bare bottom or sand bed????

Keep reading.... :D

Both options have their perks and the topic is highly debated. Try to get as educated as you can about the subject and you will make the right decision for your tank.
 
I like keeping a shallow sand bed, roughly 1" deep. There is little maintenance involved, a few sand sifters do the trick.
Bare bottom can be nice, but you have to suck out all the crap that lands on the bottom or it becomes nutrient loaded.

Really, it is a personal decision and should be based on how involved you want to be with the tank.
 
Yeah this is just a can of worms debate.

To each there own. Personally?

Sand, lots of sand, more sand, and way more sand. Don't get a short tank you can't put 5" or more of sand. That's just me and I like keeping seagrasses.
 
I definitely agree that you should read up on all of the options. After reading, you will find that smart people use a shallow sand bed, DSB people are hiding something, and people with a bare bottom get arrested when in public.
















:lol:
:wink:
-Chuck
 
this subject is highly debated in the RC forums. It has died down since the big clash about MH vs. T5 has started. I've ran a 10gal bare bottom with a couple fish and coral. I see that nitrates rise quickly without the sand bed. and I like the look of the sand even though it is doodoo brown sometimes. :wink:
 
I've done sand, then BB, then sand again, and now I'm dying to go back to starboard....

the sand is great for the organisms who use it/need it...otherwise, get it the hell outta my tank! Pain to keep clean, can't ever get enough flow (its a shallow tank though), always worried about it getting under the magnet and scratching the glass. if you want it for filtration, you're better off with a dsb-in-a-bucket b/c detritus will not be allowed to settle on its surface.

BB is rediculously easy to keep clean...but only if prepared corectly. Cooking your rocks is a must, and you need a lot of alternating flow to keep detritus in suspension. get used to siphoning, at least at first. it'll decrease as time goes on.

of course, your experience may be completely different :wink: just go with whichever one sounds better to your style, and organisms. whichever you choose, do lots of research to learn how to do that option correctly.
 
Esper wrote:
I've done sand, then BB, then sand again, and now I'm dying to go back to starboard....

the sand is great for the organisms who use it/need it...otherwise, get it the heck outta my tank! Pain to keep clean, can't ever get enough flow (its a shallow tank though), always worried about it getting under the magnet and scratching the glass. if you want it for filtration, you're better off with a dsb-in-a-bucket b/c detritus will not be allowed to settle on its surface.

BB is rediculously easy to keep clean...but only if prepared corectly. Cooking your rocks is a must, and you need a lot of alternating flow to keep detritus in suspension. get used to siphoning, at least at first. it'll decrease as time goes on.

Quote:

Exactly all the reasons why I went BB.


 
And the reason I did as well. Then I realized my tank was as sterile as a hospital room and nothing grew in there because there were no nutrients. While my SPS had amazing colors, it takes more then that for me. So I put a sand bed back in, about 3" and am so much more happy. My tank is beginning to have life, corals are growing and not being so light, which is nice. Overall, I wouldnt go barebottom again.
 
It's a personal choice, just research it and you'll find your 'sweet spot' for the bottom of your tank.

For you guys that had sand bottoms and hated them, you have to have like sand things. . else, yeah ickies get on the sand. Sand beds need there own clean up crew IMHO.

Although I have to say, that magnet near the sand scares the crap outta me too.

After having a DSB, going BB, and making the next tank with DSB again. I miss my sand. . This cleaning of junk and this deitrus all over the place is eww yuck. At least sand is supposed to be there.

I think BB is mostly an SPS tank kind of thing. Maybe that has something to do with the different styles of reef tanks we keep.
 
Personally, I like to see that my tank is a complete microcosm of the ocean, or at least a small fraction of it. The ocean wouldn't survive without a sand bed, so how can I expect my tank to do something unnatural? I also enjoy seeing the tons of life spring about from the sand bed every time I do a feeding.
 
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