i have an extra shelf that i built into my stand that can support a 10 gallon tank that will gravity feed into my sump with skimmer and other equipment. the goal here is nitrate reduction. hopefully to the point of where carbon dosing won't be needed anymore. (the looks i get asking people to...

hello, i'm setting up a 65 gallon reef with a 30 gallon sump. I need help with a decision that I cant make. its about a deep sand bed and a fuge. should I have a deep sand bed in my display or a dsb in my fuge? or both? or ssb in both? i'm not very interested in bare bottom tanks so that's out...

Hi Everyone, I just joined the site after setting my tank up 4 weeks ago. Since filling it, I've been taking tiny steps forward and learning a ton. A reef tank has always been a dream of mine. This is my first salt tank. I understand that getting it right and stable takes planning, investment...

Would it be nuts to run a supplemental dsb on a new tank started with dead rock? I don't wanna wait for it to cook. Still kinda fuzzy on the cycle, but as I understand it there's organic phosphate bound in the mined rock. This will be leached into my new tank for a long time as bacteria...

I am trying to understand why I would have black/gray sand on the surface of my DSB. I thought that would develop under the top layer if detritus was caught in the sand? If I notice dark sand but no gas bubbles being released, and no smell, what's the prognosis for the tank becoming toxic?

anyone use miracle mud? I bought a 50 lbs bag because a lot of people have said amazing things about it. any opinions? thanks ;)

I have been reading for the past few weeks thru different threads and articles all over the internet, without any definitive answers on SANDBEDS!! I realize it's really all a matter of opinion, in most cases, but I have not formed an opinion yet. I know I want sand, and had a ssb. I tried to...

i have a sudden very weird question. for DSBs in a reef tank, once the sand bed is saturated in an unmaintend sandbed, the bacteria is known for making the sandbed rather acidic (i'm guessing a PH of 5 (give or take), this makes the nutrients trapped in the sand bed suddenly very available, and...

So I'm preparing to syphon my sandbed for the first time in the 2 months I've had the tank. My friend I bought the tank from (90% of the sand was disposed of, so what i'm cleaning is pretty much new) had never cleaned the sand bed. One time while cleaning my freshwater Gourami tank, I syphoned...

Sean I hear ya on the DSB thingy. It still can be cleaned but is definately more trouble. The DSB is a viable denitrifier it just comes with more hassles on removing the detritis and others. And the removal of such is an absolute. The DSB theory is the a result of the eternal search for the...

:nuts: is it possible to set up a dsb w/o a solid bottom. then could it release the detritus/phosphate into a settling tank to be exported? i read through the "ways to make a dsb work" thread wow what a wopper that was. it would be set up with a pair of containers. one with the bottom cut...

...for my cat. The design still needs work. I'm thinking around 6' of kitty litter. Probably some stairs on the side so he can get in. Maybe I'll do clear acrylic so I can watch all the cool worms and bugs crawling around inside. :wink3:

My tank has been up for about a year and I have about 2" of fine grain live sand. About a month ago a ton of sand worms showed up in the sandbed and the bed up against the glass started looking kinda "nasty" - after research, I find that this is a good development in a deep sand bed and I read...

Hi everyone, :wavey: First post wohoo!! :dance: I have been reading a lot of the threads about DSB (Deep sand beds) and am fast joining the band wagon to agree with Geoff's discussions about these. Against all the reasons to not have sand in your tank, from what I have read there are 2 reasons...

Ok so when I started my tank 8 months or so ago I used just a 20lb bag of LS in my 55g. Not a whole lot of sand. Now I'm thinking of makeing it a DSB how would I do this without causing a cycle? Should I just get some dry sand or would I be better getting more LS? And how do y'all clean your...

Ok guys. Ive decided to make my sump with a refugium. I want chaeto in it, but i heard it goes asexual? If so how can i prevent this from happening? Thanks.

Ok Ive done some thinking and thought a shallow sand bed would do better in the long run. cheaper, wont worry about nitrates being released if theres a sand storm, and it kinda looks better. I think I will have a shallow sand bed in my refugium with a bunch of chaeto and a 65/70w light bulb that...

I see the question of how to go about changing your sand bed arise often as the importance is stressed so frequently on this site. I thought a good DIY would be helpful to show people that it really isn't that hard to do. From start to finish, it usually takes me around 10 minutes to changes 20%...

Hi, I am planning to have a sump with Fug. that have live rock and 4"dsb. Is there any problem having a 4" dsb in a fug.? Please help. Thanks