[I bared my bottom almost a year ago now...and I don't regret it at all! :lol: Hmmm..... ??? a scary thought comin' from a fat woman!
Actually, I mixed pvc cement with crushed coral and for a permanent bottom on my 55. If I do another, I would still use this method except I would not use cc, but instead use a fine sand(any kind will work). The bottom of my tank is now nicely covered in coraline and looks and acts just like live rocK. It is trapping some detritus due to the rough cc texture which is why I would use fine sand instead - the dirt would blow off easier. Here's my pro/con list as I see it:
Cons
* Looks takes an aquired taste perhaps
* Glass tanks need a buffer to protect against fallen rock damage. Starboard is very popular for this, or, glued in substrate.
* Some corals that require high nutrient systems, such as xenia, gonioporas may not survive.
* Many macro algaes cannot survive due to less nutrients
* fish that sleep in/sift sand may not acclimate (many will especially with a glued bottom.
* requires higher flow around rockwork to keep detritus suspended for removal by skimmer.
* requires heavy 'wet' skimming
* must siphon out any accumalated detritus
Pros
* Overall cleaner, more nutrient poor system
* Ideal for hard corals such as sps
* has neater more spacious look
* Nuisance algeas can't get a foothold due to lack of nutrients
* Lower overall biomass to tie up available nutients and consume oxygen. (you would really tell the difference here when the power fails!)
* the more water flow the better -at least enough to suspend detritus.
Ok, I can no longer think straight. I know I'm missing some vital points so I'll go dig up some links and get back to ya. :O]
