anyone running bare bottom?

ran a 5ft some years back BB - rockwork

to achieve the tier effect whilst keeping the base easy to maintain- I had cut sections of PVC pipe and the rocks at the back where stacked on them
rocks where then placed at front of these PVC pipes so they could not be seen from the front although you could see them from the side of the tank
this coupled with a couple of power heads low and behind the rock structure kept the sediment from settling at the back

some general tweaking with positioning of those PHS and others mounted higher and I achieved most of the sediment being blown and collecting in the front left corner - which meant a couple of times a week, I could syphon this through a filter sock or through a filter pad in a net over a bucket - then pour back the water into the tank

kept it looking really clean and tidy

seen a very good suggestion on this site "painting the base of the tank" as this does remove the glare of the bare glass and is IMO probably nicer to look at

Steve

 

We painted the bottom of our tank white so that the light would reflect back up to the corals. We keep mostly SPS corals though so I'm not sure if that would be a benefit for those who only keep soft corals. Doesn't really matter now though as the bottom of the tank is now covered in coralline algae.

 

What is an MSB and SSB BTW?? Is that like middle and shallow sand bed??

Anyways, you can syphon some of the top layer of a DSB without any problems.. I have a 3in SB in my display and every once in a while I stir about an inch off the top with some tongs.

BEWARE!! You must not stir the bottom or deepest part of a sand bed.. This will release anaerobic bacteria into the water column. This could cause oxygen levels to fall rapidly and could hurt or kill fish and corals.. It also releases whatever dead or decaying matter and detritus that has built up, which could also cause ammonia spikes..

I've heard stories of people wiping out their whole reef by vigorously stirring their sand bed thinking this is the best way to clean it..

 

Steve, Inwall, Pack, Zach????

OK Inwall, the above is my point completely. This is what & how I was taught many years ago. This and the hydrochloric acid deal...."Never stir your sand bed!!!"

To me, a display tank without sand is just not a true "DISPLAY", correct? I understand the BB for propagation, breeders, etc.

Also, I've heard of reefers doing OK with a DSB but siphoning/cleaning sections of the sand bed in a rotation fashion every month. What do you guys think?

 

THE advantage is called SUCCESS ......DRUMMER BOY

 

Like I said I don't do much to may sand bed. I have a lot of sand sifters who do it for me.. Hermit crabs, Nassarius snails, and gobies do the work..

The last time I went in and poked around at the sand bed was months ago.. I heard it can become packed and harden up and I wanted to see if that is happening with my sand bed. Needless to say it wasn't hardening at all..

People Syphon there DSB, but I have never done it before.. I don't think I have ever had too.. I don't get dinos, nor do I see any detritus build up on top..

 

My reef is successful and I have substrate............

 

Chucky cheese ,show me the money then

 

im not saying,that you cant be successful with susbrate,just less problema with Bare A.!!!!!(barebottom) grasshoppa

 

Most of the people that accidentally nuke their tank with a DSB don't do it by stirring it, it's typically several years old and then a suction cup on a powerhead gives out. The powerhead falls and blows the sand all around disturbing the lower layers. It's not a lack of Oxygen that nukes the tank...it's Hydrogen Sulphide although I'm sure a lack of Oxygen contributes to the problem.

Most people don't set up DSB's properly and accidentally encourage Hydrogen sulphide zones. Without bioturbation from the proper critters, the anoxic and anaerobic zones keep climbing higher and higher over time (eventually causing major phosphate problems in the tank). Some people maintain the proper number of critters, others maintain the aerobic area of their DSB's by using their fingers and stirring the UPPER portion of their bed. Others siphon areas of their sandbed a little at a time, waiting some time, and the next time they siphon, they move to a different area.

A lot of these topics are discussed here. http://www.3reef.com/forums/sand/bb-vs-dsb-34593.html