bb vs substrate

[shie305]

im currently in the process of starting up my tank. i have all the equipment i need and am in the process of finding a place to get LR. my question is, what are the pros/cons to being bare bottomed. i heard having live sand will increase filtration, but have also heard its not good for my tank. any opinions would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[Jnicho]

First of all WELCOME!!!

That question is almost as tricky as lighting...lots of strong opinions.

IMO, both have there place. If you have a system which is dominated by SPS corals a bare bottom with tons of flow is good. However, set up correctly a bare bottom has too much flow for some animals. My current setup is all LPS and soft corals so that much flow would not work well. A DSB has many advantages (be it in the display or run remotely) such as removing nitrates and buffering Alk. The down side to a DSB is it will at some point become "full" of the stuff it removes and will need to be replaced. Also, some animals need a sand bend to live and feed, so going one way or another will dictate to some degree what you can keep.

That's kind of the basics. Hope that helps. Tell us more about setup and your plans for it and we can give you more specific advice.

[MikeAtJax]

IMO a BB tank is best for only an SPS tank. Most tanks will do best with a DSB and if it is properly maintained it will not become "full" of stuff. I have seen DSB tanks that were many years old going strong and that would be my first choice. BTW I am a BB.

[PowerManJ316]

Can't offer too much experience but I have done lots of research on this. I have a DSB right now and I am setting up a BB as we speak. I would politely disagree with MikeAtJax; unless you have professional experience, I would plan on having to replace the DSB at some point.

I just personally like the concept of BB much better. Why let anything settle in your tank? Instead of letting a DSB process waste, why not just take the waste directly out of the tank?

Also, think about what you wanna keep. As posted above it defintely can persuade one method or another.

[PowerManJ316]

Also, scope out the "Think Tank" section. There are two really good threads if you feel like spending a couple of hours researching...they are "Ways to Make A DSB work" and "10 Common Misconceptions about DSB's"...real good stuff

[jamessp01]

there are 3 cons I can think of for a BB system.

1. looks. some hate the look
2. denitrification. you wont have much in a bb system.
3. no sand. you wont be able to keep some stuff that needs sand.

[MikeAtJax]

I am not saying you have to be an expert to run a BB tank. SPS IMO respond to the increased flow that a BB system can deliver. However, I do believe that a properly maintained DSB can last many years. Even in a DSB you should have enough flow to export waste.

[panic]

I have both and prefer a barebottomed display with a RDSB. I followed the BB threads on the other board for awhile, bought all the best equipment that I could, followed the suggestions, and ran straight bb for 2 years. I had issues with low/fluctuating alk, so I introduced a RDSB and have eliminated that problem.

The biggest pro of bb for me is that I can see the filth and siphon it right away. I use a series of filter socks and a big skimmer running directly into my rdsb with refugium, therefore no waste builds up on the sandbed. Yet I reap the benifits of a small amount of sand - pods, microfauna, buffering from the DSB. The flow in my display is dramatic and I never need to siphon. The flow directed at the bottom of the tank would never be possible with a dsb in my application. Another pro is water clarity as such that stonies grow on the bottom of my 24" deep reef.

All said, do that method which works best for you and your schedule and either can be best for you.

[Jnicho]

I'm currently keeping almost all LPS & soft corals so I prefer a DSB in my personal tank...I have seen Panic's tank in person and it rocks! If I were doing an SPS tank I would definitely set it up that way.