I am going to convert my 30gal to a 55 in the next few days. My plan is to simply transfer everything from my 30 to the 55, adding a few extra live rocks and water, hoping this will avert a huge cycle. My current tank has crushed coral which I've come to hate, thus I will be switching to live sand. I've heard it said one needs a particularly deep sand bed to facilitate effective filtration. Yes? No? How much sand will I need (in inches) to provide effective natural filtration? I still will not be set up to run a sump, although that will come later, fyi.
Set up Questions
- Thread starter Foody
- Start date
EllieSuz
Premium Member
Before you opt for a deep sand bed, do a lot of research. There are wild differences of opinion on this subject. They can result in total tank crashes if a mature one is disturbed. A lot of people that keep DSB's keep them remotely and not a part of the Display Tank. Talk to a few people that have had them. In my opinion, it's better left to experts. Sand in amounts of an inch or two do not provide much of a biological source; they are mostly for appearance. Depending on what you mean by "live" sand, using it will almost certainly cause a new cycle. The sand that you buy in a bag has been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long and there's not much life left in it. All that dead stuff is guaranteed to re-cycle your tank. If you want new sand, buy some Aragonite sand, rinse it well and add a cup or two of your old crushed coral to it to "seed" the new sand. If I were you, I would set up the 55 with no sand at all and add it gradually over the next week or so. If you decide to do this, let me know and I'll give you a great way to do it without a cloud storm.
Set up Questions
I tried the sand, but I didnt like it because if you have allot of flow it blows all arround. I went with the special grade reef sand which is larger grane size. I just stir it up right before a water change. As far as a DSB, I think it is an old school way of filtration and I think it needs to be like 4 inches deep, but don't qote me on that.
I tried the sand, but I didnt like it because if you have allot of flow it blows all arround. I went with the special grade reef sand which is larger grane size. I just stir it up right before a water change. As far as a DSB, I think it is an old school way of filtration and I think it needs to be like 4 inches deep, but don't qote me on that.
Jacwil
New member
+1!
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
JMO
If you don't already have the aquarium get a 75 gallon- not a 55.
48" long 55's make poor reef aquarium because they're too narrow.
75 gallon is the BEST "starter" size reef aquarium IMO for many reasons.
"Live sand"? Any substrate you place into a reef aquarium will become "live".
Don't pay extra for pre-packaged "live sand".
IMO/IME do not install a deep sand bed in a reef display.
If you want a DSB go remote.
What I would do in this case:
Liberally sprinkle some Special Sea Floor (CaribSea) DRY SAND into the larger aquarium AFTER placing your liverock on the bottom.
A search of RC will bring up some really in depth discussions on bare bottom vs. DSB vs. shallow sandbed.
One thing is for sure... personally, I would NEVER EVER install a DSB into any reef display unless there was a REALLY good reason to...
like doing a Garden Eel display.
Gary, please elaborate on "Liberally sprinkle some Special Sea Floor (CaribSea) DRY SAND into the larger aquarium AFTER placing your liverock on the bottom." Liberally as in "a dusting" or as in "1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches." Is this magical substance available at the Reef Shoppe or Caribbean Forest?
EllieSuz
Premium Member
Sand sifting starfish don't fare well in our aquariums, especially the shallow sand beds most of us use. They slowly starve to death and unless you have a big tank with lots of sand, avoid one of these. I vacuum my sand bed occasionally and keep Nassarius snails and a couple of Conchs. No matter how many critters you employ to keep sand clean, they can't do the job without a little help.
Lukes_Reef
New member
IMO, the glass tends to be the cheapest part of the hobby
Don't start skimping now lol.
:beer:
That's why its been so tempting to go buy a bigger tank but then I start thinking about the cost of equipment and upkeep on something larger. I'll stick with my 30 and just dump money into better lighting and filtration/sump/skimmer. I would rather have a small healthy reef than a large death pond.
Jacwil
New member
You're right..typically bigger tanks cost more to run but in this case, not so much. 55g and 75 are both 4'.
I'm with Gary...a 12" in depth tank is NOT the most fun to 'scape. The 6 extra inches the 75g provides definitely is nicer.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
it's difficult to cram the necessary reef lighting over the 12" width of a 55.
a 75 gets you 18" to work with. Infinitely better.
a 75 gets you 18" to work with. Infinitely better.
EllieSuz
Premium Member
75 gallons is my dream tank. If I had the room for one, I most certainly would have opted for it instead of the 60. My tank has the same footprint as a 55 and it's difficult to aquascape for sure. If you can afford to purchase a 75, you will never regret it for the reasons listed above. The cost of running the 75 would only be slightly more than the 55. Having said that, if you have to settle for a 55, you can have a beautiful system. It just takes a bit more ingenuity.
dan10342
New member
Before we go on with this thread, is there a specific reason as to why you're deciding to upgrade?
From the way this thread is going, i recommend doing a lot of research before upgrading your system. Take it from someone who's made lots of dumb mistakes. It's better to take time and do it right the first time.
Thats all,
Best of luck
From the way this thread is going, i recommend doing a lot of research before upgrading your system. Take it from someone who's made lots of dumb mistakes. It's better to take time and do it right the first time.
Thats all,
Best of luck
FSU3NOLES28
New member
I've had a 55 for a year and a half now, it's gone pretty well but with agree with Justin and Gary that the extra 6" in depth makes all the difference in the world especially for aqua scaping.
That said, I'm in the middle of upgrading from my 55 to a 75 now. Just a gradual stepup so I can work on new scaping, and the whole idea of using a sump. Once I get that squared away I will be looking at upgrading yet again, but for now the 75 will be fine with me.
Just an idea though from experience, the 55 is doable, it works, you can make it look nice and be successful at it, but 75/90 will make you much happier.
That said, I'm in the middle of upgrading from my 55 to a 75 now. Just a gradual stepup so I can work on new scaping, and the whole idea of using a sump. Once I get that squared away I will be looking at upgrading yet again, but for now the 75 will be fine with me.
Just an idea though from experience, the 55 is doable, it works, you can make it look nice and be successful at it, but 75/90 will make you much happier.
