sand bed depth

[dwdenny]

Ok on a 45 breeder does any one think that a 3" sand bed is too much. I don't have a problem with DSB I was just wondering.

[GaryP]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the sand bed.

Most of the gurus say that you need at least 4" to get the proper anoxic conditions for good denitirfication. 4" is going to take up a lot of your tank in a 45 breeder.

[wkopplin]

I used a 3" bed for a long time and never had a problem.

[Inno]

It matters not, just on aesthetics. A 45g is too small for a dsb to function reasonably well, according to Shimek.

[NaCl_H2O]

I'm curious? Why would square inches limit the functioning of a DSB? It is the "depth" that is important regardless if it is a few 100 SqIn, or a few Thousand, right?

[jaded]

thats also my understanding, Im interested since I just started a 4-5" DSB in a 16"x16" fuge

[MikeDeL]

I dont understand the size of the tank making a differance as to wether or not a DSB would work either. If you have a tank with a footprint of 72" x 36" it would have 4 sections of 36" x 18 " (same footprint as a 45 breeder) Each of the four sections would be responsable for the water column above it right? So if a tank has a 1/4 of a foot print it should only need a 1/4 of the DSB. What am I missing?

[jaded]

So if a tank has a 1/4 of a foot print it should only need a 1/4 of the DSB

Do you mean ¼ of the height?

[Inno]

This should explain: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm

[MikeDeL]

No I mean foot print. Run a piece of glass through the middle of the larger tank front to back and another side to side. This would divide the tank into four equal sections, making four new tanks. Now that you have divided the sand be in to four smaller sections the DSB no longer works? If it worked before the piece of glass divided into sections why doesnt it work now?

[jaded]

A 45g is too small for a dsb to function reasonably well, according to Shimek

I think you may have read it wrong. The first thing he mentions is his 45 with a DSB. Maybe I missed something though



In my 45 gallon reef tank, the sand bed averages about 4 inches deep, by 12 inches wide, by 36 inches long, for a total of one cubic ft of sediment.

[Inno]

In a thread by Shimek, he stated that a 55-60g was the perfect minimum size. Funny thing about Shimek, his answers tend to vary here and there on sizing so...

[Richard]

Short answer....
I think I get the best result from 1.5" - 2" of fine sugar size sand.

Long answer....Enjoy...
http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/goemans&gamble/sandbedspart1.htm
http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/goemans&gamble/sandbedspart2.htm

[aquadoc]

In the back of my tank is about 3 inches, but gradualy comes to 1-1.5 inches. In the fuge I use 2 inch. They both seem to work pretty good. Butt I think in a 45g with 2-3 of sand would be alright, you may loose a little depth but you also gain more intensity because the ground is closer to the surface.
It all depends on what you want the tank to produce, and how it functions.

[GaryP]

Sugar fine sand does make the best DSB but it can be a pain. I've added a 1/2" layer of special grade on top of the sugar fine to get it from blowing around.

[dwdenny]

Wow I really stired things up here no pun intended. lol So 2"-3" sand bed would be ok. I appreciate the information.

[gjuarez]

What about 0 inches of sand bed? Does anybody have anything to say on this matter? I have a starboard and I think it has worked wonders for me. I am not trying to stir the pot but I would like some other bare bottom folks to comment and help Doug make the best decision for the longterm success of his tank.

[jaded]

the old DSB vs Bare bottom... ding, ding round one

2" isnt a DSB, its an SB... I couldn't tell you wether one is better than the other, I guess its best to read read read and then make up your own mind

[smelleybrad]

Any ifo on bare bottom talk to joshua. His tank looks really nice and everything in there is thriving!!

[gjuarez]

Also Doug, you might want to talk to Texas TOdd. Todd mentioned if he had to do everything all over again that he would go bare bottom. You might also want to do research on RC. Look for Bomber's thread on starboard, that is the best and longest thread I think I have ever read.

[dow]

My 45 breeder sandbed varies from about 2" in the front to around 4 1/2" in the back. I've had this setup since starting up the tank, and have LOTS of life in it. Of course, the basic sandbed landscape has changed ever since buying the Hector's goby, lol.

[dwdenny]

Jerry I thought about the bare bottom just don't like the look of a tank without sand in it. If done right then the benefits are way better then bare bottom. Just my opinion though what do I know. Like jaded said 3" is not a DSB at all now if I was going to go 6"+ then yeah that would be a DSB but 2"-3" just a plain old sand bed. WhenI had FOWLR set up in College Station it was about 4" with 0 nitrates ans 0 mitrite. Not bad with the amount of fish I had in it. I alos had lots of life in there with about 10 turbos snails several other snails I think they were ceirth snails. No crabs of any sort(always had bad luck with hermits and any other crabs to be honest).