Advice on Nitrate/Phosphate problems

[Moogled]

If I were to reframe this "debate", I think most of us agree on this:

A DSB is indeed beneficial for the reef aquarium tank and has alot of perks. However, given the lack of resources in Calgary (Canada, even) to create such an environment, a barebottom tank seems like a much more sensible and practical choice.

Me and Albert don't disagree with the idea of a sandbed in itself, but rather we take into context what we have and don't have and then state our positions from there on.

[Reefer Rob]

I regularly blast my tank with a turkey baster, and I would say I usually get more detritus off my live rock than from my sand bed. Detritus should be consumed by the sand bed inhabitants, there sure seems to be a lot of action there in my tank. A labyrinth of worm tunnels and other little unidentified (at least by me) creatures- definitely one of the more fascinating areas of of my tank.
It's amazing where a little question about nutrient reduction can take us

[Reefer Rob]

So Chin, in your house analogy your skimmer is what... an outhouse

[molybdenumman]

So getting back to my problem. I have had my sandbed (~3in) for 2.5 years. Could it be at the end of its life cycle/usefullness?

I'll be honest, the esthetics of the bb tank frighten me. I believe (mostly my wife) I would rather continue with a sandbed. What is the best way to clean up my sandbed and get my tank back to a prosperous moneysink?

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by molybdenumman

So getting back to my problem. I have had my sandbed (~3in) for 2.5 years. Could it be at the end of its life cycle/usefullness?

I'll be honest, the esthetics of the bb tank frighten me. I believe (mostly my wife) I would rather continue with a sandbed. What is the best way to clean up my sandbed and get my tank back to a prosperous moneysink?

Its hard to say without seeing it.But if its grey colored ontop its toast.Or take your hand and wave it over the sand bed.Just hard enough to disturb the surface.If alot of crap comes up when you do this its time to change.
I have what was a 2" sand bed( flow and goby have piled it in places and made BB in others)I do water changes each week,and I'll spread the sand out again before syphoning.This stirs the crap up into the warer column along with turkey basting the rocks.When I syphon I get alot of it out.If its realy bad I'll set up the aqua clear and let it run with a sponge for a couple hrs before taking the water out.

[Reefer Rob]

So, your nitrates and phosphates have been OK up untill the last couple of monthes? Have you always had enough flow to keep detritus from settling on your sandbed? Any missing livestock? (sorry I had to ask) One thing you could try is siphoning off the top 1/2" of your sand and replacing it with clean sand (maybe a bit more to increase the total depth) Seems hard to believe your sandbed would be at the end of it's life already.