dcantucson
Member
Okay I need some help here! I posted this question on another forum 'Living Reefs,' but only got one reply, so I have joined Reef Central for you guys' help.
First of all I'm certainly a newbie to this hobby, but it seems there is a lot of uncertainty about DSB. How deep? What is too deep or not deep enough? Clean or not to clean? Are they good or bad? It seems to me there's got to be a definitive answer in this hobby! Oh and by the way I don't consider this to be a hobby anymore, but more like an investment. Wow! $$$
My question concerns cleaning the sand base. I have about 3-5" of black sand. When cleaning the sides I move the sand away from the acrylic so to clean the gunk visible which is below the sand level on the acrylic. When doing this I of course stir up a lot of gunk which in turn floats everywhere and settles on all my LR and corals. Then I have to 'spray' off everything to clean that. It in turn settles to the bottom and works it way back down.
I have been reading a lot about vacuuming-pros and cons. Most everything I have read says that by stirring up the sand and vacuuming it from about 6" once a month is extremely beneficial. With sand it is almost impossible to vacuum as the sand just gets sucked and clogs the system used to vacuum. I have tried several different ways to vacuum all of which have been frustrating.
Finally the question: RED SEA REEF BASE. Does anyone out there use the substrate? I have only found one review and it was positive. Said it had all the benefits of sand but could easily be vacuumed. I'm thinking of switching to this in both my systems, but I need some experienced advice on this topic.
Thank you all for your help...I certainly need it!
