SSB, the good and the bad?

[vthondaboi]

So what's bad and good about a shallow sand bed?

Been thinking about barebottom but the crap covered gunk doesn't appeal to me much.

 

[vthondaboi]

no one?

 

[cato]

I've got one too. Would also like to know pros/cons as well.

 

[vthondaboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6588366#post6588366 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chirocato
I've got one too. Would also like to know pros/cons as well.

How is yours doing? Anything you wish would have been done differently?

 

[reefD]

it can be done. never had one but seen them set up in beautiful tanks.

 

[Sindjin]

Been thinking about barebottom but the crap covered gunk doesn't appeal to me much.

The idea of a BB is to siphon out detritus when it accumulates. I siphon mine once a week with a water change. So there really is no crap covered gunk unless you have poor husbandry. WHich sort of leads me to SSB or DSB... all the gunk you refer to in THOSE systems will end up decaying in the sand bed and eventually could be released back into the water. So the question is.... do you want to remove the gunk out of your house or sweep it under the rug?

 

[raddogz]

If you are dilligent in vacuuming debris/detritus from the sand bed I think they can work quite well.

My experience so far has been with the extremes though.

In my 7gallon I had put in a one inch sandbed and battling cyano, bryopsis, and all kinds if ickies. I put down another inch of sand and the only bit of algae I get now is bryopsis.

I was battling cyano in our 155g tank, and added about an inch plus, and the cyano seemed to disappear over time (two months).

 

[vthondaboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6588559#post6588559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sindjin
The idea of a BB is to siphon out detritus when it accumulates. I siphon mine once a week with a water change. So there really is no crap covered gunk unless you have poor husbandry. WHich sort of leads me to SSB or DSB... all the gunk you refer to in THOSE systems will end up decaying in the sand bed and eventually could be released back into the water. So the question is.... do you want to remove the gunk out of your house or sweep it under the rug?

not just the "crap" but the starboard getts coverd in algae and coraline and etc that's un attractive IMHO

 

[dirtyreefer]

SSB is probably the least effective way of nutrient control. I have a SSB but it probably requires the most maintenance, however I hate the look of BB and I am not a firm believer in DSB so I chose something in between for aestetics purposes only.

SSB is not deep enough to absorb the nitrates and phosphates like a DSB does, but yet it traps detrius (which is unable to be skimmed out) unlike a BB tank. I vacuum my sandbed whenever I see the slightest bit of brown on it (probably every 2 weeks) with a water change, and then sometimes I'll rinse out the sand and put it back in. If you just leave it there, it becomes a detrius trap.

 

[vthondaboi]

So I guess a SSB is doable if I stirred i up every once in a while?

My nitrates now are at 0, but then again I only feed once a week.

 

[smiller]

http://www.oregonreef.com/index.html

IMO this is the nicest tank on RC....at least that I have seen.

http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_maintenance.htm

Cleaning the sand:
I try to remove as much detritus from the system as possible before it can pollute the tank. My circulation system tends to blow detritus to the center canyon of the aquascaping (which is by design). It is then easily vacuumed up. I vacuum the sand at least once a week. The process is very quick and easyââ"šÂ¬Ã‚¦.. I just slide the light hood out of the way and vacuum the entire sand area. This usually takes about two 5 gallon buckets to perform. I then let the vacuumed water, sand, detritus, and other waste settle for about ten minutes in the bucket before I decant the water back into the overflow. Some waste gets back into the system; but, 90% or more of the waste gets totally removed.

Check out The Worm Incident just for grins.

 

[cato]

I pretty much went with a 2" sand bed for aesthetics only. But being new to SW I had no idea as to the functions the sand bed had. Live and learn I guess. Definitely food for thought.

 

[keefsama2003]

i have a ssb in my display with black sand and my 90gal fuge has about 12" araganite with live rock and macro in it for export.