Opinions on DSB?

[er1c_the_reefer]

I'm gonna be getting a 60 cube soon and I was wondering if I should do a deep sand bed. I've heard they're potential nitrogen bomb factories but are fairly efficient at keeping down nitrates. An alternative would be sump/refugium with combo of chaeto/caulerpa/mangroves. What do you guys think?

[pet_doc]

I had a fairly deep sandbed of about 3-4 inches in a 30g. If I disturbed the bed with vacuming you could actually smell the ammonia. Go with a 1-2 inch bed just to be safe although 60g would be a larger footprint.

[ficklefins]

Eric,

 

In setting up my 20g I asked myself the same questions. Are DSB better, and if not than what size?

 

Well, from what I have seen written online I have come to two conclusions. A DSB or any SB is good for storing/dealing with some level of nitrates in the system. A barebottom system will only survive if you are able to get all the gunk that settles on the bottom back up to your skimmer for filtration. Also a barebottom basically eleminates the final breakdown of poop from animals and corals by suspending it into the water column where it can be trasported by your overflow to the skimmer/sump. Keep in mind that those with a barebottom system have a tendency to oveskim their systems and do a good amount of top offs and waterchanges.

 

If you have a great skimmer and enough pumps to move some gunk, then go for the barebottom. If you want a saftey net then go with a sandbed.

 

I will probably be trashed for the above overview but that is a "IMO" statement. Do some research on here or reefcentral for more info.

 

Let us know what you decide......

[manse]

A 1 - 2" bed supposedly won't do you any good.

 

Read this: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm

 

Written by a Dr. who studies sand beds. He says 4 inches in the minimum to be successful with a DSB. You also need square footage. Search reef central for "edge effect".

[steelhealr]

From my research and reading a DSB is inadequate in a small nano system. SH

[Stina]

What about DSB in 10G refugium, and BB in main 25G tank?

Sorry if hijacked...

[calvin]

c'mon, folks. read the thread. he's asking about a 60g system.

[lgreen]

regardless of tank size, i am still a fan of the 1 inch method for sugar sand, and 1-2 for special grade reef sand or fiji pink sand. then do another 1-2 inches in the refugium.

 

also i know somebody that did a 55g tank with about 1.5 inches of special grade sand and then a 29g sump w/ a plenum. it turned out pretty cool, although i still don't know how I feel about plenums, although i have never seen a bad tank with a plenum.

 

What about DSB in 10G refugium, and BB in main 25G tank?

Sorry if hijacked...

 

i wouldn't do a dsb even if in the sump.

[Scissorhand]

isn't tongs beginning to turn the display tanks into barebottom?

[er1c_the_reefer]

if you're talking about the tanks in the back... we just added a bunch of oolite to it, so not anymore... lol

 

...

 

 

how about just 1-2 inches of oolite in the main 60, and then a DSB made up of courser grade stuff about 4-5 inches in a 20 gallon sump with mangroves in it? best of both worlds, no?

[Cetra324]

c'mon, folks. read the thread. he's asking about a 60g system.

 

Yeah, a 60 gallon -cube-, which will not have the footprint necessary to have any benefit from a DSB. Go with a dusting of sand, because, in my opinion, BB is pug fugly, and a light layer that gets stirred around a lot won't build up any nasty chemicals.

[lgreen]

^^I'm going to have to agree with what this person said

 

unless you have like a 6 foot tank, i don't see a dsb being worth a crap, and even in a 6 foot tank i would never do a dsb.

[Caesar777]

Even 6-foot-long tanks hit the wall after a year or two with DSB's. We have customers coming in all the time with this problem...