How much Substrate is ideal?

Hmmm, alot of info here. I think based on what Im reading, Ill go 2.5 to 3.5 inches of aragonite sand. When I do an h2o change, I sift the sand with a gravity vac tube. It is amazing what lurks in there. Once a month, I carefully stir the sand (with the filter on) just before emptying 1/3 of the water for a change ....keeps my sand looking great. I doesnt seem to affect the hundreds of pods, turbos and brittles. I currently have an inch of live ocean sand mixed with pet store gravel (i knew nothing when I began this hobby 4 years ago). Thanks to everyone for your input ...great Karma for all!

 

that depends on who you ask. IMO, it's a matter of preference.

DSB in a DT, IMO, is asking for trouble down the road... but we're talking around 6" so I don't think that's really what you're after anyway.

anywhere from bare bottom to 3 inches should be fine and considered "ideal" by someone.

 

If you have animals burrowing into your deep sand bed, it's not a true deep sand bed. It's just deep sand

We're currently running our tank barebottom but when we use sand, we prefer 1". Anything 4" or over is a deep sand bed and will require that you do certain things to keep the sand bed "healthy" and functional. That being said, like Peredhil, I would never put a DSB in my display tank but I do use them in my refugiums.

 

Good to know... Well I have deep sand then, and I think it looks cool but that is me.

 

it is def a matter of personal preference, 60lbs of sand in a 55g looks like this, in case you needed some visual reference, I think it comes up 2" over the bottom border but there's variables in terms of tank size/style of course.

 

This is all good to know. I think 2 - 2.5 inches is my goal then. Thanks everyone for your input. Interesting opinions. Thanks esp to Mojo for the pic. Im pretty sure thats the depth Im looking for. Nice aquascaping, btw ...wanna come and do mine?

 

For those that are new to reefkeeping take heed to what this moderator is saying. I have a 1" sand bed in my display tank and a deep sand bed in my refugium. There are so many reasons for this combo. The one that hasn't been fully dicussed is when a DSB goes bad. Fish that dig into the sand can be a big problem with a DSB. I am not a chemist but I've read that nitrates get stored inside a DSB which explains the lesser need for large water changes but it's all too possible that something can pierce the DSB and then it will all go into the water column and serious problems will occur. However, in a refugium there is a lesser chance of that happening and it can be easier to clean out just in case it occurs. This argument can be debated and debated and is just a personal preferance and more important a full understanding of it. I learned a lot about DSB's from www.wetwebmedia.com as they take this idea to another level.