DSB vs. no DSB?

[Jamesurq]

Originally posted by Bomber
Don't pay attention to this "dispersed" flow mess. If you have enough flow across the bottom to move particulate detritus to the overflow and skimmer to remove it, you can't have sand.
If you don't have enough flow across the sand bed to remove particulate detritus, you can't keep particulate detritus from settling on the sand bed.

Crap. Simply put.

Would you say that 4800 GPH of flow in a 90 gallon tank is enough for a barebottom? 53X turnover...

The fact that I have it split between 3 1" outlets and 3 3/4" outlets makes the flow "dispersed" and therefore it doesn't blow the sand around.

But I think the point here is that with a sandbed a moderate amount of particulate detritus settling isn't such a bad thing. When joe snail moves on by and pushes it back up into the water column all is well again...

You're just not ever, ever, ever going to convince me that a sandbed is bad. I think barebottom is a fine way to go and it probably works great if you do it right. Just like I think sandbeds work well - if you do it right....

Stock the sand regularly.... And it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg to do it.