Should i switch??

[Snappy]

Unless you prefer the BB look, I would try just removing about half the sand so it's not a DSB but just ornamental and get a few watchman gobies or something to keep it turned. That way you can have a the natural look of the sand and keep the nitrates down. Some may disagree but this works quite well for me in my tank and I have a crowded sps dominated mixed reef with lots of fish.

[BCOrchidGuy]

I probably would have gone bare bottom but I drew out some plans for my canopy on the top of the stand and forgot to repaint over it so if I went bb you'd see all my doodling, drawing, math mistakes etc...

Doug

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by BCOrchidGuy

I probably would have gone bare bottom but I drew out some plans for my canopy on the top of the stand and forgot to repaint over it so if I went bb you'd see all my doodling, drawing, math mistakes etc...

Doug

[ClubReef]

I have a shallow sand bed with approx 1" of sand and my reef tank is doing ok. I think you can keep a good reef with sand. I would take out sand in increments and see if your overall environment improves. Sucking out all the sand seems like an extreme measure to me and may cause more harm if you do it too quickly.

[kwirky]

I siphoned mine out with each water change. I have less microfauna without the sandbed though. I had buttloads of little critters before I removed it, and now I don't notice any. There's a little in the sump, but not much.

The BB is much easier to maintain though, and I was also having the clumped sand syndrome, since my opened top won't keep any gobies in.

[Reefer Rob]

I slowly sucked out most of the sand in my old tank. Nothing died, but it was messy business. You won't believe the crud in a DSB! Lots of "shedding" from my live rock for about 2 months afterward. If you like the look of BB go BB, if you like the look of sand run a 1/2" to 1" and siphon and stir it. A shallow sand bed can be kept almost as clean as BB.