What substrate do you use?

[2fishy]

I am going with shallow sand bed but it is not much less then what we are calling the deep sand bed. I am not sure how much lower the bottom is from the frame on the outside of the aquarium, but I would say I have a deeper, shallow sand bed!

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8009415#post8009415 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by piscesblue
When the term "Crushed Coral" is used, do you guys mean the big chunks of shells and stuff? I use Carib Sea Argonite with a diameter of around 4-5mm. Is this the stuff you guys refer to as crushed coral? Heck, within a year, it breaks down to sand anyways as it dissolves. Just wanting some clarification so I can know what side of the fence I'm on.

The idea is to avoid coarse substrates that can trap food and detritus.

Bare bottom allows all food/detritus to be blown around, skimmed, and exported. A DSB should be fine enough that it doesn't trap anything, but also offers additional surface area for biological filtration (significantly more than a coarse substrate).

 

[roons]

i have a dsb but i wouldnt do it again, shallow next time

 

[piscesblue]

I keep my bed at 2" depth. Because I have a SeaClear System II tank with the built in returns running down the back wall about 2.5" off the ground, I cannot have a fine sand bed. The returns dig trenches in the argonite and blow fine sand all over the tank. The good thing is, the returns keep a great current blowing thru the LR, keeping all wastes from piling up in the caves and on the substrate.

 

[kimbertent]

bump

 

[Bret61081]

When I set my tank up a year and a half ago I went with about a 2" sand bed. Now between my paiur of GSM clowns moving all the sand from 1/4 of the tank and my sleeper goby digging under the rocks it looks like I have a 4" sand bed in half of the tank! Between the 2 of them they always keep it moving! Personally I hate the look of Bare bottom tanks. I like the natural look! That is what we are trying to recreate right??

 

[xtrstangx]

Shallow sand bed with Seafloor grade special reef sand.. Awesome grain size (doesn't blow around with flow) but doesn't have the drawbacks of CC

 

[clsanchez77]

I voted other and have a 3" mixed substrate bed to re-create a rubble bottom. It is 180 pounds total, 90 pounds caribsea sugar-size aragamite, 60 pounds live Caribbean sand, 18 pounds, aruba puka shell and 12 pounds of crushed Florida Aquacultured rock.