Question for BB users

coderabit21 · #1 04/13/2005, 01:31 AM

Now that many of you are having great success using a BB for your sps tank, how would you set up a softie tank now?

JoeMack · #2 04/13/2005, 02:28 AM

I would expect slower growth in a softie tank + bb. Nutrients are fiends of them and not friends of SPS. So far its about the same for me except the nitrate test kits are actually now not changing color at all and my fuge doesn't grow anymore. My rocks are cooking them selves (not like actual rock cooking), but damn man, stuff is dropping out of them daily still and its been about a month.

I would use sand w/ softies because they like that (I believe but am not sure)

AlgaeMan · #3 04/13/2005, 06:29 AM

I setup an lps and softy tank which is BB. I basically use the same methods I use for SPS.

MiddletonMark · #4 04/13/2005, 06:38 AM

Good question.

I'm moving my softie setup downstairs to a tub I'm setting up [drilled it last night] - and am thinking about the same thing. As I've only got a bak-pak on the softie tank - I'm thinking that BB might not be the best idea as I lack the ability to export much.
[bak-pak on 40g softie, bullet-2 on 58g sps ... I've got my priorities

]

I think I'll probably end up putting substrate in this new softie setup, as while I know it's not a fun task to remove when it's time comes ... but as that lifespan is only a couple years in my expectations for what I'm setting up - substrate seems like less of an issue and I'll likely get some benefits.

But it's a great question, and I'm reading along.

Bomber · #5 04/13/2005, 06:57 AM

Depends on the "softie". If they are some of the types that actually feed, they will do better. The circulation keeps more food/detritus up and moving for them to catch. You can have a lot more fish too.

minus_13 · #6 04/13/2005, 07:34 AM

I would prefer to have a DBS with softies, for the simple reason that it would be a bit too difficult to keep detritus suspended in a softie BB tank with the more tempered flow that softies prefer. Furthermore, my experience tells me that softies do better in nutrient rich tanks. Don't get me wrong... there still are benefits to BB with softies (e.g. the ability to siphon out detritus with ease), but given a choice, I'd go with some kind of sandbed in a softie tank.