Fot those SPS'rs with sand,... - Page 3

Marko9 · #51 01/04/2008, 11:14 AM

Yep. I am very happy with the look of my tank and I like the benfits of sand in the tanks. I will be adding a mixture of different substrates when I will be setting up the new tank.

tacocat · #52 01/08/2008, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Marko9
...if you were going to set up a new tank, would you go BB and make a change over to the "otherside" or stay true to the natural look?

Marky Mark,

I wish I could go bare bottom, but I can't. Being that my tank is a cube, the open space between the rock work, islands and bridges creates the most visual impact. I tried gravels (and BB) of various sorts, but only sugar sized will stay white, and a white susbstrate provides the most visual impact. I put a very thin layer on, and I am keeping a bunch of cukes and sifting stars to work the sand over. I wan't to keep it as close to sterile as possible. It's only there for looks.

Personally, I feel sand ISN'T natural in an SPS dominant reef tank. I believe most aquarists think it's natural because that's we've been brought up all these years (FW aquarists' fault).

I was curious to find out what my display tank would look like if were an actual reef setting. I dug around to find a real picture of a open rock work acro dominanted reef (someone's scuba pictures), and the only susbstrate was boulders and huge chunks of "gravel". All the sand must have ended up on the beach.

With that, my tank looks better than ever right now. Does it look natural? HECK NO, but it sure looks super sweet feng shui.

If you like the way sand looks, go for it, but I would run it BB for a little while to see how you think it jives with your rockwork. If you don't like it, adding sand is easy. I rinsed it DI and strained the water out with a net and added it one netful at a time.

Marko9 · #53 01/08/2008, 12:05 PM

I can see your point Hector, but the last time I was in the water, I saw a lot more sand than I did glass or starboard

jay24k · #54 01/08/2008, 12:28 PM

I think the tank needs sand and while ricks tank is beautiful, I don't like the look without the sand. I never comment on people's use or lack of use on sand. Each person has their own right. I personally think that tank would have a final wow with a nice pure white sandbed.

I run a mixed sand bed. DSB in the back and SSB in the front. Tank is going on 2.5 years and my growth is huge. In 26 months, I have one piece that has grown from a 2 inch frag to probably 200. The coral is 2 feet deep by over 2 feet wide and over a foot tall. (Literally growing out of the water). I have a blue tort that is over a foot tall and a foot wide with ripped with branches in less then 2 years from a 3 inch frag.

Bottom line: Anything can be attainable with or without sand. It's just your preference.

orangekush4 · #55 01/08/2008, 05:13 PM

The thing is this,you don't have to see glass,if you have alot of Zoa's and other incrusting coral's covering the Bottom.Like Hector said,when you see a pic of a SPS reef in a real reef sitting,you don't see sand.My buddy dives all the time in the South pasific and filmes his dives,i have never seen sand on a reef flat,only in a Lagoon sitting.

george albert · #56 01/08/2008, 05:13 PM

1 more for the sand bed

hagakure · #57 01/09/2008, 01:25 AM

lots a sand here

tacocat · #58 01/09/2008, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Marko9
I can see your point Hector, but the last time I was in the water, I saw a lot more sand than I did glass or starboard

Hey are you going to go with one of those glassless tanks?

hagakure, the first one is a pretty good example. It's a little sparse on the acros.

ronald7410 · #59 01/09/2008, 03:52 AM

Whats your guys basic husbandry for BB?

Do you stir it weekly? monthly?

Do you let it sit?

Do you siphon out build up every so often?

ronald7410 · #60 01/09/2008, 03:53 AM

Whoops! I meant DSB not BB.

aquavista99 · #61 01/09/2008, 08:32 AM

I use a thin layer of sand mixed with dead coral skeletons. Looks very natural and keeps my sand bed in place. I run a BB QT tank and but not like the look so much.

ricks · #62 01/09/2008, 10:03 AM

Hagakure, true I see sand... But I also see very little coral.

Nice octopus shot though.

mrpet · #63 01/09/2008, 12:21 PM

well after all that im still on the fence lol... im setting up a 375
was going bb then ssb now

still not sure.. tank is going to have
a ton of flow. what does ur guys ssb "fine crushed coral " look like after a while? i had a dsb in my 180 was always nice and white i dont want brown crushed coral. if poss can some of you post pics of your ssb with crushed coral after a year or so?
thanks

StrategicReef · #64 01/09/2008, 01:25 PM

I would like some kind of substrate what do you SPS keeper use that won't blow around?

