Thinking about trying a deep sand bed.. any tips

[Vadafallon]

I am thinking about trying a deep sand bed in my 60 gallon cube build. I am thinking 4inches. I will be added the live sand subtrate and then adding some sand from my already established 60 too. Most things i have read say to wait about 2 weeks for the sand to seed everything. Would this be the same for a deep sand bed? How long would i have to wait to move stuff from my old tank to my new tank?

 

[seapug]

If you are going to use some sand from your existing tank you can skip the live sand and use unrinsed dry sand (sugar fine or "select" grade). Time for seeding depends on a number of factors, but 2-3 weeks is typical. There is a really good article on setting up a DSB in the latest issue of Coral magazine you should check out.

 

[rajkovich207]

I did a lot of research on a DSB and the best advice I can give you is look around for DR. Shimeks sand bed secrets, amazon has them for between $50-4k which is very dumb but if you take your time to fond one, or regularly check amazon, my fiancee picked on up for me for $7.99. It's only 36 pages long but has tons of useful info. You can also contact him directly at the marinedepot .com forums. Also of you aren't into tons of sand in your DT look into a RDSB or remote deep sand bed, if you have any questions feel free to PM me!

 

[davocean]

I would take Seapugs advice, especially on dry sand over the store bought live.

 

[Mock]

*cough*cough*dontdoit*cough*cough*



LOL

 

[Vadafallon]

Is it not worth it Mock? I only have about 2.5 in my tank right now, but i was hearing good things about it so i thought i might give it a shot.

 

[davocean]

*cough*cough*dontdoit*cough*cough*



LOL

Expect to see comments like this.
The thing is many of us keep animals that require a DSB.
I've had a DSB in every tank I've had for about 25 years now, never a negative issue, as long as you do it properly, over 4" being important, but read the coral mag that has detailed information from someone knowledgeable in DSB's

 

[Joe0813]

what about for a beginner? ive never had a saltwater tank and im currently finishing up buying some last equipment... should i start with a regular sand bed until i get comfortable then move to DSB

 

[stingythingy45]

what about for a beginner? ive never had a saltwater tank and im currently finishing up buying some last equipment... should i start with a regular sand bed until i get comfortable then move to DSB

It's not like it requires anymore knowledge to go with a 4-6 inch sand bed.
It's just going to give more room for critters like nassarius snails and also for the anaerobic bacteria that reqire oxygen void areas.

 

[davocean]

Some people look at it like which technique do you prefer, I look at it like what animals do you wish to keep, and what do they need.
There are benefits from each way, BB shallow, or DSB.
If I were going heavy sps, where typically we do very heavy flow, 60x or greater, you're going to have a sandstorm for one, and two those tanks run pretty sterile, so a BB would be my choice.
I prefer a mixed reef, and I always have sand dwelling anemones, they are my favorite, but they require a DSB, so I go 4" or deeper(I'm at 5-6")
What many call tweeners seems to be where most have issues, not deep enough for denitrification beny's, just deep enough to hold a lot of junk it seems.
I think this is where many get confused or have issues w/ DSB's, that and stirring up DSB's.
That's why I say DSB's are great, but you need to do it properly if you choose that route.

 

[porthoslohnes]

davocean, could you elaborate a little bit more on the types of animals that would benefit from a DSB. I do not have my 150 gallon setup yet and probably won't for another year or so, but I am interested is doing a DSB. Would a shrimp/goby pair be one example of animals that would benefit?

 

[Chris27]

Give some thought to a remote deep sand bed, you get all the benefits of a DSB, without taking up so much room in the display tank. Also, if something goes bad in it, you can take it off line quickly and easily.

 

[davocean]

davocean, could you elaborate a little bit more on the types of animals that would benefit from a DSB. I do not have my 150 gallon setup yet and probably won't for another year or so, but I am interested is doing a DSB. Would a shrimp/goby pair be one example of animals that would benefit?

Well I'm a clownfish and sea anemone guy, always have been, and in a mixed reef I prefer sand dwelling nems to lessen the chance of wandering across rocks where my corals are, so LTA's(M.doreensis) and most recently H.Malu for my own tanks, and Carpet nems.
Jawfish, goby/pistol shrimp are a couple more.
I've seen some beautiful garden eel tanks that require a very deep sand bed.

 

[davocean]

Give some thought to a remote deep sand bed, you get all the benefits of a DSB, without taking up so much room in the display tank. Also, if something goes bad in it, you can take it off line quickly and easily.

Not all the benefits as animals go.
Seems lately many have been going w/ shallower tanks, especially those using LEDs, so I see my tank at 24" tall using a DSB as kind of a fairly shallow tank but providing a sand bed for the creatures that require one.

 

[Joe0813]

i want a watchmen goby and a pistol shrimp pair but if i had a deep sand bed wouldnt they move it all around since they like to dig? and that would stir up all the nasty stuff you dont want... i could be worng i havent really researched yet.

 

[davocean]

^^ They usually just burrow a small hole and stay there, very little disruption if any.

 

[Joe0813]

^^ They usually just burrow a small hole and stay there, very little disruption if any.

hmmm alright thanks... im going to go read up on DSB's

 

[Vadafallon]

I have heard different train of thoughts on a remote sand bed. I am still unsure if i want to do a dsb in my main, or my sump/refug or at all. So many choices and decisions and now i have to pick another LED or wait till AI Phoenix comes out. *sigh*

 

[davocean]

Remote sand beds are awesome if you are solely looking for denitrification benefits.

 

[danil]

It's totally depends. What do you want to achieve with DSB? What current issues in your 60g you want to fix by trying DSB? My personal opinion - DSB is a relict. If you cant keep your nutrients under control using modern techniques (powerful efficient skimmer, detritus traps, reactors, bio pallets, well formulated food sources etc) DSB wont help you. And if not for that purpose for what other reason you have to keep this UGLY looking thing in your tank? 'Sand' animals require thin layer of sand and will be happy with that and saying you need DSB to keep those is silly. I would put sand in the tank for only one reason - esthetics. It just looks good!
And if you really need to do DSB (guess everyone of us can come up with reason to do some unreasonable things ) - go with remote DSB so you can dump it without destroying your tank when it get full of crap and will be ready to explode.