OK here is a conversation I was having over at NJRC. Am I off in my way of thinking here? Here is my quote…
Quote:
I have a 3-4 DSB in the 120 and 4-6 in the REF. IMO so long as you keep the correct critters in the DSB it will last for years. I do rely on physical removal as much as possible. I rinse all the sponges almost daily. Rinse all frozen foods well. And use only RO/DI water. While testing you read no phosphates but they are in there. Bonded up in organics…
Algae’s, calerpra, and the like. They take it up almost as fast as it is added. Now I’m no expert so here is what I have been studding lately. There is a difference between organic and inorganic phosphate. Your test kit only measures one type(I believe inorganic?) . And the other is bonded into the fauna. I did a search on Phos-Ban from 2 little fish. Look on all the boards and you will be on the same path as me. Interesting stuff there.
I know I over feed, but I do change a lot of water. (20% a week) But I have this crap in there out competing the REF for the nutrients. http://www.globaldialog.com/~jrice/...e/lobophora.htm
I will test the phos-ban myself and post when I have results.
Back to DSB’s. I disagree with the majority that 4-6 inches is needed. I have half that and after 14 months I see the anaerobic zones. You need to remember that back in the day when plenums and DSB first started we heard all the horror stories. But back them we were also adding gobies, horse shoe crabs, and sand sifting stars! Akk! All the wrong animals for a DSB.
You have the right snails and the cuke will help. I love fighting & queen conchs they eat cyano from the sand. The only catch is you need to keep enough sand bed exposed…a tank packed with LR is no good for them.
OK so what is the cause of toxic tank syndrome? DSB toxicity? One word, the end product, DETRITUS. That is what is building up in the substrate and unless we physically remove it the detritus becomes toxic in time. I do it daily by rinsing the sponges. I hope to prolong the life of the bed. The more fauna you have the further it is broken down, also helping further the system. But alas eventually it can be broken down no further. So I plan at some point that I will have to start replacing little by little my DSB. Heavy handed feeders, people who don’t change water, and the lack of the correct animals in there will led to the replacement sooner rather then later.
IMO it is a personal preference. Do you like the look and life from a DSB? If so plan on at some point replacing it. Just like everything else in reefing GO SLOW ;-)
I will at some point start replacing a few Lbs here and a few there. Occasionally I will add new live sand to boost the fauna that the fish and natural predation has depleted.
OK looking back this post is huge for me and I could go on. I hope some of this long-winded post helped.
S
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OK so I may not be as technical and know the exact make up of the end product but the bottom line is at some point it has to go.
If we have a remote DSB isn’t the detritus in the live rock going to do the same thing at some point? Not everyone has monstrous flow in his or her bare bottom or Berlin style systems to account for NO settlement. I take no issue with changing a little here and there. I want to add new LS to increase the diversity and well let’s face it. Looking at a reef at night with a red flashlight is and amazing show of life.
Awesome thread gang
Learning every day
S