Sand is now my enemy...I am going BB and that is that

Serioussnaps

Serioussnaps

New member
After moving my tank that used to be a mixed reef and upgrading all of my equipment to start a strictly ACROPORA TANK(with in mind that i am getting a larger tank in the future as well)...its been 6.5 weeks since the move....i used 50/50 old and new water....and completely replaced the SB to a 1-1.5" SB so no DSB. My parameters NO3 and PO4 always test out at 0 and 0, however I still get algal growth somewhat and i hate it.....for the first 2 weeks in the move i was BB and no algal growth and i loved it....deitrus siphoned out easily if there even was any that didnt get skimmed out.....

also this week my Copperband swam into my Tunze...dreadful but another story...so no more heavy feeding of mysis which will help the situation, however

so now my bioload is 1 2" perc and one 1" perc(brand new very small) so i have a small bioload and i barely feed

with a total of 50 x turn over in tank, weekly WC's mostly siphoning out deitrus, and heavy wet skimming....deitrus and waste still accumulates to a degree in the sand and the top layer gets that greyish light brown waste accumulation no matter what.....unsightly brownish algal/cyanoish(its not cyano but might as well be) on the back glass.....i hate it and my husbandry is strictly due diligence and if you ask me about my husbandry you will see that i work hard and dont miss a beat

I have determined that sand is my enemy in this tank and BB is the way to go...I am going to slowly remove it via siphoning it out during WC's. I think the tank will vastly improve so on to join the BB club....i am going to post pics of tank as of tonight and then in a month after the sand is completely removed.

A couple of Q's....

How many of you BB's are using strictly BB and no starboard????

Show me your tanks that are BB without starboard.(i guess not a q but a humble demand lol)

Does this situation sound familiar to any of you???

Any warnings about the move to BB as i have always had a SB??? i love the aesthetics of sand but slowly is chipping away at me

Any suggestions????

If you have BB why did you decided BB as i am sure you have had at least one tank with sand in it???
 
there is a thread in this section about bb tanks. i went bb due to the amount of flow in my tank.i wanted to avoid sand storms. at first i wasnt too happy with my choice but now with the amount of flow i have the bottom stays pretty clean and there is coraline algae growing on the bottom. i have a 125gal with 2 seio 820 and 1 seio 1500. i will be adding a second 1500 in a couple weeks.
 
You won't regret going BB. I have a acropora 550 that was upgraded from a 225 that was also BB. So I have been running my sps tank BB for over 4 yrs now. My 225 was glass with no starboard had no problems. The bottom glass was covered with coralline. My 550 is acrylic and also BB with no starboard. I really like a BB tank with no sand to trap debris and caused algae problems!

I also have a 180 that is a mixed reef sps,lps and softies. I had a 1in sandbed in it for close to a yr. It looked great to start with and then all the problems came. Algae of all kinds took over! So I tried a refug and it didn't help. I ran phosphate removers and still no help. Spent hours removing the algae. Could not keep the dkh up over 7. I was going through 2 part additive like crazy. Finally gave up, removed all the rock to cook and removed all the sand. Finally the algae went away. I have had the rock cooking for 6 mos now. So will be putting it back in soon.

I personally will never run another tank of any kind with a sandbed period. Life is so much better not watching algae take over my tank. And BB is sooo much easier to keep CLEAN! with no algae problems at all!
 
Tagging along.....thinking about the same thing as we speak....I HATE SAND!! I have 3-820 Seios in the display and can't use them in the best orientation. Would to love more flow....if not a closed loop

I think the beifit of the Starboard is the protection of the glassbottom and seams....

Has anyone used the sand colored starboard? Does it grow algae?

I just don't want a plain looking box of rocks, I would like to create the illusion of the ocean floor....my only reason not to go BB right now, but a powerful one.
 
Serioussnaps, I'm almost going the same route you are. I've always use very shallow sandbeds in the past (less than 1") and have never had algae problems of any sort. Well, I recently decided to set-up a new tank with a 2 1/2" sandbed, and it is has become the worst mistake I've ever made. I've spent over $2,000 on an upgraded skimmer and phosphate removal equipment alone, and I still have horrendous algae growth. That being said, by the end of the month I will have a 1/8" sandbed (I personally hate the look of BB, but to each his own).
 
sacramentodots,

Yes the starboard is to protect the glass bottom of your tank. I always make sure my rock is placed so not to have a rockslide. Theres a LFS near me that has a 180 bb mixed reef that has been running for over 8 yrs. No starboard. Its a beautiful tank! And has never had any algae issues to my knowledge. The owner has never believed in a sand bed.

At first it does look different having a BB tank. But after awhile you get use to the look. And it does look nice when coralline algae starts covering the floor of the tank. I have never wanted to go back to sand after dealing with my 180. I knew if I removed the sand that it would be alot easier to maintain like my 550. And I much rather enjoy looking at my tank instead of pulling algae every week! Having a large tank with algae problems can't be no fun.
 
Well,, My thing is .. in the wild.. how far down in the water is the sand from the corals? Last few times i went diving it was at least 40 FEET ... and last time i checked.. my tank isnt even 2 foot deep..

