trouble in DSB

[tepeer]

I have 4" live argonite sand bed 3 months old.
I read some horror stories about hydrogen sulfide leak.
Have you ever experienced sulfide leakage.
I cant decide whether i remove deep sand bad or not.

 

[billsreef]

So long as you have decent sand bed fauna and good in tank circulation, it won't be a problem

 

[tepeer]

Some people said that hydrogen sulfide leakage will appear eventually despite any maintanence in DSB.
If it is true as a rule, why should i keep DSB.
I dont want to worry about it. I just want to sleep without doubt.
Did you hear any bad story?

 

[tepeer]

and what do you mean that "decent sand fauna"

 

[tepeer]

sorry, i'm new in this job. I'm writting in this topic, because i cant find the answer in other parts of reefcentral topics which is "new to the hobby"
I will repeat my question.
Has anybody ever experienced about hydrogen sulfide leakage in DSB?

 

[billsreef]

The hydrogen sulfide leakage stories are just that, stories. It's one of those things people talk about, but you have a very difficult time finding anyone that actually had it happen

Some people said that hydrogen sulfide leakage will appear eventually despite any maintanence in DSB.
If it is true as a rule, why should i keep DSB.

It's definitely not true as a rule, and is typically only stated by people that have never had DSB's.

and what do you mean that "decent sand fauna"

Varius bristle worms, spaghetti worms, amphipods, copepods, nassarius snails, as well as lots of micro fauna like nematodes, bacteria, and protozoans.

Has anybody ever experienced about hydrogen sulfide leakage in DSB?

I've run a variety of tanks with DSB's for well over a decade without any such problems

 

[wld1783]

I have over 8" in a 440 gal sump/grow out tank. No problems. In fact IMHO I believe that the nutrients trapped in this slowly leach back into the tank and is the reason my softies and LPS do so well. Would not personally recommend a DSB for SPS allthough I've seen a few really nice SPS tanks with one.

At worse you will have excessive nutrients and algae problems...Not a DSB time bomb.

Mantain critters that constantly stir the sand bed so these nutrients dont build up and become a problem. I've known of several successful tanks where the owner stirs the bed himself to feed the corals.

Bill

 

[tepeer]

that was good to read your response. I feel better.
I just wonder that how many year do you have DSB?
Maybe it is "myth" but people said that DSB have to be changed at least in 2 years. is that true ?
in addition;
Have you ever changed your DSB after 2 years ?

and

I have 90 gallon display tank. Are 30 fighting conchs enough for maintanance ?

 

[tepeer]

okey, well. I want to list what i did while seting up my DSB.

I used suger sized live argonite sand as 4" depth. Brand name is "reef coral"
I bought 30 fighting conchs for aerating sand bed.
I bought 10 nassarius snails.

Thats all.

Should i do anyhting else ?

I cant procure bristle worms, spaghetti worms. Will that critters appear as time passes in sand bed. Or should i buy them?

By the way, i have 110 lb live rock. But i havent seen any worm on rocks, any copepod on sand yet.

Thanks to all for reponses.

 

[ConsultantERP]

They (critters) will likely show up in your live rock. Also, understand that almost all of the "Sytems" you read about here will work in some fashion or another, you just need to understand how you system works and maintain it properly. There are exceptions like SPS in a DBS may cause your SPS to not color up as nicely, but not always.

I have some advice, take it or leave it if you like, but, do alot of reading in RC, listen to those who try to give you advice that benfits what you are doing. Watch out for people who start sentences with

"I've heard that .... so you can't ...."

or those who might say there is only one way to do it, and do not clarify what they are saying, it just worries the heck out of you.

This is something to enjoy, its labor, but a labor of love.

Now some posting advice:
Never say your parameters are perfect.
Always include relavent info about your system like:

Amonia = 0
Nitrites = 10
Nitrates = something.
Salinity = something.

I have:
X number of gallons.
a protien skimmer.
my lights are and the on/off period is....

You will almost always be asked these questions if you have an issue you are trying to resolve.

Now to answer one of you question:

Should i do anything else:

What I would do is the following:

Give you tank about 3 months before adding any corals or fish. Feed you tank about 1/2 dose on the bottles recommended dose of phytoplankton and increase it over about 1 months time. This will give you copepod population time to increase, and these guys are great for helping keep your tank clean.

Something I learned in skydiving that applies here:

Slow is fast, because if you go fast you have problems, if you go slow everything adjusts before too much happens.

And most of all (I will shut up)

ENJOY!

 

[billsreef]

Maybe it is "myth" but people said that DSB have to be changed at least in 2 years. is that true ?
in addition;
Have you ever changed your DSB after 2 years ?

That would come under the heading of myth.

Sugar sized sand is perfect :thumbsup:

I bought 30 fighting conchs for aerating sand bed.
I bought 10 nassarius snails.

I would have reversed those quantities. The conch graze diatoms in the sand, typically only half dozen would be sufficient in a 90. The nassarius are primarily carrion and eat lots of excess food and will eat algae to some extent as a fall back when not enough meaty foods are available. The worms and pods will often appear from the live rock over time.

 

[mhaith]

And try and only take advice from people who's tanks you have actually seen and admire. As 'they' always say...well somewhere..."The proof is in the pudding!" with the advent of a keyboard and a forum, it is amazing how many "well-meaning"
experts there suddenly are!

I make it a point to ask to see as many tanks as possible in my area and I have learned volumes from standing in front of their tanks and asking questions.
Even when I went from my 10yr. old 55g to my somewhat new 210g, I reviewed EVERY SINGLE TOTM.

And Many of these have amazing SPS with DSB.

Just MHO from a guy on a keyboard and an open forum....

 

[tepeer]

one more question

as i read, strong current is important for DSB.
I have two pumps in display tank. Pumps capacities are 3500 lt/h per one. Brand name is hydor coralia is made of italian. When i put pumps at lower level toward DSB, sand is scattered in tank. When i put pumps at higher level toward water surface, i can see that excees food cant move on sand.

What should i do ?

and

thanks to all for your responses.

 

[tepeer]

suger size grain of DSB is to small. Any small current is enough to scattering.
If a strong current is really important for DSB, do you thing that suger sized argonite is a little bit wrong choose.

 

[Nanook]

Not sure where you are reading, but you might want to find a new source

 

[tepeer]

I dont remember where I read. Do you disagree with this suggestion.

 

[Nanook]

Flow is important to a reef tank, but strong flow at the level of the DSB is not ideal as it will disturb the sandbed. Keeping your flow adequate in all areas of the tank is good, but blowing the sand around is not a good idea.

 

[cutegecko3]

I had a hydrogen sulfide problem in a low flow fuge.It usually doesnt happen in a display tank because of highly oxygenated flow.Some tanks that have a DSB that is inmature can have a problem before sulfur eating bacteria can establish themselves.If you have ever seen a DSB with green and red layers in it,those are the sulfur eating bacteria.

 

[spike78]

The first thing I would do is find a reputable source for your information. I recommend Dr. Ron Shimek for DSB information. He has a great blog and a published pamphlet discussing how to correctly set up a DSB.

Check out http://ronshimek.com/Deep Sand Beds.htm

 

[bane]

good article Excellent read
Here is another by Ron Shimek
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/rs/feature/index.php