Limitations of DSB's

[Spanky]

is some of this solved by plate tectonics?

Well no LOL all of it is.

Today's poop, tomorrow's ski slope.

[SPC]

Hi Stuart, let me give this a shot and see how screwed up I am .
Jerel,
In order for our deep sand beds to function long term, we must have the same good husbandry skills that we did with bare bottom.
Get the detritus out of the tank by using a mechanical means.
Run the skimmer to remove detritus, protiens etc...
Don't over feed unless you are sure you are removing the uneaten food.
Don't overstock.
Don't forget that our tanks are closed systems and do not function like the real reef no matter how much we wish they did .

OK, how far off am I?
Steve

[Spanky]

LOL dang close, as close as it gets I suppose.

You can just clean or replace them periodically too. Remember they'll hold a lot of stuff, so cleaning doesn't have to be that frequent.

[NewReefer]

In plate tectonics, the earth shelves constantly move and eventually your moving over each other producing seismic activity a huge bowel of mush, overlapping one another building pressure and making diamonds, but this leads to the creations of new problems. Do we need to go that far, no! Removing part of your DSB from time to time is good husbandry.

[Spanky]

Scott
You suck the fun right out of it don't you!

I was waiting on someone to come up with a Abyss refugia.

[SAT]

Originally posted by SPC
Hi Stuart, let me give this a shot and see how screwed up I am .

Hi Steve! I guess that's as good as I'm going to get until Jerel publishes his abyss refugia plans.

Hey, did Charles Matthews ever write up his infinite-mud-sink theory in FAMA? I stopped subscribing about when he started writing his column.

[NewReefer]

I could drill a vast of small holes at the bottom of the tank. Let the DSB drip each day and on top set up a supply drip of new sand, this would make for a continuous sink!

[SPC]

I really like this idea that Tom is going with, this settling tank makes alot of sence to me.

Posted by Tom earlier in this thread:

"Hmmmm...

Fortunately I am at a crossroads that will allow me to try a different approach to the entire concept presented here. I will be setting up 2 identical 125 gal systems with one small difference: one will have the "settling tank" for detritis and remote dual sandbeds, possibly a thin sandbed or a bare bottom in the actual display: and the other will be a 6 inch DSB tank with a 6 inch dsb substrate refugium. These will definitely be closed systems, using totally ASW , most likely IO. I will be installing sampling cannula at different depths in the DSB-equipped tank. Both will have similar populations and biome setups, and I will attempt to make them both as close to identical as possible with the exception of how the sandbeds are run. The idea of using the dual remote sandbeds will be to have the opportunity of changing one sandbed out completely (yeah, Southdown...) at say 2 or 3 years from day 1, then once the new sandbed has matured, to change the other out at say 5 or 6 years. Each sandbed will have sufficient capacity and volume by itself to handle the bioload of a coral system at 125 gal capacity. It will be just one example, but it will be hopefully one of many systems set up in such a manner across the country. Heh!, the 180 will still be set up with a DSB and refugium as they are now, but the sand bed will be totally new. I also intend to test the old sand samples for content re: heavy metals, organic/inorganic phosphate, etc. as this sand bed is about 5.5 years old. I will post whatever results I get with the DSB tests from this teardown."

Steve

[galleon]

My aimless marine science lecture for the day:
regarding sediments and tectonics: Oceans undergo what is known as a Wilson cycle.

First, in the embryonic phase, anywhere underneath granitic/continental crust, a magmatic plume begins to push crust up and away. This results in rippled crust (known as listric faulting), with these faulted ridges moving away from each other (ie, African Rift Valley). Next comes the juvenile phase, where the ridges have moved away from each other enough to form a small sea. If in the tropics, reefs begin to form on the now submerged listric ridges. Runoff begins to deposit terrigenous material behind the listric ridges (ie, Red Sea).

Next, as the new sea continues to the mature phase, periods of high and low sea level destroy the reefs and cover the sediments (carbonate and terrigenous) of the listric ridges with alternating strata of evaporites (salts, oolites) and reef/terrigenous sediments. Input of terrigenous sediments continues throughout this process, increasing the downward force on the boundary between the oceanic crust and the continental crust of the listric ridges. When enough pressure is built up onto the evaporite layers by this sediment, the salts begin to flow upward, creating ridges through the stratigraphy. Oil from reefs below tends to flow upward, pulled by the salt, and collects at the top of the salt peak (this is where most offshore oil rigs are placed).

Anyway, once the ocean is nice and mature, like the Atlantic, eventually, the pressure of the sediments at the plate boundaries will become so great that a separation will occur. The oceanic crust will now subside beneath the granitic continental crust. This pulls the entire tectonic plate in tow, known as the declining phase (Pacific ring of fire). Volcanism tends to occur near these subduction zones as a result of the magma formed immediately (offset) below the subsiding plate.

Keep in mind, sediments are still continuing to build up through all this around the listric ridges. They have formed the entire continental margin: shelf, slope and rise. As the subsidence pulls one continent close to the other, the pressure pushes the listric ridges and their sediments upwards, forming embryonic mountains. The Mediterannean is an example of this closing phase.

Finally, at the suturing phase (the Himalayas), the two continents being pulled toward one another collide. This forces all the accumulated sediments that have not subsided with the oceanic crust to jut upward, forming bonafide mountain ranges and removing the sediments from the system temporarily. However, weathering and erosion of these sediments (often metamorphic rocks at this point) returns them to the nearest ocean basin over time, repeating the cycle.

[NewReefer]

I saw that on the Discovery channel!

[NewReefer]

Sorry, that is a good explanation of how the sediments are cycled in our mass oceans.

[Spanky]

Chris,

How do we duplicate that at home?

[galleon]

Why Jerel, I thought you'd never ask!

Now, this new product simulates the sediment removal of the Wilson cycle. Inferior versions are available at your LFS, but why settle for their quality when you can have the genuine Wilson siphon. 100% guaranteed to remove subduction causing sediments from your home aquarium! Only 4 payments of $66.95.

Now New and Improved! With the natu-grazer algae digesting pad built into the handle!

[Spanky]

Friggin priceless!
ROTFLMAO

[NewReefer]

HEHE! AHH a nice ending to a long Monday!
Thanks guys, C-ya tomorrow.