Dsb

ive been thinking of doing one after seeing a vid on utube. it showed my the good things and the bad. the bad part is the ill have the flow need to keep 1 up. plus all the snails i have will stir the sand anyways. i have a 55g DT w/ 60lbs of lives which is about 2". i was thinking bout going for 40lbs more if not 60lbs more. im moving in a week and thought i could mix the 2 sands together and have a small cycle. i have a dsb in my fuge but feel i have the wrong type of sand meaning size wise. i know for the for DT i need fine sand. any pros or cons from people that have had them? after i move i dont plan on moving for 6 years if that helps any.

 

Don't mess with it once its set up, the toxic gas builds up and if you release it, it will wipe out your tank. You will see bubbles form time to time, and that is normal. Don't know in lbs how much space that will fill, but you want to go at least 6" deep.

 

wow! why 6"?

 

Its usually on the scale of 4-6" but at 6" you less of a chance of getting it messed up.
The Deep Sand Bed – One Of The Most Effective Filtration Methods. | Aquarists Online | Aquarium Fish Resources And Information

 

thankyou for the link. do you know much of DSB's?

 

Enough to know I wouldn't run one. What do you need to know?

 

i cant remember what . but theres a guy on utube that does it and from what i gathered from the link and him sounds like it would be a good idea to have 1. id have to get rid of a fish but thats ookay room for another. and i have ton of snails to stir the sand anyways.

 

WHy would you have to get rid of fish?? Snails are a good thing to have anyways, they clean up everything. You have to get the right kind. DSB are a Nitrate killer yes, but if you stir up the sand bed after its been set in, look out. The gas it produces is toxic to the tank. Small bubbles are normal. Hydrogen sulfide is very bad when released. And, from what I do know, you do not want any sand sifting animals in the tank, like sand sifting snails or star fish, gobies, ets.
This article is better, take a look at this one.
Ron Shimek's Website...Deep Sand Beds

 

why the snails? my goby for sure im getting rid of cause of the size of the sand. but i have lots of nass snails that i dont wata get rid of. i was going for a 4" dsb. could i have the snails if i have a deeper sand bed?

 

You do not want any sand sifting snail or other creature stirring the sand bed up, they could release a pocket of gas, and kill your tank. And Nass snails like to burrow in the sand. I would not do it.
Just my 2 cents though.