400 gallon project

[Delphinus]

Just out of curiousity (and apologies if you've answered this before) but do you plan on replacing the sand at any kind of interval?

Without trying to open up too much debate on this topic, I'm sort of torn, for my 280, I want the benefits of a clean BB tank, but I like the look of a sandbed (at least when it's nice and clean). But I have to admit that there's no way that over the typical lifespan of a reef tank that I'm going to keep up with weekly vacuuming and whatnot. But then again, I don't want the sand for filtration, I just want it to look like a sea floor and not an aquarium floor.

[untamed]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Just out of curiousity (and apologies if you've answered this before) but do you plan on replacing the sand at any kind of interval?

Without trying to open up too much debate on this topic, I'm sort of torn, for my 280, I want the benefits of a clean BB tank, but I like the look of a sandbed (at least when it's nice and clean). But I have to admit that there's no way that over the typical lifespan of a reef tank that I'm going to keep up with weekly vacuuming and whatnot. But then again, I don't want the sand for filtration, I just want it to look like a sea floor and not an aquarium floor.

I don't plan on replacing the sand. Further, it would seem that I will NEVER have to vaccuum the sand bed ever again. The tank is BB at the back and the sand varies in depth (depending on the mood of the Gobies) from less than 1" to over 4". At this depth and movement, I don't think the sand bed is providing any kind of anaerobic filtration.

The gobies have achieved the (almost) perfect compromise. Their downside is that they tend to place sand on top of the display rocks from time to time. This can bury a coral and do a lot of damage fast. They don't do it all the time, and I think that it is a breeding behaviour that causes them to suddenly decide to build a new mountain. (more on that later)

For me..I dislike the look of BB tanks. I was prepared to live with the sand as dirty as it was. Now, it is beautifully clean, but I have to pay a bit more attention to turkey basting than I used to and lower placed corals are at risk of being buried.

[chris c]

do you have any problems with water clarity becuse of the sand and gobies. This is the problem i am having in my 280g but i dont know if it is from the sand or the 6 large tangs that i have.

Chris

[untamed]

Originally Posted by chris c

do you have any problems with water clarity becuse of the sand and gobies. This is the problem i am having in my 280g but i dont know if it is from the sand or the 6 large tangs that i have.

Chris

The gobies certainly kick up some sand. It is 100% caused by the gobies. It is not that they directly kick up the sand, but they frequently deposit it directly in front of a CL outlet. As soon as the outlet fires, it shoots sand into the water column.

There are good times and bad times. I find it acceptable, but I'm sure other people would not.

[untamed]

Mostly, the goby behaviour is good. They munch away on the sand...dig under the rocks...and generally keep the tank looking very nice.

Unfortunately, from time to time, the male goby (I think the larger one is the male) seems to get obsessive about building a gigantic mound of sand that covers entire rocks and corals. If left undisturbed, I think he would attempt to move the entire sand bed into one large pyramid.

Here's a photo of his handiwork. The scary thing about this photo is that it took him ONLY 2 HOURS TO DO THIS. Only 2 hours earlier, I moved all this sand away.


Now..the reason that I am blaming HIM for all this is that the female has disappeared again. It seems that when the female holes up (last time it was 3 days), the male starts this obsessive building behaviour. I don't know where the female is, but I strongly suspect she is under the pile trying to tend to some eggs.

[Midknight]

If so... first dibs on a baby.

[untamed]

Female goby has returned (again...3 or 4 days). Yesterday, she appeared briefly only for feeding time. Today, she was out and about much more. After a little observation of her coming and going, I realized that they have tunnelled completely under a 3 foot rock.

They have entrances at both ends. If you look at the previous picture, that's about where the front door is (the male goby has buried the door in the photo) The back door is right close to the back wall of the tank...about 2 feet away.

No danger of rock shifting. All my rock was placed directly on the tank bottom. They must have found a hollow tunnel under the rock.

The male goby has returned to more tolerable behaviour....for now.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Just out of curiousity (and apologies if you've answered this before) but do you plan on replacing the sand at any kind of interval?

Without trying to open up too much debate on this topic, I'm sort of torn, for my 280, I want the benefits of a clean BB tank, but I like the look of a sandbed (at least when it's nice and clean). But I have to admit that there's no way that over the typical lifespan of a reef tank that I'm going to keep up with weekly vacuuming and whatnot. But then again, I don't want the sand for filtration, I just want it to look like a sea floor and not an aquarium floor.

Get a strip of fiberglass sheeting...make the shapes you want..bumps, valleys etc..expoxy aragonite over it the thin fiberglass(like thick paper...)