bare bottom vs 1-2" sand bed

[NYPDFrogman]

hey all LR should be here next week I'm not packing the 180 with rock 2 seperate islands with 1-2" sand in between.
should I go bare bottom and wait for coraline to grow?
if I do sand put sand in, the whole tank and LR on top?
I've always used bare bottom with wet dry
now I'll be doing a fuge with DSB
any thoughts?

 

[alrha]

i think sand would look a lot more natural.

 

[NYPDFrogman]

Originally posted by alrha:
i think sand would look a lot more natural.

I think so too thats why I'm considering it would it pose any polution problems and should I completely cover the bottom and put LR on top?

 

[triggerboy]

I had a DSB for 2 years in my 55 before I moved, it worked great, but looked bad becuase you could see the 3" or so inches of dirty sand agianst the glass.

After I moved I just put about 1" of sand on the bottom of the tank and put a small DSB in a chamber in my sump.... the tank has been up about 10 months, going just fine, haven't noticed any difference in water quaility doing it this way. BUT I do have a fair amount of rock in the tank and sump which I'm sure helps.

As for the look.... I don't think you can beat the sandy bottoms.... much better looking than a barebottom IMO... plus gives a place for snails and stars to live. Go with 1" of sand... you'll like it.

The only thing that you should think about is how much water current you plan on having... the sand can/will stir up if you have a whole lot of current that changes (like when using a seass swirl) and hits the bottom hard.

J.

 

[Dmitry]

And the rocks should be placed on the bare tank, not on the sand. The sand should be poured around the rocks. This would prevent the rockwork collapsing in case some creatures digs under it!

 

[ShaunW]

At approximately 1 inch you won't have any problems that a DSB has due to the accumulation of phosphate and nitrate. Anaerobic (microaerophilic) bacteria won't be able to find a niche and therefore won't be present in the future to lead to a DSB-like crash.

Just make sure you have enough dendritis eating critters present.

 

[jackson6745]

Frogman, take a look at faux sandbeds. I have one in my 120G. It's basically sand glued to cutting board. It looks like a real sandbed but wont move if you crank up the flow.

 

[Pedro]

I'm thinking about removing my bed. If i do so i will go with one inch of sand. The rocks would be placed on eggcrate on top of pvc anchors. This will not only keep the rocks elavated, but if i want to remove the sand i wouldn't disrupt the rock structure. Something for you to think about.

Rich, i thought about that epoxy thing but i'm just too much of a natural. I love sand. Besides, my cukes and watchman goby need a home.

Just for information, the reason why i'm planning to remove mine is because i think it finally reached it's saturation point.