BB no starboard here ,, tons of flow and no algea ( unwanted algea ) ....
 
JMHO, but BB's are kinda ugly when the bottom gets all covered with coralline... then all sorts of crap start to grow on it....
 
How about the epoxy and sand method. You get the look of sand and the cleanliness of a BB.
 
Frankysreef,

Just curious what else have you seen grow on the bottom of a BB tank? I have had a BB tank for over 4 yrs. And have never seen anything else grow on the bottom but coralline. In the 180 I have GSP growing on the floor and anthelia. But have nothing else I've seen grow but corraline on the sps reef.
 
I see all postives in not having a sandbed. In addition, I had a fellow reefer around here have a crash because he moved his tank....I am willing to bet it was the trapped sand bed detirus. I think when I next move, this will make it all the easier.

Not to mention the lower nutrients and water quality that will go up.

Im a coral man, not a sand man!!!!

I don't have a major algae problem what so ever, very lucky in that case.

I just hate the downgrade in clarity from the sand, and since I have upgraded to 250w DE I am able to keep stuff on the bottom now, only flow is an issue there with the sand.

As you other guys chimed in, I took a Seio and cleaned out a corner just to get a visual.


GSP and softies like zoas on the glass would be cool, if they stayed away from the SPS


How do the rocks stack after no sand is present? Mine seemed to better anchor with the sand......Do they slide alot afterwards?

I am about five second away from pulling it out, but am not sure on the asthetics yet. You you guys mind posting some pics of older BB tanks?...

Eventually I will add the starboard, proably a tan colored one that I found available.....any thoughts?
 
I don't have any pics of my 55O yet. It's been up and running for around 4 mos now since the upgrade from the 225. It's pretty hard to get a 10 ft tank in a pic or I'd give it a try.

As far as stacking the rocks no problem. Have had no rock slides what so ever.
 
I saw the two pics in your gallery.....it looks like when the coralline grows over it looks pretty natural and a possible rock landing if you squint hard enough
 
lol... yeah those are pretty old pics. Those were of the 225. Yes it does look pretty natural when the coralline grows over. Which won't take too long to happen. Quicker than you'd think.

Look at it this way, you can always give the BB a try. And you can always go back to a sand bed if you decide it's not for you.

I have never looked back, and don't regret having a BB one minute. Wish you the best on your decision.
 
You are welcome. I really think you'll like it much better. Just give it some time to see the difference. And also your acros will thank you for it too. Mine grow like crazy! And they have great color also. :)
 
I'm kind of lazy and dont want to drain the whole tank to put Starboard in. I dont know what the epoxy looks like...you got any pics of it in your tank? Still would have to drain the water and it is much easier to siphon out the sand at every water change.

By the time its BB i will probably have about 70x turnover inside the tank(not through the sump). Sand will undoubtedly fly everywhere...but what doesnt means a dead spot for stuff to decay while caught on the sand.

Also, whats going to be growing on MY BB is coral!!!dont know about you guys but clams(on small rocks is how i do my 2 croceas...they sit on bottom but on a flat rock.

I didnt have trapped deitrus when I moved....a brand new SB on the move and i siphoned out 3 times while it was BB over the first two weeks...then stuck the SB.

My theory of what the SSB problem is....a lack of bacteria and fauna to process the things that get caught in the Sand....and i dont like the look of a DSB in the tank(its only 20" as is) so SSB it was. Now the SSB has to go!!

My algae problem isnt major...but I hate the slightest algal growth...i like my tank to look clean and BB offers that crisp and cleanly look.


Rocks do stack better with sand...but i have them stacked how i want and the only taking out rocks would be god forbid another move or into a new tank.

I also like the idea nuclear had ...you dont see sand on an Acropora dominant reef but a ways down. just a thought


Sacramento-----there is another thread that has a ton of older BB tanks posted right in the SPS forumn....but everyone go ahead and post some older than a year BB tanks.

I also heard that Starboard can accumulate deitrus over time as well(become as it was mentioned a "nutrient sink") and this kind of defeats the purpose for me.

The other great thing that znut mentions is you can always add sand....i am going to leave the sand that gets caught up under the rocks(it will find its way out over time) but this makes it more stable---just tiny mounds so the rock can dig into it a little, but this is very little sand and as i said will find its way out with proper flow and more WC's.---but if i dont like it i do have a bag of sand handy...but i think its gonna be the way to go.
 
Another thing about SSB's that i notice--------------------people that have them and they look great and function correctly are people with LARGE tanks. more dilution and all that good stuff.....but in a 55g with 30sump it can be alot harder to dilute any waste and BB keeps export up to speed

maybe after this tank is done and a large tank comes i will try the SSB to see if this bears true
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Is it aiptasia or maybe hydroids?
Replies
3
Views
141
griss
griss
D
I am brand new to Saltwater, buying a 180 that is currently running.
Replies
14
Views
566
thegrun
T
8
What am i looking at here ?
Replies
5
Views
262
griss
griss
Brian60077
Cannot believe it is going on 3 weeks already.......
Replies
2
Views
132
griss
griss
H
Need sanity check on Deep Sand Bed Cleaning
Replies
3
Views
216
wvned
wvned
Back
Top