Who has the oldest DSB?

[Chihuahua6]

I'm just curious who has a DSB set up for a long time and how it's working for you, how you maintain it etc.. Please don't make this a sand vs no sand debate. I hate when people argue which is better. It gets old after reading it for so many years.

[mrme]

I have had my deep sand bed setup for 4 years now, I Gravel-Vac almost every time i do a water change.

Works OK. No nitrate problems (When i remember to Gravel-vac) And of course it has a nice look, and gives lots of root-space for my seagrasses.

I am getting a new tank soon, so maybe i will try Bare Bottom.. see what all the hype is about.

[dpearly88]

My sand bed is only about 2-3'' deep and has been running for about 5 years, and I do nothing other than haivng a good clean-up crew.

This could be an interesting poll question.

[Froggy]

6 years in my current tank. Fine grained sand of varying depths in the tank. It is about 3 inches, for the most part, but has built up to about 6 inches on the right end of the tank due to flow. There is a very shallow spot at the very front of the tank and is almost bare there due to the flow patterns etc.

It has worked well for me. I usually vaccuum a bit of the surface of the bed to remove any detritus that builds up on the surface. I do not disturb the deeper layers of the bed.

[specialkb]

Paul B. i think he is on his original if so that makes 37 years old.

[King-Kong]

So far no one in here has an actual DSB, but SSBs which are vacuumed

[ridetheducati]

In 2001, I was running a six inch DSB, worked flawlessly. Unfortunately, its efficiency declined after three years and crashed (major algae outbreak). I promptly installed a 1-2 sandbed, smooth sailing.

[Froggy]

Originally posted by King-Kong
So far no one in here has an actual DSB, but SSBs which are vacuumed

It is true that I do not have a DSB by the true sense of the phrase ( 4 - 6 inches or greater throughout the whole tank ). Maybe I have a 1/4 - 1/2 DSB . The right end of my tank is at least 6 inches deep and has been that way for years.

Let me clarify on my vaccuuming routine. I only brush the surface of the sand bed and "never" plunge the syphon into the bed. I just vaccuum the detritus that may collect on the very surface of the bed before it has time to work it's way deeper into the bed through flow advection. Anytime I accidentally push the syphon into the bed, I accidentally vaccuum out a multitude of red spagetti worms. I really hate when that happens.... Luckily the bed is full of them. I wonder if there are any that have a long standing DEEP sand bed. I would like to hear.

ridetheducati, do you have any ideas on what caused the "crash" or caused the bed to lose efficiency ?

I have personal thoughts on why some beds may fail. These include improper Calcium/alkalinity/PH management, too little feeding that reduces the amount of bed fauna, and too low of flow. Some people think you can only have a lot of flow with large grained beds and BB setups. It is just as important to have good flow in DSB setups as you need the water flow to move through the bed. This is important to its health. If flow is too low, you may experience binding which reduces the beds effectiveness.

Lets hear more experiences !!

[Bambalam]

Over 4 years on my DSB that varies from 5 to 7 inches. I have several Nassarius snails in it to stir it up, and my Diamondback Goby keeps the top layer clean. So far, so good.

[Chihuahua6]

Bambalam does the Diamondback Goby only burrow through the upper layers? It doesn't disturb the sand bed? Part of the reason I am undecided on whether I want a DSB or a shallow one is because I want some burrowing fish, mainly a Yellow Watchman Goby and also a Pistol shrimp.

[Chihuahua6]

Froggy you do have a deep sand bed. 3+ inches is considered a dsb.

[Bambalam]

Originally posted by Chihuahua6
Bambalam does the Diamondback Goby only burrow through the upper layers? It doesn't disturb the sand bed? Part of the reason I am undecided on whether I want a DSB or a shallow one is because I want some burrowing fish, mainly a Yellow Watchman Goby and also a Pistol shrimp.

It sifts the top inch or so, and also has tunnels under much of my rockwork.

[Paul B]

Paul B. i think he is on his original if so that makes 37 years old.

Actually, this is incorrect. I don't have DSB so I can't post here.
I use a 37 year old RUGF.

[boxfishpooalot]

Paul, Thats really interesting that your sandbed is that old. Did you ever do anything to disturb it? What size are the particles? What do you think is the secret to its success with it? Do you vacumme it?

[elegance coral]

My sand bed is somewhere in its late teens. I don't remember exact dates. I started out with at least 6 inches and now its down to around 3 inches

[Emster]

My tank is three years old now with a 4 inch sand bed. I don't do anything to the sand but my scarlet hermits and pistol shrimp are always moving the top layer. Here is a older pic, everything as been grown from frags and I frag things all the time.

[robszar]

nice tank Emster, great pic

[Chihuahua6]

Elegance Coral that's amazing. Can you post a pic of your tank?
Emster how do you keep the edge between the sand and the glass so clean?
Boxfish.. Paul said he doesn't have a dsb. It's a reverse undergravel filter.

[Emster]

robszar- thank you! Chihuahua6- I went down to the hobby shop and bought a carbon rod that I use to stir the sand thats just next to the glass. I do it about once every two weeks and it keeps the sand nice and white looking. I use a carbon rod because an acrylic one will eventually break.

[Darsea]

I've had a DSB 6+ inches all around, for 7-8 yrs. I don't really vacuum, once in a while I allow a squall to come through with the help of a turkey baster. I have a number of critters who sift the sand bed, brittle stars, snails, urchins and some sort of cucumber ( I don't remember what kind). The sides by the glass show discoloration but if I dig in the sand it is still white. I do not have any flow of air or water under the DSB. It has been working quite well for years.

Recently I decided to redecorate the tank...I pulled out tons of Xenia and rocks. This definitely disturbed my DSB and now I'm going through an algae outbreak. I can't decide whether to live through it or remove all the sand and go BB. Although, at this point, it seems like too much work to remove it all. Not to mention I'd have to buy some sort of filter which I currently don't use.
Darsea

[Paul B]

Paul said he doesn't have a dsb. It's a reverse undergravel filter.

Exactly, I can't hijack this thread with a RUGF