Time to decide on the substrate

[Twitterbait]

So i am beginning prep on the tanks and i am torn on which substrate to use if any so i'll see what you think. there are 2 tanks and the stats are below

100gal-- will be used for coral and minimal fish

300gal-- shark tank, will be FO with agressive feeders and minimal LR

the choices are BB, SSB, DSB

you can select one of the first 3 or any combo of the last 6

[Fly Guy]

Ill offer this Ryan.....as you prollyknow i just built two new sytems and my plan in starting the builds was to get the best of both worlds.....I.E. a softy lps tank DSB, and a BB sps tank........

Hindsight........ill never have another tank with a sandbed again. First opportunity that makes sense the sandbed is getting removed from my 225.
They are simply unnecessary PITA's IMO.

[afbengochea]

not even a shallow one bill?

[Fly Guy]

SSB's make no sense to me in the first place. : )

When i first designed that 225 i also had plans for it being a predator tank with lots and lots of carnage going on...........

Still, we all change our thinking as times goes by and even if and when i do a predator tank it will still be barebottom.

[afbengochea]

asthetics? .... I know its nice to have a clean tank but I dont know if I could ever get used to BB. So the dsb isnt working with ur softie/lps tank?

[Wiskey]

I think it goes back to experiance.

If you know how to read the coral then BB is your best move.

If you don't, then go DSB, let the sand run the tank, learn to read the coral and then go back to BB.

Unless the sharks need sand I think this is a no-brainer BB, easer to clean, but I personally would much rather go with a agressive tank than a shark tank. No matter how big your tank is the sharks always look cramped.

All IMHO,
Whiskey

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by afbengochea

asthetics? .... I know its nice to have a clean tank but I dont know if I could ever get used to BB. So the dsb isnt working with ur softie/lps tank?

Its working fine, the tank is as healthy as any tank ive ever seen. I have no problems with it except i cant keep the fricken sand on the ground where i want it. It looks kind of cool blown into dunes but i think if i do it over i will shape a piece of hdpe so that it isnt perfectly flat, add some contour to it and use a variation of geoffs epoxy sandbed so i can put the current wherever i want it but still have the look of the sandbed.

Cutting flow is not an option because i do have it configured perfectly IMO as far as flow strength to specific parts of the tank and the different corals......the sandbed just doesnt cooperate

[seshapir]

I like the look of an SSB. If you don't mind the way a BB looks I say go for it.

[afbengochea]

ok makes sense, well u do have a lot of flow. Ill tell u one thing, in my next tank I am going to design it like urs but ill probably be keeping sps ..... but thats way in the future

[Twitterbait]

So you know i was thinking SSB for the 100 and BB for the 300 for easy cleaning... but your input is very valuable.

[icebear]

i think a ssb for the 300g, if you will have predatorys with minimal LR, it mighht basically have that "canning jar with pollywogs" feel to it unless you put something naturalistic looking on the bottom

and depending on what type of fish, some like to occupy themselves with mouthing the sand about and fooling with it. take the sand away and they've got little to play with. Triggers like to play with sand. Puffers, and i have seen eels nudging it into hills and stuff like that

[Twitterbait]

the 300 will have 1 or 2 LR pillars from top to bottom...

[VWD]

I say BB on the reeftank and DSB on the shark tank, The shark will like the sandbed better then a BB

[BLEEZY]

shallow oolitic sand on the 300. i am guessing you are getting a bamboo shark or one of the sand dwellers and they need them i thought.

[Twitterbait]

the type of shark is still up in the air...