Is 2-3" sand bed worse than 1" ?

[BigShot]

I wanted to setup a tank without DSB (not 3-5") but with some sand. I remember reading somewhere to put either under 1" or over 3-4" and anything in between that would be "asking for trouble". Is there anything wrong with having a sand bed (I don't need the denitrification benefits) with 1/5-3" think sand bed ?

Thank you,
Luke

[rshimek]

Hi,

I see no particular benefit accruing from having any sand bed that is not a deep sand bed. Whether or not there are any problems associated with the shallower beds largely depends on the types and populations of animals that you can keep alive in them.

[BigShot]

Dr. thank you for the response. What kind of problems might arise if the dsb is not deep enough ? That is it's <3-4" and greater than 1" ?

Thank you,
Luke

[rshimek]

See your other post.

[romunov]

You might want to check out Ron Shimeks sticky threads at the top of this forum. You will learn the 'basics' (are we people pathetic or what? :) ) of 'DSB'. Doctor has addressed this issue on number of occasions (gee, I sound like a press secretary.

To the doctor of the house:
On other note, I'd like to point to the 'problem' I noticed regarding terminology of 'DSB'. I am reading a book on invertebrates an other aspects of reef keeping, and on many occasions it refers to 'deep sand bed' or DSB. (I'll type slow, since this is probably new to you - jokingly)
This is not wrong, but it is harmful (or is it just me?), because people have bad luck with any time of DSB and blame the method for being '*rap'.
I'd like for people to destinguish between a 10cm thick bed of coarse coral sand with a bunch of detritus between grains, and a nice fine, life full DSB you (and a lot of us) have in mind. I recommend another term for it. Shimek's DSB or something, since most credits go to you. :)

[BigShot]

Are you trying to suckup to Dr. Ron? I don't see the point of your sarcastic reposponse :-).

Luke

[rshimek]

Hi,

Luke, I don't see any sarcasm.

romunov,

Since I have probably been the most vocal proponent of sand beds, and have published more articles about them most credits do devolve back to me. Unfortunately, it appears that a large number of people who have sand beds refuse to read.

As far as many people are concerned, a sand bed is a layer of unconsolidated sediments of indeterminate thickness and uncertain parentage lying at the bottom of a tank. To some extent this is a sand bed. :D However, the term "sand" has a rather precise meaning in sedimentary petrology, and I have further restricted the acceptable parameters in my articles (and the sticky thread at the top of the forum listings).

Furthermore, to function in an aquarium as a biofilter, the bed needs to be maintained. This is easy to do. It is also something that is easy to overlook doing. :D When the maintenance is overlooked, the bed will not function to the best advantage of the system.

As regards names... this is a hobby where many aquarists can't handle the proper names for amphipod or copepod or isopod (they are all "pods"...) and yet at the same time seem to think they can identify acroporid corals by comparing them to pictures (a task that is absolutely impossible to do). There is no hope for any reasonable name or term to describe the beds. :D

[romunov]

Luke, doc nailed this one on the head. Looks like quite some (salt)water will have to go down the drain before people turn around and see what some people have been saying and writing for years. Sigh.


Eh, piiiii it. :beer: