SSB ok for display?

So, I am in the beginning stages of setting up my first reef tank. I currently have ~100lbs. of dry rock in my 75gal. I am considering going with a shallow sand bed in my main display. I think that I would like how it would look with less than an inch of sand in the tank. IMO (new so might not be entitled to opinions yet ) a large sand bed in my display would eventually turn into a nitrate dump.

I'm still in the planning stage of this thing and would like to have everything mapped out in advance. I know that I will have a fuge with a DSB 4-5" and it will be planted (maybe something that would root itself deep into the sand bed for its denitrifying abilities?). I've heard that a fuge that is about 10% of the DT's size is good, and that it should cycle itself about x1 per hour. So, with these numbers for my tank I would need an at least 7.5 gallon fuge, would probably go with a 10gal. though. If i do a SSB in the main display should I increase the size of the fuge?

Also, with a SSB would that limit my selection of CUC and inverts and such? I also know that I am very partial to the Green Mandarins, and would like to have 1-2 in the tank eventually. Anyone have any thoughts on if this would be possible or advised?

One more thing. Do you believe that if i go with a SSB in the display that it will slow the seeding of my dry rock? I'm still torn on if I will add a bunch of live rock to the tank or if i should just be patient and add additional dry rock and wait for it to seed. If I add dry rock after the tank has cycled it wont throw my tank back into a cycle will it??

 

Bump! Anyone have any thoughts on this at all? Starting my first reef tank and really would like the reassurance that I am going about it in the right way.

 

I would add at least one piece of live rock . SSB are the way to go IMO.I would do at least two inches though. The only things that wouldn't be compatable would be fish that sleep under the sand ie. some wrasses or inverts like sand sifting starfish.And no adding more base rock will not cause a cycle but sometimes when adding live rock you may have a little die off causing a mini cycle. So I would add a piece soon.

 

I have 60 lbs of sugar sand. That gives me an average of about one inch. I do have area with 2 inches of depth due to the flow moving the sand. The wrasse sleeps in the sand banks. I would suggest getting something a little larger than suger sand if you are looking to have high flow in the tank.

 

i think a inch or less is ok i have had problems with a 2 in sandbed i tried stirring it and keeping it clean but was impossible to clean it behind the rocks those areas turned black . then added sandsifting goby and developed nitrate issues so this new tank i have i chose to go bare bottom just didnt wanna try to take care of a sand bed again

 

Well you really shouldn't be stirring the sand too much.ANAEROBIC BACTERIA IS ESSENTIAL FOR A HEALTHY TANK AND STIRRING IT UP ALL THE TIME IS NOT GOOD.ALSO IF YOUR SAND WAS TURNING BLACK i WOULD THINK YOU WERE HAVING OTHER ISSUES.NITRATES DON'T JUST APPEAR MAJICALLY.The ammount of nitrates is coresponding to the ammount of waste introduced no matter how deep your sand bed is.Sorry for the caps.

 

i've been doing ssb and that's how i like it too. i've done barebottom one but to me i don't like the way it looks. if you plan on getting anything that burrows though you should (i found out the hard way) attach the base of your rock to something. i had mine attached to a sheet of acrylic.

 

in a ssb there is too much O2 for there to be Anaerobic bacteria stirring it alot helps to keep it clean .stirring it after its been sitting for awhile is a bad idea and the black areas were underneath the sand were organics (algae and fish crap ) started rotting

 

My research indicated flow thru your refugium should be around 1/4 of your overflow amount... Haven't read anything about 1X per hour--seems rather low to me, e.g., if your return/overflow rate is 500 gph, then the refugium should receive about 125 gph.

That's all I got for now. GL.

 

In relation to SSB's a 2 inch layer has been used by me for years with good results all around. SSB'S work in exactly the same fashion as DSB'S and the same rules apply.The only drawback is a more limited degree of Nitrate reduction due to the REDUCED anaerobic layer and population. In some cases a combined method is used whereby the main tank contains a 2" sand bed whilst the main DSB is moved to the sump or remote tank.