To DSB or not. That is the Question.

[Ichthus]

There are TONS of articles out there about the benefits of a DSB (Shimek). As you all know I am about to pull out my CC and go with sand. I have a DSB now, and just got through reading a thread about not doing a DSB.

I will grab some sand from a few other reefers tanks to seed my bed, but I was curious about:

1. Do I need to have 2-3 extra inches in my bed or not.

2. If the DSB collects so much stuff over a period of time....what about a SB? Wouldn't logic state that a SB would collect the same stuff?

3. Do people replace their beds after a period of time?

One of the reasons I was going with sand instead of CC is that I have to vacuum every so often.

4. You don't have to vacuum sand right?

*ding ding...... let the fighting over DSB's begin*

[ShirleyM]

Check this out...topic of the week awhile back

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...threadid=13272

[Jimbo]

Hi all,

I just read through that thread again Shirley. Thanks.
A couple of things that were not touched upon is that intense lighting can have a positive affect in relation to the amount of energy in the system. My sandbed bubbles down to 1.5 cm, this helps to suspend elements into the water column where the skimmer can remove them. The effect on organics from intense lighting also can have the same affect as ozone or a uv light.

Another area is having a large collection of sand stirring creatures. I don't believe the worms and a few burrowing snails stir up the sand sufficently to move enough particles into the water column so the skimmer has a chance to remove them. This is something I'm considering, buying alot more sand stirring creatures, I mean like 1 cucumber per 10gal and many more burrowing snails and even a sand sifting star. Possibly some jawfish (I already have a yellow headed one), but once it found a nice spot, it just stays there. It seems most people want the DSB/Plenum for denitrification and to add some calcium. I like the idea of some life in the sand bed, it produces food.

The Berlin method is normally considered as having a bare bottom and syponing out deitris on a regular basis. Intense metal halide lighting. Strong skimming and evaporation makeup of kalk water. If you drip the kalk into your skimmer intake this will also help remove phosphates (help with hair algea)

My tank is just about a year old now, there is some deitris buildup. When the jaw fish made a new hole my tank was cloudy for just about a day. so more in there than I thought.

[Doug1]

Deep Sand Beds work, better in some cases than others. I think they are prolly better in lower energy lagoonal type biotopes than high energy SPS farms.
But I think a key to success is planning it out, seeding and feeding and allowing the system to mature

[ShirleyM]

Originally posted by Doug1
Deep Sand Beds work, better in some cases than others. I think they are prolly better in lower energy lagoonal type biotopes than high energy SPS farms.

Then what works better for an SPS tank?

[Spanky]

There are TONS of articles out there about the benefits of a DSB (Shimek).

David, it really boils down to what type of critters you're setting the tank up to house. How you want it to look. What processes you want.

Shirley, if I was setting up a tank for SPS I would want low organics. That, for me, would mean bare bottom and siphon detritus.