Sand Depth opinions please
- Thread starter kc350twin
- Start date
Fiziksgeek
New member
Depends on what you want....a functional DSB or just some sand for looks????
With your tanks being only 16" tall, I would personally just go with an inch or so for looks.
With your tanks being only 16" tall, I would personally just go with an inch or so for looks.
There's always more than one way to skin a cat, or run a tank. If you decide to got with a shallow sand bed, keep it to 2 inches or less. If DSB ends up being your choice, 4 inches or more is the ticket. Anything in between tends to be problematic.
goodreef
New member
How do we maintain a sandbed that is < 2 inches?
My assumption is that even with very fine sand, the bottom layer is still quite oxygen rich. Thus, it is unable to break down NO3. But since the oxygen rich top layer is breaking down nutrients into NO3, won't we end up with a system with high NO3 problems?
Confused.
My assumption is that even with very fine sand, the bottom layer is still quite oxygen rich. Thus, it is unable to break down NO3. But since the oxygen rich top layer is breaking down nutrients into NO3, won't we end up with a system with high NO3 problems?
Confused.
Chihuahua6
Premium Member
No offense but this is not an advanced topic. This thread belongs in the beginners' forum.
I find that in my DSB tanks I have zero problems with nuisance algae.
Right now I have 4 tanks running -- 2 DSB, 2 barebottom.
I find that the DSB tanks have zero issues with GHA, and I can go a long time without water changes and have the tanks running fine.
The 2 DSB tanks: 6gallon pico LPS / Softie , 55 gallon that is "gearing up" for a mandarin / pipefish / lps / softie tank, currently running with just LR, Macro, etc. because I am traveling and letting it mature.
Both DSB tanks are skimmerless.
The 32 gallon barebottom tank has a skimmer (remora pro) and a refugium, and is mostly softie and LPS and even though there are no fish in there and I am only feeding the anemones, duncans, and brain a little here and there, I am still dealing with minor annoying GHA issues.
I found the 6gallon pico to be such a "maintenance-free" tank compared to the 32gallon barebottom with skimmer, that I made the 55 gallon to be a skimmerlesss DSB tank.
I find that the DSB tanks (sugar-size aragonite) also maintains my calcium and alk levels very nicely compared to the barebottom tank.
This has all been running 6-8 months. I know there are downsides to DSB's, but it gives a very nice stability to the tanks that it is in.
Right now I have 4 tanks running -- 2 DSB, 2 barebottom.
I find that the DSB tanks have zero issues with GHA, and I can go a long time without water changes and have the tanks running fine.
The 2 DSB tanks: 6gallon pico LPS / Softie , 55 gallon that is "gearing up" for a mandarin / pipefish / lps / softie tank, currently running with just LR, Macro, etc. because I am traveling and letting it mature.
Both DSB tanks are skimmerless.
The 32 gallon barebottom tank has a skimmer (remora pro) and a refugium, and is mostly softie and LPS and even though there are no fish in there and I am only feeding the anemones, duncans, and brain a little here and there, I am still dealing with minor annoying GHA issues.
I found the 6gallon pico to be such a "maintenance-free" tank compared to the 32gallon barebottom with skimmer, that I made the 55 gallon to be a skimmerlesss DSB tank.
I find that the DSB tanks (sugar-size aragonite) also maintains my calcium and alk levels very nicely compared to the barebottom tank.
This has all been running 6-8 months. I know there are downsides to DSB's, but it gives a very nice stability to the tanks that it is in.
Fiziksgeek
New member
I've heard people recommend up to a foot...yes....a 12 inch deep sand bed....
I believe you can get by with a little less depth in your sand bed and still have it function as a biological filter if you put the sand on top of a plenum. I have a plenum with about four to five inches of sand on top of it and it seems to work fine.
Any other thoughts on this?
Any other thoughts on this?
Fiziksgeek
New member
I dont think its that crazy, but the consequences are!!!
Unless you want just a tank full of sand, the tank would nee to be at least 30" high..somewhere between 36 and 40 would be better for the EDBS (Extremely Deep Sand Bed). And of course we all know that the cost of a tank increases dramatically when it becomes really tall...
Unless you want just a tank full of sand, the tank would nee to be at least 30" high..somewhere between 36 and 40 would be better for the EDBS (Extremely Deep Sand Bed). And of course we all know that the cost of a tank increases dramatically when it becomes really tall...
