Topic of the Week August 28 - Deep Sand Beds

[sasquatch]

no Booze lol, the reefing version of washing your undies

[framerguy]

Thanks Booze- gotta love the Shimek!

[BarbMazz]

Originally Posted by sasquatch

is science involved in a dsb? hmm I was told back when the earth was still cooling lol, that a dsb would aid in buffering and reducing nitrates, I havent seen any proof of buffering help except when you first add water and the dust gets in the water column, as for nitrate reduction yes I believe that to a point, if you consider the water cycle of a tank, think about a dsb cycle, years? load? etc? what if the end result of a long term DSB is nothing more than a giant cess pool of toxic gas, now a Dsb in a bucket looks real good because you can turn it off and stick on a new one, but in the display its tear down time

You yeti/wookie types are always spouting off about the beginning of the world! Sheesh!

So you think a DSB (especially in a display tank) is just asking for problems, and you're not believing the hype on them. What sort of substrate do you use, if any?

Please elaborate on what made you decide on your choice. I NEED some yeti wisdom

[sasquatch]

No Wisdom Here!! i was hoping somebody would bring up the jaubert nugget again (sorry, you had to be there) I currenly have an 8 yr old crushed coral packed to the max filthy sand bed, the new tank will be 1 1/2 '' deep but only 1/2 of the tank. DSB's have been around for years, really almost anything works (to a degree) if you want to really explore the issue dont miss out on BareBottom systems supposedly the cleanest way of all

[boozeman]

nothin cleaner than a bare bottom

[BarbMazz]

Originally Posted by boozeman

nothin cleaner than a bare bottom

Alright, alright, you guys!! No barebottom talk here! This thread is for sandy bottoms only!

j/k.. I'm planning on looking into bare bottoms after I feel satisfied learning about sandy bottoms.

[cheeks69]

No doubt a DSB has it's pitfalls and although I know I will have to eventually replace mine it's worth it IMHO because of it's NNR ability. If you have a large tank a DSB may not be a good option because of the amount of work involved in replacing it so a BB or a SSB may be a better choice. I find it amusing how many who opted for BB tanks eventually went back to a DSB because of nitrate problems

[framerguy]

I'm planning on looking into bare bottoms after I feel satisfied learning about sandy bottoms.

That's the funniest line I've read in a while..Thanks Barb.
I don't think a DSB in the display is a good idea because of the maintenance, difficult replacement, live rock taking up the bulk of space, etc. Put it in a fuge where you can maintain it and let it do it's work.

I can't believe I'm about to say this... but I don't like bare bottoms, I think they are just unnatural. (Insert joke here)

[prow]

Originally Posted by cheeks69

No doubt a DSB has it's pitfalls and although I know I will have to eventually replace mine it's worth it IMHO because of it's NNR ability. If you have a large tank a DSB may not be a good option because of the amount of work involved in replacing it so a BB or a SSB may be a better choice. I find it amusing how many who opted for BB tanks eventually went back to a DSB because of nitrate problems

i agree. not only for the NNR but for all the micrbos and creatures that break up all that carbon source(detritus) and provide NH3 for the bac to cycle ,but also for all the plankton type foods, trace minerals and electrolytes(iodine, alk/Ca ect..) it puts back into the system. besides it takes so long before you need to think about replacing it

the biggest problem really, IME, with a DSB (aside from knowing some of the risks/limitations) is just messings with water flow. for sps type tanks(need high water flow/currents) it can be a real challange to keep the sand from gettting blown all around.



BarbMazz,
i am bacteria'd/creatured out right now plus i am leaving to Washington D.C. for the next 5 days today .....
football day today with some postings during commercials.....after that
so i will link you up instead for now anyway will get into stuff like placing rock on the sand bed and the effects on a DSB and stuff another day.
Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo give good intros, its not indepth or anything but good reads to get you started on sand. here is a article from each on sandbeds. something to chew on.

LiveSand
DeepSandBeds

basically a DSB is a modified "Jaubert system"-same idea but no plenum- OO and talk about a topic of big debate, plenums are right up there. i think alot of the concerns with a DSB and debates originated from plenum debates. so it might help knowing about that system before getting into variations. esp sence its not much of a variation.
here is a good article about it.
Advanced Aquarist Feature Article

then there is this old thread here i found with a good decision on DSB, its a good read~DSB...Let's Discuss!


