Bare bottom for Full aquascaping ???

jaefei · #1 07/14/2004, 04:23 AM

1. I use BB and the aquascaping like that picture at above and I will use High flow at the bottom with power head. In my mind I think the Precipitate detritus will enter in to live rock hole. and collected in it. and become Nitrate immediately. OR IF USING BARE-BOTTOM THE AQUASCAPING MUST BE LIKE PICTURE AT BELOW ???

2. my friend tell me that Plankton live at the bottom. So,if we using bare bottom where do the plankton live ?

BEST REGARDS
JEFFRY

Reefmaniac1 · #2 07/14/2004, 05:26 AM

Most plankton are free swimmers that typically hang near the top.

Dr.King · #3 07/14/2004, 07:18 AM

If you go barebottom yuo will definitely want to keep a much of the LR of the bottom as possible. The top tank will be impossible to keep clean. The bottom tank is a little extreme in the opposite spectrum. A happy medium between the two tanks pictured works fine for me. I went with very large pieces of LR to keep the live rock off the floor of my BB tank. This way detritis is easy to remove with siphoning.

Frick-n-Frags · #4 07/14/2004, 08:04 AM

Well, I'm kind of in the middle with my BB tanks. If you picture that one little piece of zoos sitting on the bottom of Dr King's tank multiplied by a hundred covering the whole bottom of the tank, that is what I have done. I have a ton of stuff all on pieces of rubble or cement plugs that hide the bottom pretty well. When it is cleaning time they are all easily shuffled around or even temporarily removed so I can clean the glass back to bare glass.

cordell · #5 07/14/2004, 08:18 AM

I'm planning on making my 120 a BB... but I'm wondering what ways could I keep detritus from building up on the bottom so fast. The reason I'm going BB is so that I can have alot of flow and not worry about stirring the sand. Couldn't you set a closed loop on the bottom under the rocks to blow water strongly across the floor of the tank to keep any detritus or debris in the water column to be filtered? I sure do hate siphoning up crap like that!

Cordell

Frick-n-Frags · #6 07/14/2004, 11:21 AM

I was just wondering something, What is wrong with doing a little siphoning every couple of days? Is it just the hassle of it? Because biologically, the more frequently the detritus is removed, the less chance it has to break down or start growing anaerobic areas.

It seems that for a really self scouring BB, certain aesthetic compromises have to be made, like emulating a bare jail cell.
Everything definitely is a tradeoff.

needyreefer · #7 07/14/2004, 11:57 AM

any pics frick-n-frags?

kbreese · #8 07/14/2004, 12:04 PM

Geez, I know I for one would never want to siphon every few days! I am going for a more scarce aquascaping and lots of flow to hopefully not have to only do very little if any vacuuming.

Most people will knwo the 2nd pic is Bomber's tank and he doesn't do any siphoning at all that I am aware of.

Frick-n-Frags · #9 07/14/2004, 12:06 PM

, your ESP is working like a champ. Just got back from taking one

I just vacuumed this tank on Sun when I did a waterchange. The glass under there is squeaky. It is also hard to tell, but on the left in the back under an overhang, I have a little slab of flat cement to also help hide the glass.

Everything in front of those brown zoos in the middle and those 3 green leathers (which are all on a big piece of LR) is moveable including th ereally big leather front and center. There is a small patch of Anthelia growing on the front glass, so that's what that blob is.

This pic is hard to see, I'll get some closer ones of the bottom.....

ddawson · #10 07/14/2004, 12:08 PM

My BB is stocked like the first one.

I get some debris build up near the back of the tank but it's only a millimeter thick. I use the syphon it out until I started pulling out pods, mini snails, and mini brittle stars.

I find with a good cleaner crew the debris does not build up.

Frick-n-Frags · #11 07/14/2004, 12:19 PM

wow, that is neat and clean looking.

Here is more pics of the weedfield (I like a total jumble of stuff, and it shows

)

and here is some exposed glass:

Bomber · #12 07/14/2004, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ddawson
find with a good cleaner crew the debris does not build up.

Exactly

I use a lot of astreas and ceriths and a few cukes.

cordell · #13 07/14/2004, 02:27 PM

I know it would be better to siphon out the detritus often.. but I hardly have time to with work and school. I don't see the need to siphon anything if enough flow can be placed on the bottom glass to keep the stuff from settling on it in the first place. The sump and filters can pull it out then. Just throwing around some ideas..

kbreese · #14 07/14/2004, 03:12 PM

ddawson, that's a beautiful and extremely clean tank! very nice 40g!

Cordell, yeah thats the idea...

jaefei · #15 07/14/2004, 06:53 PM

1. So,Bare-bottom tank cannot have full aquascaping ? because it's difficult to siphon out the detritus ?
2. If I have high flow at the bottom,can the detritus enter into live rock hole can collect at there and we can't siphon out ???

Jamesurq · #16 07/14/2004, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Frick-n-Frags
wow, that is neat and clean looking.

Here is more pics of the weedfield (I like a total jumble of stuff, and it shows )

and here is some exposed glass:

Wow - LOVE IT!. Too bad about those flatworms.

kbreese · #17 07/14/2004, 08:07 PM

frick n frags, no offense or anything, and I could be seeing something wrong, but do you have a ton of algae in that tank??