Shallow Sand Bed

[jerseyguy1996]

I know this has been asked many times but I am getting some conflicting answers over how much sand is too much. I was under the impression that up to 1-2 inches was okay and would not trap too much in the way of detritus. I have a buddy who has been doing reefs for probably longer than I have been alive that said even 1 inch was way too much and that 1/4 inch, or just enough to cover the bottom was better to keep it from trapping too many organics. So what is the verdict? Do I need to take out 1 1/4 inches of my 1 1/2 inch deep sand bed?

I should add the sand is just there for cosmetic reasons. I got tired of watching the cyano build up on my tank bottom.

[Fly Guy]

I must say i kind of disagree with your buddies thinking. That is unless you completely vacuum up the entire thing and replace it every month or so.

A sandbed that shallow is just a PITA. Might as well go BB with a fake sandbed and dont let the crap settle on the floor of the tank in the first place.

If you want a shallow sandbed........id go 1.5-2"

[jerseyguy1996]

1.5" to 2" was what I had always heard as well. i will just leave it as is. Besides I already made PVC rock lifts that are 1.75" tall.

[zxcv123]

Originally Posted by jerseyguy1996

1.5" to 2" was what I had always heard as well. i will just leave it as is. Besides I already made PVC rock lifts that are 1.75" tall

good. put those rock lifts in and vacum the sand bed frequently and you should have little problems

[reefBoyDc]

I agree with your friend. A 1/2" to 1" sand bed is best and can easily be sifted by small snails and stars, and even the flow in the tank. I have just enough sand to cover the bottom of my tank, and a little stir here and there keeps it clean.

[Marcalo]

don't certh snails live in sand bedding as well i thought i read somewhere they sift thru the sand? and sand shifting stars are good as well

as for the vaccume i always thought sand was to "Light" to use this as a good way of cleaning.

[Jflip2002]

Im more and more tempted to do this BB thing with the FSB I never knew about.

[VWD]

ask 10 people and get 8 answers to this question, I really don't think any of them are wrong, It depends on what you like, but I will say this that 1/4 inch sand bed over time will be deep in someplaces and nothing in other, See JMO.
I am with Flyguy here on the 1 1/5 to 2 inches

[Geoff]

sand sifting critters actually are bad for sand beds. they eat out the microinfauna that are living in the sand. without these micro critters the sand can clump together and cause all kinds of problems.

G~

[tims]

hehe you really want to hear what each way or read each way, go in to the archive section here, we just had a bi weekly discusion on substrate, we talked about each type including a Fake sand bed..

[DevilBoy]

i agree with the sand sifting stars. They are no good... the will eat all the good things living in the sandbed

[dobejazz]

Many critters that require sand to sift/eat will slowly starve in aquariums also.

[reefBoyDc]

"Ask 10 people, get 8 different answers". So true.

Here's what I think:

The best is to have no sand bed. That seems to be the consensus... this month at least, and maybe even last month.

But if you want a sand bed because you think it looks better than BB, then I still believe that the shalower it is, the cleaner it will be. Since you're doing it for looks, you're not concerned about the microfauna that may or may not live in it (if you really want micofauna, get a DSB, and no sand sifters).

The deeper the sand bed, the harder it will be for it to "turn over" and release the detritus that it holds.

In my 1/2" to 1" sand bed the snails are actually able to slide on the bottom glass of the tank and plow through the sand. They are quite adept at turning it over. Any deeper, and they would only scratch the surface.

Anyway, out of the 8 answers you get, most will be good, but only for a particular setup. So many variables in a reef tank, that no 2 are the same and something that works for one tank may not work for another. I know that the very shallow SSB has worked for me because I have never had ANY algae in this tank.

HTH

[Adnuces]

Obviously no deep sand bed thinkers among this group. There are the pros and cons of each........

[reefermike1]

the more i hear about it the less i like sand, and personally i hate my sandbed. always looks dirty, and always blowing all over everything. i was much happier with crushed coral. planning on just covering the bottom of my tank with the cc, and then running a remote dsb, kind of as a refugium. i think that would be the best of both worlds, but, i guess i wont know till i try it.