deep sand bed

nasirius (sp) snails will actually burrow, rarely seem them above the sand except at feeding time

 

A DSB is a snake and you play with it you will get bitten by it . Now you will find some to swear to God they have had them running yrs ): I have never seen one go pass 4 yrs tops and that was with lots of work and maintenance . on average problems start to appear at about 20 months the next 15 or so months are spent trying the save it. So IMO unless you are figuring on tearing the tank down in about 30 months give or take.. Don't do it. But then again can't see or smell it from where I live But as I said it is a snake ! Take this for what ever its worth.

You fully understand the way these work ? And the semiannually needed sand fauna infusion at 100.00 or so ? and make a mistake with Ca and Carbonates sand turns to concrete .. Or the bio sludge like with all septic reaches critical mass and it all boils up or power goes off for a few hrs and everything dies.. Good luck with it but if you are serious then lay down a 2 inch base of dry clay then a 5 inch cap of proper sized sands.. And they have to be good grade of aragonite..

I remember when they dug the Old DSB out and dusted it off and a guy sold a ton of book telling people to stir their sand bed then to add sand sifting critters and yadda . Heck he wrote a book and had to know what he was talking about.. I said it then and I'll say it now what we found out in the lte 60 early 70's is to stir a DSB is the next to single worse then you can add the 1st is adding sand sifters animals they are eating what you already do not have enough of and what the Sand Gods over looked was the bacteria and critters in the sand growth rates where off the charts But when they die its faster and then booom out goes the lights.. Nothing above several thousand of feet can consume and eat and convert carbon waste in to food source the food source would be methanes and sulfides only plants

 

"I would never use a deep sand bed in my systems"

Why in the world not?

 

Mostly for the reasons Tangster listed above.

 

I only have 1 inch of argonite sand in my 55, i do have a chalk gobie who sifts all day and all night, and he does llike to burrow under the rockwork but their on the glass, seems the chalk gobie was a bad idea...

 

There's a good thread to read that is stickied at the top of the sand forum. http://www.3reef.com/forums/sand/bb-vs-dsb-34593.html

Just so you know, Covey eventually pulled out his DSB.

 

When I clean my tank before and after my water change. I take a powerhead and vacuum the sand and turn it up and over and all around and vacuum some more. Sediment does build up and makes my tank all muddy and murky. I clean it at least once a week. And of course, all my fishies are happy =)

 

I'll 4th or 5th or 6th the no DSB comments. 2 to 2/5 inches has always been my max. For all the reasons above.

J

 

yeah i think i am going to go with 2 inches then i will be able to put more rock in and have more room for the fish to swim and such.

 

i decided against it myself after a brainmelting amount of "interwebresearch" i came to the conclusion that at best it would leave me with a phosphate problem{wich would require the waterchanges i was trying to get out of in the first place} and at worst...well,i think tangster covered that.