%
  • other

    Votes: 8 21.6%

  • Total voters
    37
I see a lot of these bags in the stores with algae growing in the bag lol.

algae in the bag?!? either that is some EXPIRED sand... or one "special" LFS for stocking it under light.

anyway, i voted fine sand. IMO it looks very clean in the tank, when its kept clean.

After a bout with bare bottom a few years ago... it gets UGLY real fast.

and some people live by crushed coral. IMO it works in some tanks. not in others. i guess what appeals to the eye.
 
I did my DSB the Old School way, Berlin. Crushed coral, eggcrate, fiberglass screen, and sand. And never had a issue with it. Many people say that it would be a detritus magnet, but it, IMO, never was. Anyone else doing it old school style?

Edwin
sounds like a plenum to me- got a pic?

Calling it an "old school" or "Berlin" type sandbed is incorrect.
 
Ok Gary,

plenum, or Jaubert style, which to me is old school, just my choice of words. I say this because I don't know many that use it now days. Currently I don't have a pic of what I mean, I'm sure I could dig one up, I'll post it later.
 
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don't take my corrections personally.

I'm a stickler when it comes to incorrect information. The original "Berlin" method of reefkeeping incorporated a bare bottom.

Plenums are actually a newer methodology :)
 
what is that really really white sand that i've been told is good..the one from Home Depot. And that I was told it was good...must be confirmed now.
 
what is that really really white sand that i've been told is good..the one from Home Depot. And that I was told it was good...must be confirmed now.

southdown sand from HD used to be good for DSB because it was Ca carbonate based and not quartz. But they re not making it anymore as far as I know.
 
Not taking it personally,

just should have said Jaubert style, which was the thing to do when I got into THIS expensive hobby. Back then the L/R I used to buy was actually stuff from a reef, had embedded clams and all. Not the same as we buy now, but hey conservation is important too. How many people do you know that utilize a plenum (Jaubert) type system?

Rev
 
I don't know of anyone around here running a Jaubert type plenum. (Heck- a lot of people probably don't even know who Jaubert is!)
I'd love to see pix :)

Several people running a botched/mangled eggcrate buried monstrosity type sandbed around here.
 
I wished I could have taken a pic of my 90 before I took it down, it was set up Jaubert style. I still have the crushed coral, egg-crate, fiberglass screen and some sand in that tank, but I'm to embarrassed to put a pic of that up. My current 55g is set up that way, but it's in disarray too. Didn't have the time to maintain it like I should. But I think I set it up that way, can't remember and the sand is too deep be digging in. I'll find a pic though, I know I have on somewhere.

Rev
 
I don't know of anyone around here running a Jaubert type plenum. (Heck- a lot of people probably don't even know who Jaubert is!)
I'd love to see pix :)

Several people running a botched/mangled eggcrate buried monstrosity type sandbed around here.

Gary...you always make me laugh. Thanks!
 
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