FYI; i too am setting up a clam tank right now and will be using a DSB. something i know you have not got into yet is the chemistry and feeding of clams, a properly set up DSB goes well with a clam tank.

[BarbMazz]

Originally Posted by prow

BarbMazz,
i am bacteria'd/creatured out right now plus i am leaving to Washington D.C. for the next 5 days today .....
football day today with some postings during commercials.....after that
so i will link you up instead for now anyway will get into stuff like placing rock on the sand bed and the effects on a DSB and stuff another day.
Bob Fenner and Anthony Calfo give good intros, its not indepth or anything but good reads to get you started on sand. here is a article from each on sandbeds. something to chew on.

LiveSand
DeepSandBeds

basically a DSB is a modified "Jaubert system"-same idea but no plenum- OO and talk about a topic of big debate, plenums are right up there. i think alot of the concerns with a DSB and debates originated from plenum debates. so it might help knowing about that system before getting into variations. esp sence its not much of a variation.
here is a good article about it.
Advanced Aquarist Feature Article

then there is this old thread here i found with a good decision on DSB, its a good read~DSB...Let's Discuss!


FYI; i too am setting up a clam tank right now and will be using a DSB. something i know you have not got into yet is the chemistry and feeding of clams, a properly set up DSB goes well with a clam tank.

Thanks for the links, prow.. I'll bookmark them and read them later.. I'm also bacteria'd/creatured out. I stayed up too late last night reading, after reading on the 'puter for too long.

Have fun in DC... is it work or pleasure? I have a son who lives there on Capitol Hill. He's a US secret service special agent (i'm proud! LOL).

You're right, I don't know about the chemistry and feeding of clams, other than they are high-light, high-flow filter feeders. I DO know why a DSB is good for them thanks to you! So you're setting up a clam tank now! Cool... when do I get to see some pictures?!?

And, I've pretty much decided to go with un-cured LR. I mean, another few weeks spent curing rock isn't too much and then I'll know what I'm starting with. I'm going to check with the LFS I bought my tank from and see what they can do for me, plus I'll be checking out web places that other people seem to have had a good experience with.

Enjoy your football day; it's on here non-stop on that stoopid tv!

[prow]

its all pleasure, he is a secret service agent, itsn't that supposed to be a secret..................

the clam tank, i just got the stand and canopy. when i get back water goes in. its going to be a up grade on tank size for me. my current tank you can see in my chronicle linked in my sig. or my reefspace linked under my name. a little/lot out of date.

un-cured LR you mean like that rock from that tampabay place, forgot the name, you looking at buying?

i have alway got good stuff from these guys, never bought LR but hear only good things
Live Rock and Live Sand: Live Saltwater Aquarium Rock and Sand


lol, sounds like you have some fans in the house

[BarbMazz]

Originally Posted by prow

its all pleasure, he is a secret service agent, itsn't that supposed to be a secret..................

the clam tank, i just got the stand and canopy. when i get back water goes in. its going to be a up grade on tank size for me. my current tank you can see in my chronicle linked in my sig. or my reefspace linked under my name. a little/lot out of date.

un-cured LR you mean like that rock from that tampabay place, forgot the name, you looking at buying?

i have alway got good stuff from these guys, never bought LR but hear only good things
Live Rock and Live Sand: Live Saltwater Aquarium Rock and Sand


lol, sounds like you have some fans in the house

Well have fun then... don't do any financial fraud while you're there or my kid will hafta nab you

We joked with him about the 'secret' part, but no, it's not secret lol. He's home this week for a visit. Both him and his twin played football from the age of 7 through college (Div 3), and my husband is a rabid fan as well.

No, not rock from Tampa Bay.. I mean regular ole uncured rock that you have to cure for several weeks before you put in it the tank. Like the stuff that LiveAquaria sells.

I read through your chronicle..I like your tank! So your new clam tank will be larger?

Have a safe and fun trip.. if you like Italian food be sure to go to Maggiano's. It's right near FBI headquarters... you'll get a great meal there!

[prow]

its a 180gal (72x24x24) glass with 60ish gal sump/refugium.

Maggiano's huh, sounds good. now i have mission

[BarbMazz]

Originally Posted by prow

its a 180gal (72x24x24) glass with 60ish gal sump/refugium.

Maggiano's huh, sounds good. now i have mission

That's a big tank!

Here's a link to the DC Maggiano's Little Italy