- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
In planning for my new tank, I have not decided on what to get for my substrate... What is your opinion????
What is your choice of bottom?
- Thread starter thirty5
- Start date
- Location
- Staten Island
barebottom all day bro..sand holds too much junk in it. It's a phosphate factory..move a rock and boom SPIKE. If you have sand dwellers they might get pissed off but I personally don't have any of them. They could definitely just hide under rocks lol less work for them.
- Location
- Staten Island, NY
le sand bed (deep). To me, its just not a reef tank without sand. Plus its fun to watch nassarius snails go in and out of the sand and I plan to get more fish that use the sand in the future
- Location
- jersey city
too many bristle worms in the sand , drive me crazy ...
Crushed coral tends to trap detritus and you would have to scratch any sand bed sleeping wrasses off your wish list.
Best to decide first what creatures you want to keep in your tank and design the tank around their needs..it's more homey that way
Best to decide first what creatures you want to keep in your tank and design the tank around their needs..it's more homey that way
- Location
- New Jersey
Yup I've experienced having crushed coral and it's better to just go with live sand
Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
Sent from my iPhone using Reefs
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
Crushed coral tends to trap detritus and you would have to scratch any sand bed sleeping wrasses off your wish list.
Best to decide first what creatures you want to keep in your tank and design the tank around their needs..it's more homey that way
Good Point Kathy!!!! That is why I am really planning this tank out. Also not sure that a pistol shrimp and goby will be liking crushed coral, and they would not like barebottom.
- Location
- north jersey
what corals and what kind of flow are you planning?
for example-- acro's need high flow and high flow = bald spots or sand storm.
i went with bb and love it.
you can put a "sandbox" in just for the goby and pistol shrimp....bonus to this is you choose the location where you can see them.
the first pair of goby/pistol i had decided to stay at the middle of the back side....hardly ever seen them.
for example-- acro's need high flow and high flow = bald spots or sand storm.
i went with bb and love it.
you can put a "sandbox" in just for the goby and pistol shrimp....bonus to this is you choose the location where you can see them.
the first pair of goby/pistol i had decided to stay at the middle of the back side....hardly ever seen them.
- Location
- Long Island, New York
crushed coral tends to trap detritus and you would have to scratch any sand bed sleeping wrasses off your wish list.
best to decide first what creatures you want to keep in your tank and design the tank around their needs..it's more homey that way
+1
- Location
- long island
I have a dsb, like wrasses and keep sps and wouldn't change it.
- Location
- Huntington
As was already said, they are all viable options that work well with the exception of crushed coral. It's just a matter of how you set them up and maintain them. In the proper hands they can all be effective but for ease of maintenance while still being able to keep most livestock happy I would opt for a "shallow" bed. So it's clear a DSB is considered to start at 4-6" and anything under that is considered shallow. I normally go with about 2" since that will keep most burrowing fish happy and leave you with an easily managed bed you can keep clean. If you want the benefits of a DSB I usually remote them to a large refugium where they can also be managed and the refugium inhabitants help keep it clean and the top layers turned over. If you are going with a DSB you want to use an oolitic sand so the water can move through it easily and you can actually benefit from it rather than have it compact over time and clog with detritus which would spell failure.
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
Thank YOu!
- Location
- Huntington
The other reason I like to use a shallow bed in the display and a DSB in the refugium is because I like to feed the fish and corals a lot. The shallow bed is easy to keep clean with a siphon and the high flow in the tank. Keeping the DSB remote from the display keeps that extra detritus created by large feedings from settling in the DSB and creating nutrient issues making it easier to maintain. More of the natural benefits without all the issues.
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
That is what I was planning to do. I plan to do, I have a 90 gal tank sitting in my basement, that I am going to drill and use as sump fuge for the new tank. I am going to get all my items fiirs (ie pumps for reactors, skimmer....) then I will install baffles to accomodate the items and still leaving a large area for a fuge section...
- Location
- New Jersey
The model one? Lol
- Location
- Bergen County, NJ
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