My water depth is only 16" and I am running about 60-80x circulation so I need something more heavy. What about alot of rubbles as a substrate?

purebullet417 · #65 01/09/2008, 04:12 PM

i saw a tank use all rock rubble(a little smaller then golf ball size peices) and i thought it looked the great. of course i cant find the pic now

mrpet · #66 01/09/2008, 07:29 PM

come on guys pics pics pics..... plzzzzzzzzz

bluetmax · #67 01/09/2008, 07:46 PM

What about using the GARF grunge as substrate? Has anyone ever tried this>

mrme · #68 01/10/2008, 04:01 AM

I have had sand in my tank for 4 years now.. Replaced some here and there. Now that i finally have some decent lights, i have been buying some decent corals.. thus some decent test kits.
I had discovered that my sand was no longer buffering my ph, like it had been, and my ph slowly had dropped to 7.5 .
And if your sand bed is not airated/sifted frequently it will accumulate a type of Sulfer? that will turn black and will smell like rotten eggs.
I forget what its called, But i have a real problem with this, as most of my sand is overgrown with calurepa and its hard to gravel-vac.
I also have no creatures in my tank that sand sift other then the bristle worms.

I'm switching my glass aquarium for an acrylic, and i will be going Bare-Bottom, Not only because it looks so much cleaner, But because i like less maintenance and hate the smell of rotten eggs.
I don't like the sound of RDSB either, sounds like a sulfer Trap...

StrategicReef · #69 01/10/2008, 04:11 AM

But with a RDSB you can just change out the whole thing easily if it becomes contaminated and I think it would take years.

Is anyone running BB and no RDSB, is sand even needed anywhere in the system as long as you can export the nitrates?

rutz81 · #70 01/10/2008, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by StrategicReef
But with a RDSB you can just change out the whole thing easily if it becomes contaminated and I think it would take years.

Is anyone running BB and no RDSB, is sand even needed anywhere in the system as long as you can export the nitrates?

.

I am running a BB tank with RDSB. IMO, it is the best of both worlds. You can have a whole bunch of flow, as well as the denitrifying/stabilization/buffering capabilities of sand.

ricks · #71 01/10/2008, 09:40 AM

I run no sand in my system.. I've found that it only creates problems after serval years...

SunnyX · #72 01/10/2008, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mrpet
well after all that im still on the fence lol... im setting up a 375
was going bb then ssb now still not sure.. tank is going to have
a ton of flow. what does ur guys ssb "fine crushed coral " look like after a while? i had a dsb in my 180 was always nice and white i dont want brown crushed coral. if poss can some of you post pics of your ssb with crushed coral after a year or so?
thanks

I have bee n running my tank for 2.5 Years with a SSB. I tried BB for 6 months and was not happy at all with the results. Corals lighted up and I had a hard time keeping alk, CA, and PH in check. I put sand back in and corals began to color up and grow again.
I use this sand, I find it to be the best with high flow situations:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ct~CS0020.html

Here is my 225Gl running with sand for 2.5yrs:

mrme · #73 01/10/2008, 03:23 PM

Your sand looks so clean.. you must have sand sifters, or your gravel-vac/syphon.

miwoodar · #74 01/10/2008, 03:25 PM

I have about an inch of standard crushed coral gravel. I believe that if your husbandry is good, you should be able to keep BB all the way to DSB without problems. My tank has been up for 3 years and my nitrates have always read zero.

Quote:

Originally posted by killagoby
Most forms of sand can help keep your Ph balanced. Some can provide calcium, mag, ect.

That's false. At a marine pH of 7.8-8+, you won't be able to dissolve anything substantial into the water. It's a wive's tale that has been around since the beginning of the hobby.

killagoby · #75 01/10/2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by miwoodar
I have about an inch of standard crushed coral gravel. I believe that if your husbandry is good, you should be able to keep BB all the way to DSB without problems. My tank has been up for 3 years and my nitrates have always read zero.

That's false. At a marine pH of 7.8-8+, you won't be able to dissolve anything substantial into the water. It's a wive's tale that has been around since the beginning of the hobby.

But if your Ph drops that's when it will start to buffer...